The Cornwall Blog

It's not long now until I take my mum to see Diana Ross at The Eden Project! She is very excited, me too! Quite a legend. I thought it might be good to share some of the other musical events up and coming this month and beyond.  It really feels that after a few years away from living life fully we are finally able to. This summer promises to be a bumper one for Cornwall with so many festivals coming back to us, and what a eclectic mix... Sundays from May to September are seeing Truro's Victoria Gardens ' band stand put to good use. Local brass bands and orchestras will be delighting folk from 2.30 to 4pm. Also in Truro, at The Alverton's beautiful gardens, they are welcoming back the Summer Garden Sessions . Think a sun-drenched terrace, stunning tunes and a cocktail or two. This month sees Hannigan, Rue and Ash Harding take to the stage. Speaking of Eden's Sessions , their line up this year includes other big names such as Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Ni...

I am writing this on a stunningly warm June day, the perfect backdrop to dream about long summer evenings and outdoor cocktails with fab entertainment. Of course, in reality, Cornwall can have truly cold and wet summers, but right now lets dream we can enjoy the outside lifestyle just as much as our European neighbours.  There are so many events opening up which is lovely to see, some restricted but well thought through, to cope with Covid. Outside really does seem to be the way to go, so here are 5 events up and down the county that look to bring those summer vibes we are all longing for after a trying year.  Sterts Theatre on Bodmin Moor have announced their summer season. My younger brother used to be involved with them when he was little and he loved it! Their open air auditorium provides shelter as well as ventilation to enjoy the family friendly entertainment. We have the likes of Shrek, The Wolf From the Door, Romeo and Juliette as well as Alice in Wonderland. Check ou...

To celebrate the anniversary of the Moon Landings, Goonhilly, near Helston, is holding a rather special day. On the 20th of July 1969 the world watched, glued to their TV screens, as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the surface of the moon. These images were being transmitted by the Goonhilly satellite. To mark 50 years since this iconic event Goonhilly are presenting Apollo 50 , a family friendly day of education, science, tech, art and music. In fact you can see band Public Service Broadcasting perform songs from their album The Race for Space and Orbital will also be performing a DJ set. You can find more info at the website and get tickets.

April is a busy month in Cornwall, the weather is usually pretty good (as it is today). The attractions open up and the coast becomes even more inviting. Barely a month goes by when we are not celebrating our great cuisine, and this month is no different! Here are three events you can enjoy in April in Cornwall. Falmouth Folk and Cider Fayre  14-17 April Falmouth is a great place that I love to visit, but this festival sounds great. Come to the festival and find over 70 ciders to try! Some great folk talent including FolkLaw, Alex Hart, Jonah's Lift, The Other Band and Sarah McQuaid. As well as folk and cider there are of course food stalls, arts and crafts and local fare. Portleven Food Festival 21-23 April Near Helston, this foodie event is quite a draw. There are over 90 stalls of food and craft all along the harbour with great music to complement. All ending in dazzling fireworks! Michelin star chefs will be doing demonstrations, there’s plenty to inspire and a real bu...

The kids may well have gone back to school but Cornwall is still buzzing with plenty to do. This month we have a food festival in Truro, a fish festival in Newquay, and a design festival at Trereife House - and Looe hosts its music festival! Looe is a vibrant harbour town and once a year down on the beach crowds flock to hear a real variety of bands in this much loved festival. This year the Fun Lovin’ Criminals are taking to the stage where previous acts have included The Darkness, Reef, The Stranglers, Levellers and Seth Wakeman to name a few. Its an eclectic line up of national and international bands with music workshops and live music on every corner of this seaside town. And in some what of a change of direction, Laurence Fox, Detective Sergeant James Hathaway in ITV drama Lewis will be seen heading out on his first tour at the Looe Music Festival. Bringing indie sounds from his debut album Holding Patterns . As the festival grows year on year so does the fringe...

Starting tomorrow, the 9th of June, and running until the 11th June 2016 is the Royal Cornwall Show. This annual event really draws the crowds! Every year the visitors are around 120,000, not bad for the show that starting in Truro over 200 years ago as a ploughing competition between farmers! Today, alongside the best livestock and animals you will find Cornish wrestling, flower shows, the food tent (with free samples!!), show jumping, a steam fair, dog show, local businesses, health and beauty, the list goes on! Located at the show ground just outside Wadebridge, the RCS often boasts a royal appearance. A great place to head if you want to see the cream of Cornwall and enjoy the buzz of a crowd! Find out more about the Royal Cornwall Show .  

It seems you can't move for festivals these days - and Cornwall is no different! Having said that they are loads of family friendly fun. This month, Sunday 15th May, we have Lostfest , in my neck of the woods, Lostwithiel. The event raises money for FLEET, a charity who provide equipment for emergency services in Cornwall. For those who don't know, Lostwithiel is a charming ancient stannary town which is nestled quietly a little in land in a wooded valley. Well, normally quiet, but come Lostfest the streets are buzzing with life. Expect delicious food lining the streets, traditional crafts, handmade gifts, medieval re-enactments, a vintage fair and a couple of local bands. From by the river, to under the trees, the church yard, museum, the shops and cafes - all over this little town fun is unleashed. Lostwithiel is such a pretty place to visit, just up the hill you will find the Restormel Castle. There are two parks that follow the Fowey river and the Tudor bridge is a...

There are always so many events going on in Cornwall! People come for the slower pace of life, but I find if you want excitement it is within easy reach. If you are looking for a little culture for this Autumnal month how about the Calstock Jazz Festival? Calstock is a beautiful spot, nestled on the river Tamar on the Devon and Cornwall border. A few Saturdays ago me and my family headed to the National Trust property of Cotehele where there is a gorgeous view over Calstock and the vast viaduct. The Jazz and Blues festival uses some great venues around the little village and is host to some real musical gems. Norma Winstone with The Printmakers, Empirical and Femi Temowo are the headliners but there are acts from Plymouth university, choirs and film. There is also delicious food on offer throughout the village. So close to Plymouth this hideaway festival is always popular. So for a musical treat be sure to make it! Running from the 22nd-25th October 2015. Yo...

Phil Beer is one of the most popular ambassadors for acoustic roots music. A dazzling instrumentalist, he is perhaps best known as one half of the internationally acclaimed folk megastars Show of Hands, 2010 winners of BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for Best Duo and Best Song “Arrogance, Ignorance and Greed.” However, not only is he a musician, songwriter, composer and producer, he is also a top flight fiddler in the all-star line-up, Feast of Fiddles, and his skills don’t stop there, he also plays slide, Spanish and tenor guitar, mandocello, viola, mandolin and South American cuatro, not to mention contributing rich vocals. Phil Beer is appearing at this special “one night only” gig to show his support for Gorsedh Kernow, Cornwall’s own Gorsedd, which exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall. This event is generously supported by The Painted Bird, St Ives and Harding Laity Estate Agents of St Ives. Sunday 16th February 2014, 7.30pm (doors 7pm). St. Ives Guildh...

The Three Belles’ are returning to Cornwall for an extra special performance this year! The Andrews Sisters style vocal trio met at the University of Portsmouth and formed in their final year in 2011. Since graduating they have turned singing close harmonies and donning their victory rolls into a full time job! When they weren’t busy singing on stage, The Three Belles spent the most of 2012 working on a script with their author friend and ex ‘The Bill’ script writer Matt Wingett. 

The Three Belles have been touring in Cornwall for two years performing at different events all along the south coast. The girls produced their interactive 1940s experience night, IN THE MOOD at the Portsmouth Guildhall and the St Ives Guildhall, Cornwall, where it SOLD OUT! They also took their theatre show, SING SING SING to the and The Stag, Sevenoaks and more recently to New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth where it too SOLD OUT!  They are very excited to bring their brand new show t...

The Sun is shining on Electric Beach Festival with more After Party artists confirmed. As another week flies by the exclusive after party list of confirmed artists continues to grow. Tweet Cambridge come Londoners The Nextmen have been confirmed to play a DJ set at our intimate party, after their explosive set at Watergate Bay. This UK DJ, production, song writing and bootlegging duo, also known as Brad Baloo and Dom Search exude a plethora of musical genres in one sound. Dancehall, drum’n’bass, dubstep, reggae, hip hop and funk are a few of their integrated styles. In 2000 they released their debut album Amongst The Madness, which propelled them into star status not just in the UK but breaking the notoriously difficult US market. Now being hailed as Hip Hop producers across the pond, The Nextmen began working with Public Enemy, Morcheeba and The Pharcyde. Following suit in 2009 they released Join The Dots influenced by their club smashing DJ sets and further cemented th...

Known purely by her first name, October began her recording career as a solo artist, playing all the instruments on her recordings. October produced her first music video with Whirlwind Films for her song Ulterior Motives. She is a regular on the festival scene and has played 9 stages at Glastonbury Festival in just three years as well as singing with the likes of the BBC Big Band and BBC Symphony Orchestra, and has toured extensively playing solo acoustic shows all over Australia and Europe. October now plays as part of a talented 3 piece band collectively known as 'October', featuring Steve Wellbelove on drums, with Ben Hatwell and October alternately playing the electric, acoustic and bass guitars throughout their set. This tight little trio has developed a unique surfy pop/rock sound with memorable melodies that get the crowd involved. October fronts the band with her uniquely warm yet powerful vocal. Steve and Ben bring with them their experience of writing and touring ...

The two day live music event Falmouth Sound which was due to be held on 29th and 30th August 2009 at Events Square, Falmouth has been cancelled. The following is an official statement from the organisers of Falmouth Sound 09: “It is with deep regret that we announce that Falmouth Sound will not be going ahead this year. It has been an agonising decision on our part as we have spent so much time and money trying to bring this high quality music event to the town. Unfortunately due to difficult economic conditions advanced ticket sales have not reached a point that would warrant staging such a large-scale event. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our team for their hard work and those people who purchased tickets and supported the event.” Ticket holders are advised to contact the ticket retailer they purchased from direct to arrange a full refund. Those people who purchased from the beach hut ticket office at Events Square will be contacted by the Falmouth Sound team sh...

Neville Staple EVENT CANCELLED: See explanation in this post ... One of Cornwall’s most exciting new music events reveals its full line up for this August Bank Holiday. As the end of the summer draws ever nearer, the Falmouth Sound team has given us all something to look forward to by announcing yet more big name artists that will be gracing the stage in Events Square, Falmouth on August Bank Holiday weekend. Joining The Wombats, The Boxer Rebellion and Fink on Saturday 29th August will be Irish singer/songwriter Foy Vance, who has been likened to Stevie Wonder and admired by Pete Townshend. And as if that wasn’t enough bang for your musical buck, Melo Park – featuring Sian Evans of Kosheen has also been added to the mix. Foy Vance On Sunday 30th August The Wailers and Gabbidon have some familiar faces as support in the form of The Neville Staple Band (featuring two-tone legend and member of The Specials), Neville Staple) who will be accompanied by ska songstress Pauline Black. And la...