A CONCERT will be held next week to raise money for a folk festival in Bridport.

It takes place at Bridport Arts Centre on Thursday March 16 at 7.30pm.

Seven local bands with a great range of music styles and songs will fill the stage and whet the appetites of the Bridport audience for the launch of the summer Folk Festival in August.

Denise Buchanan, the concert’s chief organiser said “As it gets nearer to the date of the festival this summer it is all getting more exciting, and organising this fundraiser for it has made me realise how much Chris Deacon is doing and how lucky we are to have him in town.”

Chris Deacon, the moving spirit behind the Bridport Folk Festival, which takes place from Friday August 11 to Sunday August 13, said “This summer we will be inviting leading folk acts to perform here, as well as having dancing with Morris sides and ceilidhs, and this fundraising concert will help cover the costs inevitably incurred when you take on such a venture with headline acts like NineBarrow”

Kicking off with Timmitch, Mitch Normans band with a pulsing line-up including Tim Clark and Mitch on guitars, Marc Juan on drums and Michael Grew on trumpet; the concert will change tempo with a solo performance from singer/songwriter Bill Cain on guitar. This is followed by more delightful vocals from Silver Chix, who are Ann Lambert and Wendy Bentley. The audience will enjoy their harmonies as they bring an original arrangement of Caroline and are debuting a new song of their own, along with classic favourites. The first half closes with the Lost Souls; led by musically gifted Denise Buchanan the band includes her husband, talented vocalist Ian Buchanan, Nicki and Andy Meakin on bass and banjo respectively, Chris Savory on ukulele and Jill Downs on percussion. They cover a wide range of material including a chilling version of Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand and a showstopper with Fulsome Prison Blues. They will finish with a rousing pair of Irish tunes, I’ll Tell me Ma! And Galway Girl.

After an interval with opportunities to buy more lucky raffle tickets for the generous raffle, and a drink from the newly refurbished bar and convenient café, the second half opens with Elfentale, with the beautiful vocals of elegant Jess Yarham-Baker accompanied by Chris Deacon. They have been together for just over two years focusing on close harmony vocals with a little guitar accompaniment. They perform some self penned

material to supplement their our own arrangements of better known songs from Kate Rusby to the Saw Doctors. Chris then stays on stage to lead Acoustic Rooster, his own band, when he is accompanied by Alan Twelftree on accordian, the sweet voiced Maurice Blogg on guitar and Rob Malpas on banjo. The evening closes with Hidden, led by David Greenshields on guitar and Hazel Williams on vocals and guitar, Nick Sorenson on bass, and on drums Dave Shaw. Their set is followed by a show stopping closing song with all the bands joining together for a rousing rendition of a popular folk country number.

Tickets for the concert are available from the Bridport Arts centre and Bridport Music centre at £9 and £7.50 for concessions. Chris Deacon has previously organised events for the RNLI and the Lifeboat charity will be given an award after costs are met.