'Stainsby is a rare treat, not just because of the brilliant music line up and workshops, but because it has stayed true its charitable and voluntary roots'

Stainsby Festival, which has been in existence since 1969 and is even older than Glastonbury, returns for a weekend of folk and world music. This year’s event runs from July 18 to 20 on a greenfield site near Heath, Chesterfield.

Hugh Ellis, the festival’s new chairman, writes in the programme: “Stainsby is a rare treat, not just because of the brilliant music line up and workshops, but because it has stayed true its charitable and voluntary roots, when so many festivals have commercialised. That’s the starting point for the very special atmosphere of Stainsby. It’s a gathering of friends, old and new, an opportunity to connect with people and escape the online world which seems to dominate our lives.”

The weekend’s headliners include Joshua Burnell Band, MORA and the Fabulous Wonderfuls featuring George Borowski, and Kangaroo Moon.

Singer-songwriter Joshua Burnell and his band win hearts wherever they go, not least at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention where they left the stage to a standing ovation. Joshua’s retro-pop album Glass Knight, released in 2023, was described by the Financial Times: “plays like a lost out-take from Spiders-From-Mars-era Bowie.”

MORA and the Fabulous Wonderfuls featuring lead guitarist and Manchester music legend George Borowski headline the Saturday evening show at Stainsby. George’s daughter Mora fronts the band and her soulful voice has been compaed to Nina Simone, Alison Moyet and Janis Joplin. Moya said in an interview with Reyt Good Magazine: “A couple of years ago we were playing Stainsby Festival and a young girl in the audience was just openly weeping at the power of our performance – that felt pretty special, to see someone so moved by the music. That’s why we make music, to reach people. I have songs I adore that affect me like that, help me work through things, so it’s weirdly joyful to do it to other people.”

Kangaroo Moon have played at Glastonbury and WOMAD several times and at big festivals in Austria, Belgium, Netherlands and Australia. The band weave strands from world, rock, folk and dance into a funky, psychedelic wall of sound. Catch them bouncing around the Stainsby stage in their headline spot on Sunday.

Apart from watching dozens of bands and soloists at Stainsby, there’s the opportunity to see Rattlebox Theatre perform, enjoy singalongs with Brian Tuberman or listen to poetry from The Cultural Corner.

Ticket prices (exclusive of booking fees) are as follows: weekend £105 per adult or £50 per youth (12-17 years), Friday night or Saturday afternoon £30 adult, £15 youth; Saturday night or Sunday ticket £35 adult or £20 youth. Under 12s free with responsible adult. Book online at www.tickettailor.com/events/stainsbyfestival1/1491557

Stainsby Festival is a not for profit event run by unpaid volunteers. Hugh Ellis added: “The festival is one of the main outputs of our charity, but it is not the only one. We bring volunteers together on projects, which includes our new barn, which was built with hours of dedicated volunteer time. We are also restoring field trees and hedgerows, which were taken out when the fields were opencast. Our volunteer program helps reduce loneliness and allows people to share their mental health challenges. We are also investing in our work in schools to give young people access to music skills.

As a small charity, we have limited finance to do this. So, if you can, please donate to our fund for this work so we can give an opportunity to the next generation of musicians.”