Redfox and Bang On The Ear top Exile festival in rural Derbyshire

With a crowd capacity of just 500 attending the weekend event at Sabine Hay, the festival is small but packs a punch when it comes to its musical offering.

Red Ruff, Bang on the Ear, The Lefty Chris Band and Thee Dagger Debs will fly the flag for local artists during the weekend of June 30 to July 2. There’s also a definite Canadian influence to this year’s line-up with Redfox (Montreal) and Claire Coupland showcasing their talents.

The Friday night headliners Bang On The Ear promise to get the audience dancing with upbeat traditional and contemporary Irish/Celtic folk rock songs and tunes with a smattering of rock ‘n’ roll.

Redfox, who top Saturday evening’s concert on the main stage, are an indie folk band from Montreal. They describe their sound as a “folky, ambient, high-energy experience” — a mixture of different influences that come together to create a unique sound rarely heard before.

Main stage attractions to look out for include award-winning folk duo Good Habits, who will be playing at Glastonbury Festival the week before Exile; Thee Daggers Deb, whose high-energy rock ‘n’ roll has secured gigs with The Flamin’ Groovies, Eddie and the Hot Rods and Johnny Moped; singer/guitarist Chris Cleverley whom Folk Radio UK praised as: “One of the most vital voices of today’s folk generation”; The Bakewell Tarts, originally a barbershop a capella singing quartet, who now cover songs from a wide range of musical genres.

Exile’s Garden Stage also offers an opportunity for several local, upcoming performers to cut their teeth on the festival circuit. Peet Jackson headlnes this stage on the Friday night and Nastee Chapel on the Saturday evening.

Ted Edwards, who works tirelessly behind the scenes says “I’m very proud of what we achieve. I’m always happy to see bands that started out here going on to appear at other festivals. We really are a springboard for talent.”

Throughout the weekend T’owd Man Border Morris dancers will be performing. The festival rounds off on the Sunday afternoon with a big family ceilidh bash, led by What A Palaver Band

This little gem of a festival is a great place to bring children too. There’s plenty of organised activities throughout the weekend to keep them entertained.

For the grown-ups there’s an excellent bar hosted by The Fishpond, and catering is provided by The Pop Top Café and Sunshine Pizza.

Oxfam will be there as usual with their festival themed pop-up shop. A real Aladdin’s cave of clothing, musical instruments, hats and camping equipment!

Festival organiser Andy Martin said “There’s something magical that happens at Exile every year. There’s just such a wonderful happy atmosphere. You definitely go away with more friends than you came with!

Adults weekend tickets are £70 each and tent camping is included. A small, additional charge is made for campervans, motorhomes and caravans. To book, go to www.exilemusicfestival.co.uk

The festival site is in a wooded valley surrounded by beautiful countryside off Oldfield Lane, near Darley Dale, DE4 2LN.