MEET THE ACTS...
DOONIFEST LINE-UP
Sat 12th Oct 2019
The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican
Your festival hosts and headliners, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican have a talent for ruining your favourite songs so that you’ll never hear the lyrics the same again. To complete their squeaky-clean image, estranged brothers Scott, Björn and Alan have become instantly recognisable for their immaculate hair and their stylish choice of knitwear. As the UK’s hardest working comedy band, in their 13 year history, the band have played almost 1000 side-splitting shows and have brought smiles and belly-laughs to audiences across from Barnsley to Barnstaple, Glasgow to Glastonbury.
They promise that they WILL rock you… but gently!
Hobo Jones & The Junkyard Dogs
Hobo Jones and the Junkyard Dogs are many things: Britain's ugliest boy band, the originators of the musical genre they dubbed 'Skunk' (skiffle-punk), and the Godfathers of genre-swap musical comedy on the UK's festival circuit. With a wonderfully anarchic and cheeky demeanour, they have entertained festival crowds young and old, with their raucous reworkings of classic songs on acoustic guitar, washboard and tea-chest bass. From starting out busking around the site at Beautiful Days festival, to bagging early support slots with festival heroes The Levellers, to opening the Avalon Stage at Glastonbury for the last 10 consecutive years, their popularity has continued to grow, making them the bunch of cults that we know and love today.
HOBO JONES & THE JUNKYARD DOGS - FACEBOOK
The Sweetchunks Band
The Sweetchunks Band are a Southampton-based eccentric musical comedy chaos engine, performing bastardised versions of songs that you know and brilliant versions of songs that you don’t. The hairy Hampshire trio are known for their ability to entertain any audience with a fun, engaging performance that will leave people smiling, dancing and humming the tunes for hours afterwards. The shoutiest men in folk are guaranteed to bring you a zany set, full of belly laughs, that will leave you with a sense of bewilderment, utterly baffled by what you saw and heard, but delighted nonetheless, in the aftermath, that you did.
THE SWEETCHUNKS BAND - WEBSITE
Oliver/Dawson Saxon
(Monsters of Rock Legends Slot)
Guitarist Graham Oliver and bassist, Steve 'Dobby' Dawson were two of the founding members of South Yorkshire metal titans Saxon in 1979, who played a significant part on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) movement. With classic tracks from the band's platinum & gold selling albums, including the likes of 747 (Strangers In The Night), Strong Arm Of The Law, Wheels Of Steel and The Bands Played On, their career has spanned across five decades and seen them play all over the globe. Oliver/Dawson Saxon continue to rock audiences around the world with a blistering live set chock-full of iconic rock anthems, from some of the most revered albums in metal history. Their appearance at DOONIFEST in their home town lands almost exactly 40 years to the date of Saxon's first ever show. We are honored to have them assuming our 'Monsters of Rock' Legends slot, and can guarantee that they will be turning it up to 11!
OLIVER / DAWSON SAXON - WEBSITE
The Devil's Prefects
The Devil’s Prefects deliver country music with its tongue firmly jammed in its cheek. Johnny "Country" Crow and Willie "The Fury" Ford are a country duo; two men and a guitar, bringing you songs about beer, automobiles, trailers, zombies, television and more beer. With a nod to Johnny Cash and a wink to Elvis, this is what happens when country music goes bad. These boys do for country music what Scooby Doo did for paranormal investigation. Bring your cowboy hat... we know you have one!
THE DEVIL'S PREFECTS - BANDCAMP
Black Thorn
Formed in 2013, Whitwell sextet Black Thorn are the ultimate festival band; a fusion of angular riffs, folky accordion licks, danceable dub-step grooves, emo-tinged metalhead drum freak outs, funky fuzzy bass drops, proggy mandolin lines and ska-like chops. Their musical fluidity knows no bounds. Through combining heavy folk instrumentation with elements of rock, funk, pop-punk, blues and dance, Black Thorn have crafted a unique recipe for original music. Make no mistake, DOONIFEST, the dancing starts here.
McShane & Shaw
Bringing that lovely warm 'feel good' factor to the proceedings, Chris McShane and Ralph Shaw are a match made in Penistone - the Yorkshire market town where they both grew up. They knew of each other way back when, but it took until 2017 before finally playing music together. Ralph’s thirty year move to Vancouver in Canada was a big part of that, and since his return, the two have teamed up to form the exciting duo sound of McShane and Shaw. We are finally blessed to see these two generous entertainers together for the first time creating a sound that brims with harmony, laughter, skilled musicianship, off the wall wit, and a masterclass of virtuoso ukulele playing. Once they have captured hearts and minds, we have no doubt that the audience at DOONIFEST will be left beaming from ear to ear.
Pocketful O' Nowt
Bringing their own brand of madness, mayhem and eclectic pop music to DOONIFEST, Pocketful O'Nowt are a once seen, never forgotten band of merrymakers who defy description. Inimitable frontman Mike O'Brien, whom, after having previously completely failed to make any headway in the music business, despite repeated half-arsed attempts, has seen his band line-up evolve dramatically in the past 8 years. After negotiations with Brian May out of Queen broke down, Toni Lane out of Emerson, Lane and Palmer joined to bring a touch of classic rock to the Pocketful sound, followed by the band's rhythm section, drummer Simon Piper and bassist Mick (the beast of) Birkenshaw. Realising that most pub landlords would prefer straight covers bands to original glam/punk-pop delivered by a band with a lunatic on lead vocals, Pocketful O'Nowt have become very choosy about when and where they play these days. We however, regard them as close friends of the family, and we also know exactly what we have booked. We don't know exactly what will happen. Because that is completely impossible with a band as unpredictable as Pocketful O' Nowt. Be prepared to have your tiny minds blown.
Canadians In Space
Canadians In Space are from South Yorkshire and have never been to Canada. They are a songwriting duo-cum-trio-when-live and perform mildly amusing songs. They journey through space and time (mostly time) rediscovering their imagined shared past in a village neither grew up in. If you love music and comedy then you are guaranteed 50% satisfaction.
Mark Jackson's Criminal Waste of Talent (C.W.O.T.)
Led by the enigmatic Mark Jackson, C.W.O.T. are the perfect fusing of comedy, pub rock, the punk-poetry snarl of Dr John Cooper Clarke, and a tip of the hat to the likes of Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Half Man Half Biscuit and Dr. Feelgood. The outspoken frontman has been a prominent performer on South Yorkshire’s live music scene since the late 1980s, and never shying away from controversy or offence, he also made a name for himself compering at comedy clubs. However, with a powerhouse trio behind him, featuring guitarist 'Dollar' Dalton and on drum & bass respectively, brothers Graham and Andy Hoggard, his 'Criminal Waste Of Talent' are a force to be reckoned with.
Star Botherers
Expect infectious tunes, infused with lyrics that range from the poignant to hilarious with every stop in between. Nottinghamshire’s own Star Botherers will be bringing a set packed with racking observational stories set to catchy melodies. Andrew (Bart) Hawkins and his mate Dave (Aldo) Drury, front this eclectic five-piece band that play catchy-as-hell tunes counterweighted with damning social commentary and a suitably Northern slice of humour.
Laura Kelly
Laura Kelly, is quite simply, a one woman band. She uses Live Looping, Vocal FX and a selection of acoustic instruments to perform your favourite songs in a way that you will have never, ever heard them before. Unique, superbly talented and highly entertaining, she covers a colourful melting pot of genres from pop to rock, jazz to Motown, dance to rap... and there's never a dull moment, plenty of surprises and always a few laughs along the way. We are delighted that Laura will be opening the day's events, and although she is the first act on, she is actually squeezing us into her extremely hectic touring schedule as she is in extremely high demand.
Trust us when we say, this is one act simply NOT to be missed.
DOONIFEST EVE LINE-UP
Fri 11th Oct 2019
The Black Tar Rivers
The Black Tar Rivers originally formed for a ‘one-off’ performance as the support act for the Friday night of the second Bostin' Days festival. Their incendiary performance was nothing short of a shock to the unsuspecting audience and the band themselves.
They perform a tribute to Brighton punk-folk band The Levellers with a line-up featuring members of three separate bands; The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican, The Sweetchunks Band and Blackthorn.
Their Doonifest Eve headline set, will feature a host of The Levellers’ finest classic tracks and we already know it’s going to be a beautiful day.
THE BLACK TAR RIVERS - BANDCAMP
Treebeard
One of the hardest-working bands on the planet, Sheffield's Treebeard have been a popular attraction on the festival, beer festival and pub circuit for many years now, with regular festival appearances in the North of England, as well as at Earls Court for the Great British Beer Festival, and at the Fringe at Fairport Convention's Cropredy festival. They describe their style as 'Heavy Wood', playing lively Celtic folk rock; traditional, original & contemporary songs & tunes on a variety of acoustic instruments. Guaranteed to get the Doonifest Eve audience up & dancing.
Morris & Watson
Barnsley's own Morris & Watson combine fiddle and guitar to create a unique style of contemporary folk music, unlike anything else on the scene today. Their individual twist shines through both their arrangements of traditional tunes, and the composition of original songs. Delving deep into the historical roots of their home town, they take inspiration from the industrial past of Northern England to create music that represents the heritage of that part of the country.
Red Ruff
Hailing from Derbyshire, Red Ruff are an acapella trio who write and perform their own original material with exquisite three-part harmonies. Expect a multi-coloured mix of songs covering everything from tragedy to comedy, the sublime to the ridiculous, cats and car parts. Regulars on the independent festival circuit since 2011, Nansy, Sue and Jen have played all over the UK, bewitching audiences with their amazing vocal talents. After something of a hiatus for a year or so, they are delighted to be reforming for DOONIFEST, and we are delighted that they are too! Prepare to be wowed.
Scott & Danny Doonican
Scott & Danny Doonican are the founding two members of The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican, and they haven't shared a stage in almost nine years! After Danny Doonican's surprise departure from the band in March 2011, Scott has continued to lead the band through an array of line-ups, which has seen the band evolve from their first incarnation, playing classic covers on folky instruments, to the comedy parody festival band that you know today. The original Doonican duo will be reunited for the first time in almost 900 shows as they open DOONIFEST EVE with a very special walk down memory lane. They'll be dusting off some of their favourite quirky covers from the early days of the band, and look forward to rocking you, but gently, one last time.