Festival prepares for lift-off (From Northwich Guardian)

Festival prepares for lift-off

8:40am Monday 25th June 2012 in News By Gina Bebbington

FESTIVAL fever is sweeping through Northwich after a weekend of music by the River Weaver whetted appetites for this summer’s Lift Off Festival.

The event, in its second year, will see a week of concerts set against the backdrop of Anderton Boat Lift.

The line-up for the festival, which starts on Friday, June 29, and has been organised by Development of the Arts in Northwich (DAN), includes folk, blues, jazz and pop, and features the Levellers as its headline act.

Here is a handy guide to what’s on when: • Friday, June 29 – an evening by the Upbeat Beatles – three guitars, drums and a piano, NO gadgets NO backing tracks just raw powerhouse vocals and a driving backbeat.

• Saturday, June 30 – AC/DC-UK. After millenia of extensive touring, AC/DC-UK are now widely considered to be Europe's premier tribute to rock legends AC/DC. Their highly energetic live show covers every era of AC/DC's lengthy career from 1976's 'High Voltage' through to 2008's 'Black Ice'.

• Sunday, July 1 – a day dedicated to the best of local unsigned acts, organised by Winsford’s Hive Music Collective.

• Monday, July 2 – Steve Oakes Jazz Quartet. The band performs an eclectic mixture of modern jazz styles comprising be-bop, latin jazz, funk and contemporary takes on standards.

• Tuesday, July 3 – local Blues guitarist Tom Doughty supporting the Barrelhouse Jukes. Tom is a lap slide guitarist, composer, teacher, singer songwriter and inventor. His music is both rooted in early blues and bang up to date – always searching for the next boundary to push. Barrelhouse Jukes is an acoustic blues and roots band. Influences are wide and varied as each band member has very eclectic tastes.

• Wednesday, July 4 – the Levellers. The Levellers formed in Brighton in 1988 and went on to have more gold and platinum selling albums in the 1990s than any other UK band that decade. Their appearance at the Lift Off Festival will come less than two weeks after the release of their new album Static On The Airwaves.

• Thursday, July 5 – Laugh at the Lift Comedy Night. Headlining for the show is Sully O'Sullivan. Sully has been declared a highlight of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival by The NZ Herald, a highlight of the Glasgow International Comedy Festival by The Scotsman, won Canada’s Masters of the Universe Improv Competition, and featured on Australian TV’s The Comedy Channel. Other acts include Adam Staunton, Nick Cranston and Pete Teckman, with Lewis Charlesworth as compere.

• Friday, July 6 – Seth Lakeman. Seth's live show takes the established folk orthodoxy and turns it on its head. The spirit of the rock band meets the timeless and heartfelt subject matter of the folk tale in a blur of fiddle, acoustic guitar and foot-stomping rhythms, with Seth's unmistakable vocals riding the wave.

• Saturday, July 7 – soul party featuring Souled As Seen. A slick nine-piece band which comes with a three-piece powerhouse horn section, the funkiest of rhythm sections and two of the best soul singers in the business.

For tickets and more information visit liftoff-festival.com, or ring the DAN office in Northwich Library on 01606 41597.