We’re sorry to tell you that Skedaddle have had to drop out this year – we’ve had a message from Simon which says ..

Hello. Simon from Skedaddle here. I’m afraid we’ll need to pull out of Folk at the Boat. One of our musicians is unavailable and our fiddle player has injured her hand quite badly and has been advised it may take two months before she can play again. We are so sorry for this as we were really looking forward to it. Please accept our sincere apologies. I will be coming down as a punter so will see you on the day.

We’re really going to miss them and we send them all our best wishes. It won’t surprise you to know that they have already been invited back for next year.

Now … in the spirit of this being the 20th anniversary Folk at the Boat, we looked back into the archives to find a replacement.

Oh … that’ll be us, then. This was Triangle on our first appearance, way back in 2005.

Yes, it really is!

June isn’t really that far away, and, before your diaries fill up, why not make a note of 15th June and make sure that you can get to the Steamboat for what, we are sure, will be a full day of great music and dance.

If you were with us last June, you will have been spellbound by the tale-telling skills of Justine de Mierre. The good news is that she’s back again next year!

But the really exciting news is that we have this gentleman …

If you haven’t encountered him before, this is Lil Jim, and I can do no better than quote from his website:

“Lil Jim is an award winning, multi instrumentalist. Dynamic and irrepressible. Seamlessly tying the roots of traditional music with modern arrangements and hooks. Combining guitar, harmonica and accordion with vocals and foot percussion to create a fresh sound of unstoppable rhythm and unrelenting melody.

From supporting Hayseed Dixie, Paul Jones and Midge Ure, with standout shows at Leek Blues and Americana Festival and Acoustic Festival of Britain, Lil Jim is fast becoming the must-see act on the festival and touring circuit.”

The one thing he isn’t, is “Lil” …