‘Words and Music Festival’ in Nantwich

Reporter  Jonathan White, Wistaston

The 8th annual Words and Music Festival - http://www.wordsandmusicfestival.com/ - took place in Nantwich from Monday 12th to Sunday 18th October 2015. Headline acts included Barbara Dickson, Gruff Rhys, Thea Gilmore, The Christians and poet Kim Moore. Performances took place in eight venues in the town with a range of chargeable and free events. On Saturday there was a free 'OXJAM Saturday on The Square' event to raise money for the aid and development charity Oxfam http://www.oxfam.org.uk/ . OXJAM featured The Blue Yellows, Weaver Vocal Group, Jim Farmer, James McGrath, Young Voices, Love Music Trust Sinfonia and The Reads. Sunday was poetry day and included a presentation to the winners of the Words and Music poetry competition, a reading from Kim Moore and a Poetry Slam.

Nantwich-based singer/songwriter Tim Lee, who performed acoustic ukulele and guitar sets at ‘Bloom’ said, “I've really enjoyed played at the Words and Music Festival this year. It's such an encouraging environment, both from the audience and from other performers who will come to your gigs and give you their support. It's becoming more and more difficult to find gigs that will support original songwriters, let alone one that actively encourages creativity, so I'm honoured to play it and have enjoyed every minute.”

Nantwich-based singer/songwriter Jonathan Tarplee, who performed solo and with his band The Blue Yellows, said "There are two things I really love about this festival - firstly it's absolute focus on original writing; songwriting, poetry and comedy. Secondly, the chance to see some huge names in really close-up venues, your heroes are there, right in front of you! Gruff Rhys was especially inspiring for me, he was pushing boundaries on so many levels, including the relationship between performer and punter. His show was enchanting, beautiful and hilarious, a rare combination!”