A renowned American folk musician will be interrupting his world tour this weekend to play at a fledgling festival in a Cornish field.
Willy Mason, whose albums include Where The Humans Eat and If The Ocean Gets Rough, is headlining this year's Knee-Deep gathering on farmland near Liskeard.
As support for the likes of Radiohead, Ben Howard and Mumford & Sons, the singer-songwriter's reputation has grown considerably over the past year. Known for his piercing vocal style and distinctive lyrics, Willy is currently in the middle of a world tour that takes in several US and Australia venues.
But on Friday he will be heading for a small stage in East Cornwall, where he will be joined by a distinguished and diverse selection of visiting and local acts at the third Knee-Deep festival.
Conceived four years ago by a group of Callington Community College students, Knee-Deep has grown as a result of both reinvestment and enthusiastic local support. Beginning life as a series of gigs in Stoke Climsland village hall and progressing to a one-day event at the tiny village of Bray Shop in 2010, last year's event was a full-blown weekender consisting of two stages, campsite and food tents at Trerulefoot, near Liskeard. This summer's format will be similar, with the addition of enhanced acoustic, electric and DJ stages, plus films and art installations.
Fred Stuart, one of the festival's four founders, said: "The idea for Knee-Deep is to create a humble and wholesome celebration of exciting and intriguing music, set in the heart of Cornwall. The festival's aim is to provide a platform for a mix of both up-and-coming and well-established national and local musicians and artists.
"This year's festival will be sited on a working farm, bounded by woodland, and as well as music, there'll be independent cinema, fine festival cuisine, a licensed bar, art installations, live performances, relaxation, insight and intrigue. And as with the previous two festivals, it's independent and intimate."
A cornerstone of Knee-Deep's founding ethos is a determination to work without the help of sponsors or big business, the organisers preferring to support local firms and producers to reinforce its homegrown spirit.
Willy Mason will headline the Friday night, while the festival will be closed by London-based four-piece Theme Park, who have supported Bombay Bicycle Club, Bloc Party and the Maccabees. The 40-plus acts include Tall Ships, Stealing Sheep, Islet, Swim Deep, Brontide, Peter & Kerry, Bears Den, Monument Valley, Glass Animals, Marika Hackman, Wolves Discussing The Weather, Bordeauxxx, Riverhart and many others. The DJ tent line-up includes Kutmah, Barefoot, Jon Phonics, Offshore, Ash Thorpe and Milk.
Weekend tickets, to include camping and parking, are priced £25. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. A proportion of the proceeds will be donated to Cornwall Music Therapy Trust and The Big Issue charity.
