(^104) Cornwall Life: August 2019
The massive five-day Boardmasters
surf and music festival has the stunning
backdrop of Newquay’s Watergate Bay and
Fistral Beach for world-class surfing by
day and headline performances by night
including Florence + The Machine, Dizzee
Rascal and Plan B.
Fistral Beach is the location for the
competitive surfing – Boardmasters is part
of the World Surf League qualifying series
and provides exciting action on the waves
which is free for spectators.
The music side of the event, which
started in 1981, takes place at Watergate
Bay and opens on Friday night with
Wu-Tang Clan headlining the Main Stage
to celebrate 25 years since the release
of their ground-breaking debut album
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). New
York’s genre-defining rap collective
are considered one of the all-time great
hip-hop groups with more than 40 million
album sales worldwide.
Rudimental return to Boardmasters
to headline the Land of Saints Stage on
Saturday 10 August, fresh from summer
hit These Days, and having received
widespread critical acclaim for their latest
album Toast To Our Differences. Their
DJ set will feature hits Feel The Love and
Waiting All Night.
On Saturday it’s Florence + The
Machine in the spotlight. From their debut
album Lungs in 2009 they have dominated
the charts. Lungs spent 65 consecutive
weeks in the album charts making it one
the bestselling albums of the decade. The
success was repeated with Ceremonials
in 2011 and How Big, How Blue, How
Beautiful in 2015. The band headlined
Glastonbury making Florence Welch the
first female British headliner this century.
On Sunday Foals are back, making a
hugely anticipated return. Fronted by
Yannis Philippakis, Foals first burst onto
the scene in 2008 with Antidotes, which
cemented them as a musical tour de force.
Now, after a four-year hiatus, Foals are
back with massive single Exits. Their set
will bring Boardmasters 2019 to a close.
The BBC Music Introducing Stage will
have 24 acts including rising Cornish
four-piece Haunt The Woods, Bonetired,
Hypophora, Half Kut, Milo Gore, Moriaty
and Ezmay Grace.
Also joining the Boardmasters line-up
are indie outfit Airways who’ve just
returned from supporting Deaf Havana on
their European tour, viral hitmaker Chelou,
local Falmouth four-piece Holiday Ghosts
who will bring bluesy rock’n’roll, singer-
songwriter Jerry Williams and Plastic
Mermaids who will take festivalgoers on a
sonic adventure. boardmasters.com
Tenor Mark Padmore
continues in his role as
Artistic Director of The St
Endellion Summer Festival
which was founded in 1958
and has evolved from small-
scale concerts and an annual
play to include an orchestra
and a chorus.
This year’s festival will
include two performances
(7 and 9 August) of
Benjamin Britten’s operatic
masterpiece, Death in
Venice, in which Mark will
sing the role of Gustav von
Aschenbach for the first
time. He will be joined by
Roderick Williams in the
multiple baritone roles with
Robin Blaze as the Voice of
Apollo. The brilliant young
conductor Duncan Ward
makes his festival debut with
this production.
Mark and Roderick
will perform together in
a late night concert on 4
August. Songs of the Sea is
a programme of songs and
poems inspired by the sea
and they will be joined by St
Endellion favourites Victoria
Newlyn and Iain Burnside.
Other highlights of the
festival include Elgar’s
The Apostles, performed
by the festival chorus and
orchestra at St Endellion
Church (3 August) and
Truro Cathedral (5 August),
a Chamber Concert of
music including Bach’s
Brandenberg Concerto and
Smetana’s Piano Trio in
G Minor (4 August). The
Chorus and Orchestra will
offer a programme of work
by Sibelius and Suk and
the St Endellion percussion
team explore the array
of instruments used by
Britten in Death in Venice
(both 8 August). The final
daytime performance is the
St Kew Lunchtime Concert
(9 August) with music by
Purcell and Mozart.
endellionfestivals.org.uk
11 AUGUST
TREGONY
HEAVY
HORSE SHOW
Traditional countryside fun
is to be had at this annual
event which includes the
parading and judging
of Heavy Horses and
Shetland Ponies. You’ll
also find some good old-
fashioned entertainment
in the form of sheep
dog demonstrations,
sheep shearing, farrier
demonstrations, birds of
prey, sheaf pitching, pony
rides and a pet dog show.
For the children there are
fairground rides, bouncy
castles and Punch and
Judy shows. For the adults
there are vintage cars and
tractors and a licensed bar
with music throughout the
day. It’s open from 10am
to 5pm in Tregony
Playing Fields.
A donation from the
proceeds goes to local
charities. There’s more
information on the Tregony
Horse Show page on
Facebook
ST ENDELLION SUMMER FESTIVAL
BOARDMASTERS
7-11 Augu st
30 July-9 August
PICTURE: BOARDMASTERS/LEE KIRBY
Watergate Bay provides a stunning backdrop for the
Boardmasters Festival.
Artistic Director Mark Padmore
PICTURE: MARCO BORGGREVE
barry
(Barry)
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