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PerformanceBBC Radio 4: Loose Ends

Event 1

BBC Radio 4: Loose Ends

–  Global Stage
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Join Clive Anderson and guests for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With Jan Ravens of Dead Ringers, comedian Nish Kumar, Tiffany Murray on growing up around rock gods in Wales’ residential recording studio and Viv Groskop. There’s music from the Will Barnes Quartet and Aleighcia Scott.

Free but ticketed
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PerformanceWill Barnes Jazz Quartet

Event 29

Will Barnes Jazz Quartet

Source of the Severn

–  St Mary’s Church
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The Will Barnes Quartet bring us an auditory treat to Hay Festival. Source of the Severn is their debut album – an evocative, fluid collection mixing hints of Wales with immaculately performed jazz. Will Barnes (guitar) is joined by James Batten (drums), Jack Gonsalez (piano) and Clovis Phillips (bass) – a tight collective of highly experienced jazz instrumentalists. Their original music is a modern take on the classic bebop era with influences of Wes Montgomery, Bill Evans, Pat Metheny and Oscar Peterson, further taking inspiration from the exquisite landscape of Mid Wales and the Marches. The beautiful album artwork by skilled landscape artist Erin Hughes is also very covetable!

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PerformanceMarcel Lucont’s Cabaret Fantastique

Event 30

Marcel Lucont’s Cabaret Fantastique

–  Wye Stage
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Marcel Lucont (Comedy Central at the Comedy Store, Sky Atlantic’s Set List, BBC1’s John Bishop Show) presents a feast of international cabaret. For one night only, he presents: Rob Deering, the UK’s foremost guitar-wielding, loop-layering stand-up comedian; Sara Twister, internationally renowned circus artiste from Berlin; and Jon Udry, winner of British Young Juggler of the Year! Cabaret Fantastique has no fixed abode – a cult hit at festivals worldwide, each programme of entertainment is handpicked by Marcel. You’ll be served up a luscious plate of the finest performers from the world of cabaret, comedy, circus, poetry, magic and music, all held together with dry wit and a dry white.

The show has been a sell-out success at Soho’s Crazy Coqs for the past seven years, featuring a different line-up each night, and has been staged at London Wonderground and Glastonbury Festival among others. “Debaucherous, delightful and debonair, Marcel Lucont knows how to put on one hell of a show” PerthNow, Fringe World Festival.
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ActivityJuliet Russell

Event 43

Juliet Russell

Song in an Hour

–  St Mary’s Church
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This is your chance to sing with vocal coach and choir director Juliet Russell, as she teaches the 1980s classic ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ in honour of Wales’ own Bonnie Tyler. You’ll learn warm-ups, harmonies, breathing and performance techniques in this uplifting, inclusive and energising session. Russell has worked with Grammy, BRiT and MOBO artists. Her TV credits include The Voice and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.

All experience levels welcome.
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PerformanceThe Nonsense Singers

Event 401

The Nonsense Singers

A Noncert

–  Bookshop Garden
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Enjoy a half-hour open air performance by the Brecon-based choir, with songs inspired by the Nonsense Alphabets of Edward Lear. Lear’s alphabet verses are the perfect size and shape for rounds and ditties, and have been set to music by the choir’s leader, jazz musician Rod Paton. This fun and frolicking performance will be supported by the original improvisations of cellist Sonia Hammond and various other jazzy instruments.

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ConversationHuw Stephens talks to Sarah Hill

Event 57

Huw Stephens talks to Sarah Hill

Wales: A Hundred Records

–  Wye Stage
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In a wide-ranging conversation with University of Oxford's Professor Sarah Hill, DJ Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru) reveals how he selected 100 Welsh records for his new book, and how these artists have influenced Wales’ culture, past and present. He analyses highlights in the careers of the most important recording artists Wales has produced, singing in English or Welsh – including Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Dafydd Iwan, Max Boyce, Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals, Adwaith and Mace the Great.

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PerformanceErrollyn Wallen talks to Juliet Russell

Event 63

Errollyn Wallen talks to Juliet Russell

Becoming a Composer

–  Spring Stage
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Born in Belize, brought up in London’s Tottenham, singer/songwriter/composer Errollyn Wallen talks about her life and work in jazz, pop and classical music. Her book Becoming a Composer combines memoir, observations, diary entries, poems and essays, demystifying the world of composing. Her output includes more than 20 operas and numerous orchestral, chamber and vocal works. She has composed pieces for the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in 2012, for Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees and a reimagining of Parry’s Jerusalem for the Last Night of the Proms. She talks to choir director Juliet Russell.

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PerformanceHereford Chamber Choir

Event 65

Hereford Chamber Choir

Dymock Poets Reimagined

–  St Mary’s Church
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St Mary’s Church in Hay, with its excellent acoustics, is the perfect setting for Hereford Chamber Choir’s performance of its critically acclaimed Dymock Poets Reimagined. This innovative concert focuses on seven contemporary composers and their choral settings of works by the Dymock Poets (who included Robert Frost, Rupert Brooke and Edward Thomas, all connected with the Gloucestershire village). Founded in 1983, Hereford Chamber Choir consists of 25 exceptional mixed voices. Under music director Simon Harper, the choir has a reputation for performing exciting programmes of choral music from the medieval era to newly commissioned works.

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PerformanceThe Fontanas

Event 70

The Fontanas

Live at Hay Festival

–  Wye Stage
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Don’t miss the Fontanas’ debut performance at the Festival – you can expect a well-oiled band, ready to hit the heights and have you up and dancing! Soaked in funky Latin and Brazilian influences, the band has found the sweet spot between tight funk grooves and swinging Latin rhythms.

Taking influence from the likes of the Dap Kings and Banda Black Rio, they’re graced with the inimitable Kay Elizabeth on vocals. Alongside her prowess as a vocalist, Kay is a professional dancer showcasing her skills on the global stage from Rio to Notting Hill, where she has earned the title ‘Queen of Carnival’. Shimmy into a world of rhythm infused with samba swing and electrified by the band’s intoxicating stage presence.

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PerformanceClare Hammond

Event 85

Clare Hammond

Hay Music Concert

–  St Mary’s Church
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Well known to Hay Music audiences and acclaimed as a “pianist of extraordinary gifts” (Gramophone) and “immense power” (The Times), Clare Hammond is recognised for the virtuosity and authority of her performances. In 2016, she won the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artist Award in recognition of outstanding achievement. In the fine setting of St Mary’s Church, Hammond plays a programme comprising: Clara Schumann: Three Romances Op. 21; Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight’; Samy Moussa: Al’assaut des jardins; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata in D major, K. 311 and Cécile Chaminade: ‘Impromptu’ Étude de Concert, Op. 35 No. 5 and Étude Romantique, Op. 132.

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TalkChristopher Haworth

Event 106

Christopher Haworth

Stolen Voices in Deepfake Pop

–  Spring Stage
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Christopher Haworth, Associate Professor in Music at the University of Birmingham, discusses the moral, ontological and aesthetic issues that are stirred by the proliferation of so-called deepfakes in twenty-first century popular music. Typically viewed as a form of audio clickbait, cases such as ghostwriter’s fusion of Drake and The Weeknd prompt us to ask what happens when music produced by deepfakes is aesthetically and culturally valuable. How will the legal and moral issues of ‘voice theft’ be resolved if the results are in the public interest?

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PerformanceJasmine Jethwa

Event 107

Jasmine Jethwa

Live at Hay Festival

–  Meadow Stage
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Jasmine Jethwa’s new EP, Same Streets But I Don’t See You Around, deals with the fallout of romantic heartbreak. Sometimes gentle, sometimes acerbic, it’s laced with a sense of spirituality and candour. Jethwa is inspired by a fusion of Western and Indian culture, influenced by the personal stories of her south London upbringing, and has a natural command for melody and harmonies.

She wasn’t always set on being a musician, first training in dance, contemporary, jazz, ballet, tap and modern. Then she suddenly changed direction to focus on music, and her deft and tender 2020 debut EP Hurricane garnered acclaim from BBC Introducing, gal-dem, The Independent and more. She’s known for her swaying, folk-tinged acoustic pop songs with a full voice that teems with rich emotion. The dance world’s loss is music’s gain.

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PerformancePerhaps Contraption

Event 108

Perhaps Contraption

Live at Hay Festival

–  Wye Stage
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Get down for an unforgettable sonic spectacle with the multi-award-winning progressive brass band from London. Part choir, part chamber orchestra, part avant-rock band, Perhaps Contraption creates a unique musical experience, melding elements of jazz, art pop and post-minimalism, infused with choreography and theatricality.

Their intense, exuberant shows are something like John Adams meeting Frank Zappa and Sufjan Stevens in an avant-garde collision; staggering through a fairground – beautiful and astonishing, replete with irregular but irresistible rhythms, big choral harmonies and triumphant horns. Catch them fresh from Glastonbury, the EFG London Jazz Festival, Bestival, Wilderness, Southbank Centre and Latitude.

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PerformanceJames Atkinson and Michael Pandya

Event 123

James Atkinson and Michael Pandya

BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert 1

–  St Mary’s Church
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A BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concert series marking the centenary of Gabriel Fauré’s death. This first of four recitals recorded for broadcast explores the music of Fauré and others. James Atkinson (baritone) and Michael Pandya (piano) perform a programme including Fauré, Chausson, Lili Boulanger and Hahn.

Recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Please arrive in good time.
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ConversationKingsley Ward and Lisa Ward talk to Tiffany Murray

Event 127

Kingsley Ward and Lisa Ward talk to Tiffany Murray

Rockfield Studios: A Celebration

–  Meadow Stage
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Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire is one of the foremost recording studios in the world, immortalised in the documentary, Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm. The ‘Galileos’ of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ were born at Rockfield. Black Sabbath, Iggy Pop, Rush, Oasis, Simple Minds, Coldplay, Robert Plant, The Manic Street Preachers and Paolo Nutini have all recorded there. Tiffany Murray, whose memoir My Family and Other Rock Stars is set at the studios, talks to the King of Rockfield, Kingsley Ward MBE, and studio manager Lisa Ward about the legendary location.

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ConversationJames Blunt talks to Matt Everitt

Event 131

James Blunt talks to Matt Everitt

Loosely Based on a Made-Up Story

–  Global Stage
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The singer-songwriter, record producer and former British Army officer regales us with tales loosely based on fact, from his questionable Norfolk roots, eccentric family, boarding school antics, misjudged military service, to his rise to music stardom and tour escapades. His 2004 debut album Back to Bedlam, featuring the single You’re Beautiful, sold over 11 million copies and was the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. His new album, Who We Used to Be is out in October. Blunt talks to writer and presenter Matt Everitt.

BSL Used HereThere will be a BSL interpreter at this event

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PerformanceClare Hammond and Tama Matheson

Event 141

Clare Hammond and Tama Matheson

Don Juan: The Brilliant Irreverence of Lord Byron

–  St Mary’s Church
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Explore the seductive and scandalous life of Lord Byron through a performance of his extraordinary narrative poem, Don Juan. Pianist Clare Hammond and actor Tama Matheson, using music by Felix Mendelssohn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Hélène de Montgeroult, William Grant Still and Isaac Albéniz, celebrate Byron’s inimitable wit in this bicentenary year of his death.

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PerformanceHadestown

Event 144

Hadestown

Anaïs Mitchell and guests

–  Global Stage
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The hit musical Hadestown has recently opened in London’s West End, after an epic journey from Canada to Broadway, winning eight Tony Awards on the way. In this special event, Hadestown creator Anaïs Mitchell and members of the UK cast introduce us to the musical and perform excerpts from the show. Mitchell shares stories about the show’s early years and answers questions about its inception and its runaway success.

Hadestown intertwines two love stories in the underworld of Greek mythology – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winner Mitchell originated Hadestown as an indie theatre project and album. She then transformed the show into a genre-defying new musical, picking up a Tony Award for Best Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. Blending modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz, it is one of the most streamed cast albums of all time.

Anaïs Mitchell will be signing - Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown at 3.30pm in the Bookshop
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ConversationJeffrey Boakye and Aleema Gray in conversation with Mykaell Riley

Event 155

Jeffrey Boakye and Aleema Gray in conversation with Mykaell Riley

Making Music, Making History

–  Wye Stage
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Marking the publication of Boakye's Musical World, George the Poet's Track Record, and a major British Library exhibition, Beyond the Bassline:Black British Music, curated by Dr Gray and Dr Riley, our expert panel reflect on music as a political and shaping force, and on six centuries of African musical contribution to the UK and the world.

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PerformanceCharles Owen

Event 157

Charles Owen

BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert 2

–  St Mary’s Church
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A BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concert series marking the centenary of Gabriel Fauré’s death. In this second of four recitals recorded for broadcast, Charles Owen (piano) performs a programme including Fauré, Chopin, Chaminade and Ravel.

Recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Please arrive in good time.
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PerformanceMarcus Joseph

Event 178

Marcus Joseph

In Concert

–  Meadow Stage
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Join the alto saxophonist for an evening of uplifting music. Whether playing a proud role in his local Leicester community, lending his talents to perform for the city’s first Black mayor George Cole or paying homage to his Afro-Caribbean roots with songs charged with the righteous energy of reggae music, musician and spoken word artist Marcus Joseph aspires to be an instrument of change.

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PerformanceLeonore Piano Trio and Lawrence Power

Event 196

Leonore Piano Trio and Lawrence Power

BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert 3

–  St Mary’s Church
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A BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concert series marking the centenary of Gabriel Fauré’s death. In this third, and slightly longer, of four recitals recorded for broadcast, the Leonore Piano Trio and Lawrence Power (viola) perform Le Beau’s Piano Quartet in F minor, Op 28 and Fauré’s Piano Quartet No 2 in G minor, Op 45.

Recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Please arrive in good time.
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PerformanceJohnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane

Event 221

Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane

In Concert

–  Global Stage
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Prepare for a unique evening of music and storytelling from musician Johnny Flynn and nature writer Robert Macfarlane. The pair have released two albums, the most recent 2023’s The Moon Also Rises, described by the Guardian as “uplifting and muscular English folk stylings, courtesy of Flynn, with ancient and modern themes interwoven in these co-written lyrics”.

Flynn is a singer, composer, musician and actor who tours with his own band and regularly composes for film, TV and theatre. He is currently appearing as Richard Burton in Jack Thorne’s play The Motive and the Cue, directed by Sam Mendes. Macfarlane is author of books including Underland and The Old Ways, and with Jackie Morris as illustrator, is the author of The Lost Words and The Lost Spells.

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PerformanceWelsh National Opera Recital

Event 236

Welsh National Opera Recital

–  Exchange Marquee
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Don’t miss this recital performance and conversation with singers from Welsh National Opera’s young artists programme. The musicians perform a mix of well loved opera classics and some traditional Welsh folk music, accompanied by WNO players. A conversation with the artists offers the chance to find out more about life on the road with the UK’s largest touring opera company.

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PerformanceLeonore Piano Trio

Event 237

Leonore Piano Trio

BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert 4

–  St Mary’s Church
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A BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concert series marking the centenary of Gabriel Fauré’s death. In this last of four recitals recorded for broadcast, the Leonore Piano Trio performs Fauré’s Piano Trio in D minor, Op 120 and Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor.

Recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Please arrive in good time.
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PerformanceHay Community Choir

Event 238

Hay Community Choir

–  Bookshop Garden
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Enjoy a half-hour open air performance between events. Singing is fun with Hay Community Choir – good for mental health, feeling you’re part of a whole. Come along and have a listen as the Choir share their joy in music.

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WorkshopCome and Sing with Welsh National Opera

Event 242

Come and Sing with Welsh National Opera

–  Exchange Marquee
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A wonderful opportunity to sing with musicians from Welsh National Opera. Come and learn some classic operatic repertoire in this fun, interactive workshop, suitable for all ages and with no singing experience needed. This is a family-friendly event where everyone is welcome. At the end of the workshop the WNO singers will answer all your questions in a Q&A session.

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ConversationDaisy Goodwin

Event 244

Daisy Goodwin

Diva

–  Wye Stage
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Daisy Goodwin brings to life a woman whose extraordinary talent, unremitting drive and natural chic made her a legend: Maria Callas. Goodwin’s new novel Diva draws on Callas’ life growing up in Nazi-occupied Greece, her fame as a soprano and her relationship with Aristotle Onassis, who then abandoned her to marry former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Writer and television producer Goodwin is author of My Last Duchess and The Fortune Hunter. She wrote the screenplay for Victoria, the eight-part ITV series about the early life of Queen Victoria. Goodwin talks to The Bookseller’s programme director Miriam Robinson.

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ConversationBonnie Tyler talks to Roy Noble

Event 256

Bonnie Tyler talks to Roy Noble

Straight from the Heart

–  Discovery Stage
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Legendary Welsh superstar Bonnie Tyler recounts how she carved out an extraordinary career that is still going strong. From her early days growing up in a tiny mining village in South Wales to her career as a club singer, which led to her accidental discovery by a talent scout, she charts her incredible rise to fame. Her memoir Straight from the Heart tells the story of how a shy, music-loving teenager called Gaynor Hopkins came to record some of the most iconic songs of all time, including ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ and ‘Holding Out for a Hero’, achieving chart success all over the world. Tyler has always determinedly followed her own path, breaking down barriers and leading the way for other female artists. Her roots remain firmly in her beloved Wales, and she’s bringing her down-to-earth, candid outlook to Hay Festival.

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PerformanceNitin Sawhney

Event 260

Nitin Sawhney

In Concert: Identity

–  Global Stage
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Nitin Sawhney brings to Hay Festival his most recent album, Identity, packed full of collaborations with his favourite artists. Sawhney says: “I’m working and collaborating with artists who are proud of who they are and whose work is defined by that pride. This album is a sonic collage of music, strong voices and self-validation. The album is a love letter to who we all are.” Expect an eclectic set influenced by Indian and Spanish styles, along with blues, soul, funk, electronica and pop.

The Ivor Novello Lifetime Award-winning writer, composer and producer is one of the most distinctive and versatile musical voices around. He has worked with the likes of Paul McCartney and Sting and scored numerous films and television series. He’s established as a world-class producer, songwriter, touring artist, BBC Radio and club DJ, multi-instrumentalist, composer and cultural/political commentator.

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PerformanceThe Decis

Event 405

The Decis

–  Bookshop Garden
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Enjoy a half-hour open air performance by the Decis - an a cappella women’s group from Hay and surrounding villages. Singing together since 2014, the Decis perform a variety of songs including blues, folk, early music, and anything else they fancy.

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ConversationSmokin Jo

Event 294

Smokin Jo

You Don’t Need a Dick to DJ

–  Meadow Stage
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Smokin Jo – Joanne Joseph – is the only woman to win the prestigious International DJ of the Year Award. Reclaimed by an absent mother after years in care, she led an unpredictable childhood and drifted towards Soho when barely a teenager, where she joined other fish out of water who lived through dance music. She became Smokin Jo (after Smokin’ Joe Frazier) and one of Britain’s top DJs. She shares stories from her life of transitions, farce and, above all, freestyled endurance, including meeting Russian oligarchs’ sons, clinically insane promoters, Naomi Campbell and Arabian princesses spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for glorified karaoke sessions. Smokin Jo will be talking to Anita Bhagwandas is a multi-award winning music and beauty journalist and author of Ugly: Why the world became beauty-obsessed and how to break free.

Following her conversation, Smokin Jo plays a DJ set at 9.45pm – with time for a drink at the Festival Bar in between.
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