54°48′46″N 3°22′22″W / 54.81278°N 3.37278°W / 54.81278; -3.37278
30-691: Solfest is a music and arts festival on the Solway Coast in the North West of England . It is held annually at North Lakes Country Park on the August Bank Holiday weekend. It has grown from a 1,800 capacity event in 2004 to a 10,000 capacity festival. Originally, the 2019 edition of Solfest was going be the last, but due to new directors taking control of the festival and the turnout of the 2019 event being much higher than anticipated, Solfest will return in 2020. The Solfest organisation
60-506: A dance tent. The festival also has dedicated welfare areas and children's play areas. Other activities are provided by visiting artists, which range from crafts and woodworking to entertainers and musicians. Solfest was cancelled in 2014, but returned in 2015. In 2018, organisers initially announced that the 2019 festival would be the last edition of Solfest. This was attributed to falling attendance numbers, especially in 2018, and growing debts. However, organisers cited increased attendance at
90-508: A Game" and "I See You, You See Me". Following the release of their debut album, the remainder of 2005 and the first few months of 2006 were spent touring and promoting their album and singles, throughout the UK and United States, across Europe and also in New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Their Japanese tour was featured as a side documentary on Jonathan Ross 's Japanorama . They received
120-661: A large amount of press attention for being the first band to walk off the TV show Top of the Pops after host Richard Bacon allegedly insulted their physiques (calling them "a big fat melting pot of talent" in their introduction) shortly before they were due to appear on the show to promote their single "Love Me Like You". The album was shortlisted in 2005 for the coveted Mercury Music Prize . After their heavy touring and promotion of their self-titled debut, The Magic Numbers would return in autumn of 2006 with their follow-up album, Those
150-572: A limited edition 7" vinyl single, "Hymn for Her", to coincide with a three-show residency at The Borderline in London. On the back of releasing just one commercially available single, "Forever Lost", and even before their debut album was released, they played a sold-out show to a crowd of over 2,000 at The Forum in Kentish Town , London, where a limited number of live albums of the gig were released. They played their first live session on UK radio on
180-484: A side-effect of conserving the landscape is the protection of the habitats of several species. Multiple species of butterfly, including some rare specimens, live on Mawbray and Wolsty banks, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest within the Solway Coast AONB. Additionally, Mawbray and Wolsty banks along with Silloth dunes to the north are home to the very rare natterjack toad Bufo calamita and
210-569: A solo album with a strong country music influence, Wide-Eyed Crossing , accompanying herself on the guitar. It contains a duet with Conor O'Brien from the Villagers and was promoted on a solo tour by Stodart. In 2016, she released her 2nd solo album, Pieces , on One Little Indian Records . The album featured guest appearances from her brother Romeo Stodart and singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams . In May 2013, The Magic Numbers announced their first-ever acoustic tour. The five-week tour saw
240-570: Is a registered company, the organisation operates as a social enterprise whereby all surplus income is reinvested into the organisation. Solfest is constituted in such a way that it does not allow any members of the Solfest Committee to make any financial gain from the festival. The Solfest festival is operated by Solfest Ltd, a registered company. It is run as a constituted social enterprise by unpaid volunteers, and does not have any corporate sponsorship. The first festival took place over
270-504: The "Best Family Festival Award" at the 2007 National Festival Awards. Solway Coast The Solway Coast is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in northern Cumbria , England . It incorporates two areas of coastline along the Solway Firth , the first running from just north of the city of Carlisle , at the estuary of the rivers Esk and Eden , in a westerly direction as far as Silloth-on-Solway , including
300-582: The great crested newt Triturus cristatus . These sand dunes are among only three in Cumbria, and are doubly protected by their status as an SSSI and an AONB. In the town of Silloth-on-Solway is the Solway Coast Discovery Centre, an exhibition detailing the geography and history of the Solway Coast AONB. As of 2014, the centre attracts around 12,000 visitors per year, and also provides tourist information for other attractions within
330-691: The 2019 festival in announcing that Solfest is to return in 2020. Solfest was cancelled in 2020 due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 . In October 2020 it was announced that Arts Council England awarded Solfest £100,000 as part of the Culture Recovery Fund setup in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. The original site for Solfest was Tarnside Farm, Silloth, but the festival relocated to North Lakes Country Park, Silloth from 2019 onwards. Artists who have appeared at
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#1732798528827360-630: The AONB. The main exhibition in the discovery centre looks at the wildlife, geography, and communities along the Solway Coast, and how things have changed over time, from the last ice age to the present day. This includes looking at the arrival of various groups which conquered the region, including the Romans, Vikings, and Normans, and how the establishment of the Abbey at nearby Abbeytown had an effect on
390-525: The AONB. Beginning at Silloth, the B5300 coast road runs in a south-westerly direction, entering the AONB just north of Beckfoot, and exiting near Crosscanonby. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales are designated as such because of their beautiful scenery. The designating body is Natural England , and the reason for the Solway Coast's designation was to conserve what is considered one of
420-547: The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. However, the increase in investment brought by the establishment of the Energy Coast, as well as the promise of new jobs for an area which has seen higher than average unemployment following the closure of mines and factories in the 1970s and 1980s, has proven popular with many residents of the area. While an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is not designed to conserve wildlife or plants,
450-677: The Brokes . The band did another extensive run of shows to promote and tour for the album, including supporting The Who in Southampton , and an appearance at the 2007 Glastonbury Festival . The album was partly recorded in New York at Allaire Studios in Spring 2006, a venue which has also been used in the past by David Bowie , The Strokes and Ryan Adams , and was recorded and engineered by Richard Wilkinson. A live album entitled Live at
480-453: The Dermot O'Leary Show for BBC Radio 2 . Their eponymous debut album was recorded in late 2004 and early 2005 at Metropolis Studios in London, and released on 13 June 2005. The album was produced and recorded by American producer Craig Silvey. Prior to release, only "Forever Lost" was promoted as a commercial single. This was followed up by later single releases "Love Me Like You", "Love's
510-636: The Kentish Town Forum was released in February 2007, featuring a live performance of songs from both of the band's two albums. The band took some time off during 2008, before reconvening in late 2009 to begin work on their third studio album. The band's website was updated to inform fans that the new album would be entitled The Runaway . The album was produced by Romeo Stodart with Valgeir Sigurðsson, who has previously worked with artists such as Björk , Bonnie Prince Billy and Múm . The album
540-813: The Solfest Festival include: Badly Drawn Boy , The Fratellis , The Coral , Buzzcocks , Supergrass , Oysterband , The Levellers , The Wonderstuff , The Charlatans (UK band) , James (band) , Róisín Murphy , Bluehorses , Blockheads , The Bad Shepherds , Pikey Beatz, Misty's Big Adventure , Kate Rusby , The Orb , System 7 , Easy Star All Stars , The Undertones , The Proclaimers , The Beat , From The Jam , Seth Lakeman , Show of Hands , Ozric Tentacles , 3 Daft Monkeys , Bex Marshall , Penny Broadhurst , Katus, Silverwheel, Eat Static , The Damned , Evil Nine , Alabama 3 , New Young Pony Club , The Magic Numbers , Alejandro Toledo , Utah Saints , and escapology expert David Straitjacket . Solfest won
570-593: The Stodarts. Prior to forming the Magic Numbers, Romeo and Sean spent time trying to form a band together under various guises, and previously performed under the name 'Guess'. In late 2002 The Magic Numbers formed in their present guise, and they began touring the London circuit, gradually developing their sound and building a small cult following, not least amongst some already established artists including The Chemical Brothers , Travis , and Ed Harcourt , with
600-642: The band play in theatres, churches and live music venues across the UK and Ireland supported by British act Goldheart Assembly . In 2013, the band acted in The Harry Hill Movie , as bed & breakfast proprietors in Blackpole. The band's fourth album Alias was released in August 2014. In November 2015, The Magic Numbers toured the UK with McAlmont and Butler , acting as the supporting act and also providing backing vocals and rhythm section to
630-690: The children of a Scottish father and a Portuguese mother and were born in Trinidad in the Caribbean , where their mother was an opera singer and had her own TV show. When the family fled an Islamic coup attempt there in 1990, they were raised in New York City. In the mid-1990s, when Romeo was 16 and Michele was 10, they moved to London. The Gannons are of Irish descent but lived in Hanwell , London where they became friends with their neighbours
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#1732798528827660-487: The coastal region. The exhibition was designed to be interactive. There is also an art exhibition, where local artists showcase their work, as well as a cafe and a tourist information office. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Solway Coast's designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a film was produced and is available on DVD at the Discovery Centre. The Discovery Centre opened in 2002, and
690-464: The latter later influential in their signing to record label Heavenly Records , narrowly choosing that label over Rough Trade Records . Their rise came swiftly, beginning in the summer of 2004 and later that year when they began supporting well-known artists such as Travis, Ed Harcourt and Snow Patrol and appearing on the bill of some low-key UK festivals, building a larger following by increasing their live performances. In November 2004, they released
720-464: The most scenic sections of English coastline. The Solway Coast was designated an AONB because of its scenic vistas. However, the massive increase in construction of wind turbines , both off-shore and on-shore, has left many residents feeling that the area's natural beauty is being tainted. The section of coast between Silloth-on-Solway and Sellafield has recently been dubbed "Britain's Energy Coast", something which many see as being incompatible with
750-419: The villages of Bowness-on-Solway , Burgh-by-Sands , Port Carlisle , and Skinburness . The second area begins just north of the hamlet of Beckfoot , and runs south down the coast to the southern end of Allonby Bay near the village of Crosscanonby . Included in this area are the villages of Mawbray and Allonby , and the hamlets of Dubmill , Hailforth and Salta . The hamlet of Wolsty lies just outside
780-403: The weekend of 3–5 September 2004 on a 26-acre (110,000 m) site at Tarnside Farm (approximately halfway between the towns of Aspatria and Silloth ). About 1,800 people attended the festival in its first year. It currently hosts an annual crowd of up to 10,000 people. The festival provides a variety of music. It has three large stages (Main stage, Drystone Stage & Bar Stage) as well as
810-579: Was formed in 2002, releasing their debut album titled The Magic Numbers on 13 June 2005. Their follow-up album, Those the Brokes , was released on 6 November 2006; The Runaway was released on 6 June 2010, Alias was released on 18 August 2014, and their most recent album, Outsiders , was released on 11 May 2018. The Magic Numbers consists of Romeo Stodart (lead guitar, vocals), his sister Michele Stodart (bass guitar, vocals, glockenspiel ), Angela Gannon ( melodica , percussion, keyboard , vocals ) and her brother Sean Gannon (drums). The Stodarts are
840-542: Was funded by a number of local, national, and trans-national agencies, including Cumbria County Council , British Nuclear Fuels , and the European Regional Development Fund . 54°53′N 3°20′W / 54.883°N 3.333°W / 54.883; -3.333 The Magic Numbers The Magic Numbers are an English alternative rock band consisting of two brother-and-sister pairs, from Hanwell in west London. The group
870-489: Was initially formed in September 2003 when a team of West Cumbrian festival-goers got together and made initial plans to create a festival of their own a little nearer to home. They were quickly joined by other interested parties and Solfest was run by a structured committee of sixteen permanent members until 2010 when the management structure changed. Solfest is now run by a smaller management team. While Solway Festival Ltd
900-632: Was mixed by Ben Hillier, and features string arrangements by the late Robert Kirby , who worked on Nick Drake 's Five Leaves Left album. The album was released on 26 July 2010. The Magic Numbers played at the 2010 Splendour in the Grass festival. During their time in Australia, they did shows in Melbourne and Sydney with Blue Mountains band Cloud Control . They also played at the annual Glastonbury Festival . In 2012, Michele Stodart released
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