Malton set to rock with a Louisiana beat!

Malton will be rocking to a Louisiana beat next weekend (16 to 18th March) when the 7th annual Yorkshire Cajun & Zydeco Festival is held in the town.

Staged at the Milton Rooms, Malton, this year’s festival will, for the first time, include a Cajun Ceilidh for St Patrick’s Day (17th March) and a Vintage Dance on Sunday, when organisers will be joined by the YORKVINTAGE DANCE GROUP.

Well known and loved on the Cajun scene, Charlie Skelton has put together a special band for the Ceilidh (Saturday evening) and organisers are delighted to welcome the RHYTHM EXCHANGE BAND from York who will play for the Vintage dance (Sunday afternoon) when of course there will be chance to wear vintage gear! Each of these dances will be preceded by morning dance workshops to put dancers, new to these styles, through their paces.

For the purists there will also be the usual mix of SEVEN great Cajun & Zydeco bands from the UK and Europe and the festival weekend will again be expanded for locals and early arrivals, to include a Thursday night gig by BOSCO BERET.

The main festival kicks off on Friday night with Charlie’s Cajun band ACADIAN STRINGS on stage at 7pm. A real treat follows at 9pm – TRIO HOT CREOLE is a brand new line up featuring Chris Hall the undoubted supremo of British Cajun and Phil Underwood, another hugely influential figure on the scene. This ‘supergroup’ is completed by Hazel Scott‘s guitar and vocals.

Saturday at the festival is is packed with workshops, music sessions, a Mardi Gras parade with ROUGH CHOWDER, the Cajun Ceilidh and at 8.15pm, Manchester band CAJUN SPECIALS make their Festival debut and for the first time in the UK, from Holland the exciting VUIG band will close Saturday night.

Sunday has more workshops, music sessions, films and in the afternoon as well as the Vintage band, festival favourites BOSCO BERET are joined on stage at 2.45pm by the fiddle of Malton’s own NICK THOMPSON (of the Legendary Buttermountain Boys).

CHRIS HALL’S DOUBLE SHOTS were so brilliant last year, headlining Saturday night, they just had to be asked back this year to close the Festival and no doubt lead our now famous finale!

They will be on stage from 7.00pm.

The Festival is again supporting the charity North Yorkshire Music Therapy. Last year £300 was raised.

To book tickets and for more information see www.yorkshirecajun.com