September 11/12, 2021
A tiny and incomparably friendly festival of music, comedy and lovely people set in a magical woodland in deepest Sussex
2021 Line up
Once the sun has set, Town of Cats, featuring ten superb multi-instrumentalists headed by spoken word artist, comedian and certified lunatic Joe Travis Dean, will set the woods alight with their relentlessly energetic and highly danceable tunes that draw on ska, gypsy, hip-hop and Latin grooves.
Internationally acclaimed and award-winning She'koyokh have a special place in our hearts as they are the band that Jim co-founded. They are now indisputably one of the best klezmer/gypsy bands in the UK (indeed, in the world, according to The Australian), and their music is exhilarating, soulful and life-affirming. You, and your feet, will fail not to be moved.
We're delighted to welcome back World Wide Welshman, AKA Liam Rickard to the woods to perform his beautifully sung multi-lingual folk-rock. He will take you on an exhilarating musical journey from Wales to China via the rest of the world. And last time, his band played beautiful sea shanties round the fire in the small hours, so we're hoping for that again!
One of the nation's best loved contemporary poets, Guillemot-loving and Luton bungalow-inhabiting John Hegley returns to the woods to perform his lyrically ingenious and very funny songs. At past festivals he's been a hit with adults and children alike, and his warmth and wit have always left us delighted.
Harry's Tricks are a swing jazz, or more accurately, a pre-1950s pop band. They’re quality, they're quirky, they're catchy, they cross over all age boundaries, and they're immensely good fun. They also have a special place in our hearts as they played at Jim and Jenny's wedding back in September 2008, and we loved them there.
Angeline Morrison is a Birmingham-born, Cornwall-based singer, songwriter and arranger in the genres of wyrd folk, witch folk, traditional folk, soul and 60s beat pop. BBC Music Introducing describe her music as "Dark, unsettling folk that verges on the hymnal". Perfect for the woods as the day begins to wane!
We're delighted to welcome back Jake, for the fourth year, to raise up our scones. Jake’s silliness and infectious fun will entertain 2 year olds to 92 year olds, which is precisely what he accomplished at previous festival (though we can't verify we had any 92-year-olds on site)
Award-winning, 5-star reviewed theatre troupe Bear North from sunny Brighton will be in the woods putting on a show all about bees, which happen to be our favourite insects here at Jim towers, so we're buzzing about that!
Rimski, a Jimfest stalwart, combines vaudeville, steampunk, clowning and, best of all, a combustible bicycle-piano, which he pedals jerkily around the site late at night, singing and occasionally setting fire to things, sometimes deliberately, sometimes accidentally. This year he'll be accompanied by the equally wonderful Handkerchief and her Bassicle
We welcome back the dearly-loved Wishworks with their unique brand of madcap puppetry, which they've performed at every single Jimfest since our beginning! Whether you've seen them perform or not, they are firm favourites of ours, and an absolute must-see
DJ Otter returns to spin his foot-tapping reggae sounds between bands, along with a pinch of soul, just a hint of bass & a sprinkle of old classics.
Warning - His vinyl records comes with a smile!