Lost in the Hills festival returned on 10th, 11th and 12th May 2024, bringing world, experimental, folk, contemporary and electronic music to the Watts Russell Arms for a third consecutive year. Curated by Creative Peaks with funding from Arts Council England, this year’s eclectic line-up was spread across two hand-built stages and featured performances from: Frankie Archer, Seaming To, Vipertime, Ilke-Ta, Anona, Raoul Vignal, S8JFOU, The Beadling, Purple Hat Mob, The Seekers, Seikou Susso, Serena Jasmine, Ruby Geddes, Fuji Speedway and J2OH.
Spanning across three days, the annual music and arts festival incites creativity in all its forms. In addition to live music performances, there were various drop-ins, jam sessions and workshops for people to get involved with, including: spoken word, nature art, wood carving, story and movement, puppet-making, percussion-making, body percussion, storytelling, creative foraging, and a community canvas for collaborative art-making.
Nestled at the bottom of a steep-sided valley in the heart of the Peak District, Lost in the Hills festival inspires people to explore the connections between art and nature through recommended local walks and an arts trail which wound its way up through the terraced gardens and into the trees behind the pub. After darkness descended over the valley, beautiful projections appeared on the pub walls, courtesy of Chris Smith, Resonant Sounds and Dubrek Studios, and Saturday night featured a captivating and seductive fire dance performance from Blazing Cascades, accompanied by live jazz dnb set from J2OH.
The weekend had a laid-back and family-friendly feel to it, with countless moments of organic creativity when groups would congregate to chat, exchange ideas and play music in nearby fields or around fire-pits. There were also eco-conscious craft-stalls, healing sessions, delicious artisan food and plenty of local ciders and ales.
Camping was provided by a variety of local campsites, with different options to suit different budgets, and people could either walk to the festival along one of the recommended routes or catch the shuttle bus.
We would like to thank all of the volunteers, bar staff, photographers and stage designers who helped out across the weekend; it wouldn’t have been possible without you.
Line Up
Frankie Archer
Frankie Archer’s imaginative and bold mash of electro alt-trad fuses her Northumbrian fiddle roots and her immersion in tragic and timeless narrative folk songs from the North East of England and beyond, with a futuristic electronic palette of synth riffs and textured loops. Hazily manipulated vocal textures and rhythms, trad fiddle, smooth synth bass and raw, vulnerable vocals overlay samples of nature plucked from real life experiences. With an intoxicating blend of the contemporary and traditional, Frankie Archer is fresh on the scene and shaking up genres, sharing the lesser told sides of stories championing women, challenging perspectives and calling for a fairer future. Check out here recent performance on Later with Jools Holland…
Raoul VIGNAL
Raoul Vignal plays authentic, modern folk music. His trademark delicate and earthy fingerpicking, alternate tunings and hushed and gentle vocals are formed in rural kitchens and scenes of pastoral contemplation. In these isolated places where time stands still and the incessant urges of the urban bustle disappear, he weaves captivating compositions with subtle shades of melancholy and entrancing, spirited arpeggios. Raoul Vignal’s music is both timeless and deeply embedded in the aura of contemporary life.
Jose Gonzales meets Nick Drake, Sun Kil Moon and Kings of Convenience
seaming To
Seaming To is a London-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist who draws from her roots in classical composition and jazz improvisation. Summoning up a psychedelic wonderland of alluring songs draped in pastoral string arrangements and playful synthesisers, Seaming sings with a siren’s call, inviting us to explore the visions, secrets and dreamscapes that lurk just beyond our view in the mirror. Through performing in Paddy and Graham’s respective Homelife and Toolshed groups, Seaming became part of a deeply interwoven network of bands, producers and DJs that included Ninja Tune icons Mr Scruff and The Herbaliser, both of whom she recorded with.
S8JFou
In 2017 French producer s8jfou (shorthand for ‘suis-je-vous’ or ‘am I mad?’) bought some land in the mountains to flee from the big city civilisation. He spent 8 months building an off-grid cabin and this is where he composes his music, using just a laptop with Ableton Live, heating and cooking with a wood stove, drinking the natural spring water and eating mushrooms from the forest. He’s drawn to the idea that digital music tools can be totally free and open source, without the need to spend money or produce wasteful rare metal or plastic garbage. He’ll be coming to England for the first time, travelling to the festival by ferry and overland. Moody electronica in the vein of Aphex Twin, Rival Consoles, Holly Hearndon, Floating Points.
Seikou susso
Seikou Susso is a master kora player from the Gambia. He comes from a long line of jaliba or griots, ancient Mandinka family of musicians and oral historians, who sang for great African Kings and Queens. Seikou is very proud to promote his culture through performances and storytelling with the distinct and unforgettable sound of the 21-stringed kora.
He has participated in many festivals, galas and melas. He has performed at Glastonbury festival and has recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World studios.
Vipertime
Born in the snake pit of Leeds house parties, aggro-jazz four-piece Vipertime have earned a ferocious reputation making a series of incendiary appearances at venues and festivals across the UK, honing their craft while pushing their line up of saxo-
phone, bass and twin drum sets to its sonic limits.
Both live and in the studio, their music is a sweaty dance floor incarnate. A heady brew blending 70s Ethio-jazz, the
60s proto-punk of The Stooges, Alice and John Coltrane, Fela Kuti and Lee Perry.
Music of joy and rebellion.
Anona
Earth Folk Fantasy
A long trip in Gambia and semi-improvised recording sessions in a homemade garden studio have helped Anona create a mystical sound formed through richly woven layers of alt-folk, contemporary classical and a myriad of world influences. Anona uses great narrative imagery to explore traditional and cosmic themes of the earth, life, death, the sun, the moon, the symbols of inner travel. Dreamlike ethereal jewels and distant horizons marry in a hybrid fantasy of a misty pastoral lake.
j2oh
J2Oh are a dream-dnb-jazz duo with Jenny Walinetski on drums and Jemma Freese on synths/piano and vocals. Their heavy use of cross signatures, rhythmical hooks, jazz harmony and vocal soundbites creates a vibrant, energetic sound, a hybrid of hiphop/trap/dnb/electronic and contemporary jazz.
Each composition is rooted in improvisation, which is an essential part of their creative process… the pair met at Key of She, an improvisation night in Sheffield, and have been playing together ever since. Influences include; Floating Points, Gretchen Parlato, Yussef Kamaal, Portico Quartet, Slowly Rolling Camera and Richard Spaven.
THe Beadling
Alice and Juliet are two sisters who we have been making various noises together for 20 years now. coming from a theatrical family, they are interested in how they can arrange music this to reflect the story telling present in folk narratives. Recently they convinced Louis (tenor sax and percussion) to join them on their adventures into seventeenth century broadside ballads, traditional English, medieval, and Nordic folk music.
Alice is a violinist, recorder and concertina player. When Alice was little, she wanted to be a pirate when she grew up. Juliet is a flautist, recorder player and saxophonist. When Juliet was little, she wanted to be a carrot when she grew up.
SERENA JASMINE
Free-flowing, multi-directional… West Midlands-based Serena Jasmine seeks to express her experiences and emotions through music. Fresh from the release of her debut EP, Rerooting, she’ll be bringing her 6-piece band to Lost in the Hills to translate and transmit the roots, stories and ideas of her inner visions in real time.
The Seekers
Led by singer and poet Rubaya Saaz, experimental, multicultural explorers The Seekers are digging for meaning in the sound patterns of the universe, bridging sufi music, the poetic expressions of the soul and contemplation of the divine essence. The Seekers are constantly searching for new collaborations and pathways. At the end of their set they'll be inviting you folks to join in, bridging seamlessly into a free jam session. Get ready for a multicultural improvisation, reaching beyond the illusory walls and confines of this world.
Northern poet
Northern Poet will be bringing his interactive, meditative and spiritual vibrations to Lost in the Hills. Searching for peace, contemplation and connection. In his own words…
"I am a wandering poet from the rugged lands of Britain. For many a moon I have wandered the ancient sites scattered across the globe, seeking the wisdom and magic hidden within our long lost pagan cultures. But it wasn’t until I returned to the misty isles that I was truly able to stand in my purpose. For it was here that I remembered that nothing is ever truly lost and with dedication, belief and presence all that has been forgotten remains. I have heard the songs whispered in the whirling winds. I have bathed in the healing waters of the icy mountain springs. I have danced in the underworld with the medicine of this land. And with your time and consciousness, even if only for a moment, I invite you to dance on this journey of remembering with me. "
ilke-ta
Ilke-Ta is led by Nottingham drummer / producer Jamie Sykes and brings together his signature free flowing jagged beats with global textures, nu-jazz, drum n bass and sub sonic bass lines. Head tapping juicy grooves perfect for a spring afternoon in the gardens and terraces whilst you sip a cocktail or contemplate the deeper layers of existence over an espresso. Jamie also moonlights as a shopping channel guru, so bring your wallets for an opportunity to buy a plethora of useless plastic objects to cleanse your souls and help you forget about climate catastrophe and AI presidential candidates.
Shopping channel / elevator jazz filtered through a cracked, melting dystopian electronic lens.
Ruby geddes
Ruby Geddes' songs speak of the artist’s kinship with the natural world – solace found in cycles of minerals, light, growth and decay, in eternal change and deep time; their songs grieve and resolve with the seasons. An inquisitive musical topography forms the ground for Ruby’s enthralling lyrics as soft, easeful vocals invite you to travel with them across a range of low tunings, changing time signatures, and diverse song structures.
“As a listener, you are invited into a liminal space where you feel at once enamoured with the ephemeral nature of existence and held in a cocoon of moss and soil. Ruby Scott Geddes' music is both other-worldly and distinctly grounded in the earth. Lyrically akin to mycelium; almost mythological whilst woven throughout the raw dirt.” – Maya Blackwell, poet & writer
PURPLE HAT MOB
Purple Hat Mob are a 4-piece from Nottingham whose sphere of musical influences includes ambient, electronic, progressive rock and trip hop. Having released their first single, ‘Awful Wonderful Idea’, late last year, PHM have played across the UK, frequently collaborating with visual artists. Notable recent collaborations include a live, 2-hour semi-improvised soundtrack for the ‘Sleepwalk With Me’ film exhibition on dreams - at the prestigious Nottingham Contemporary.
Fuji Speedway
Fuji Speedway are a jazz-fusion quartet from Sheffield who have hit the ground running with a huge response in the north in the first year of existence. Fuji bring an arsenal of explosive, original material fusing elements of jazz, funk, electronic and broken beats.
the soul rebels
Sweet soul and reggae flavours with earthy roots. The Soul Rebels inhabit the conscious thoughts of their reggae heroes, performing their own interpretations of the music of Bob Marley and the Wailers.
"We believe his message is as relevant today as it was during his lifetime. These times of war, poverty and crimes against humanity... it's in the air we breathe. People don't get time to stop and think... Cost of living getting so high it keeps us chasing money more and more. Bob Marley´s music offers us a chance to reflect, starting with ourselves. Songs of love offer us chance to embrace our people, vibrate higher and protest against oppression.
We want to bring light to the teachings of Rastafari, a progressive people who began by moving away from their oppressors in their society and beginning a new way of life.
We as a group, named 'The Soul Rebels' in tribute to Bob Marley and the Wailers, feel a deep connection to the music and we invite you to share the vibrations and help Bob sing his songs of freedom, as he himself requested."
