Underneath The Stars Festival 2022 at Cinderhill Farm
Creative Tourist
Family favourite Underneath The Stars Festival returns to Barnsley’s Cinderhill Farm in 2022 with a line-up of 30 artists spanning soul, indie, brass bands, ska, Americana and folk.
Gender-balance in festival billings has been high on the music industry’s agenda in recent years, but many have missed the mark. The organisers of Underneath the Stars genuinely push for gender equality, working alongside The F List, a directory of UK Female+ Musicians to improve the diversity of its festival lineup.
Headlining on the Friday is Ireland’s Imelda May, whose 2021 album Past the Hour, which recalls the romance noir of a lost David Lynch soundtrack, brimming with sensuality, emotional intelligence, spirituality and intuition, marking a new chapter for Imelda and showcasing her at her most authentic. Fan favourite and Barnsley’s own nightingale, Kate Rusby will headline the Saturday. Often hailed as the ‘first lady of folk’, and an Underneath the Stars festival figurehead, Kate celebrates 30 years of touring this year. Closing the weekend in spectacular fashion, Suzanne Vega is regarded as one of the foremost songwriters of her generation, her self-titled debut album sold one million copies, with her follow-up Solitude Standing nominated for three Grammys, including Record of the Year.
Further highlights of the action-packed weekend include This Is The Kit, revered for crafting music of great beauty, wonder and illumination, Mercury Prize nominated indie band, The Big Moon, rich in tight vocal harmonies and cinematic rolling grooves. Arthur Jeffes’ collctive Penguin Cafe will perform their eclectic array of genre-defying evocative pieces, mixing Arthur’s beautiful compositions with some iconic Penguin Cafe Orchestra classics, while one of the most famous brass bands in the world, The Brighouse & Rastrick Band, and award-winning acapella three-piece The Young’uns will bring a different flavour.
There’s plenty more to dig into on the line-up. Head over to the Underneath the Stars website via the button below to see it in full.
Alongside the musical line-up, we know by now to expect some great family events – think street-arts performers, storytellers, art installations and a whole host of workshops. Underneath The Stars also cherry-picks a number of street food stars, with last previous highlights including Leon, Pizza Loco, The English Indian, Peace of the East and Yummy Yorkshire.
The festival’s relaxed nature and surrounds of stunning green space makes for an amazing family experience, whether your preference is to kick back and relax, or let loose with some foot-stomping.
