Eliza Carthy MBE has just announced the line-up she has brought together for the fourth Normafest, the festival she instigated to celebrate her mother Norma Waterson MBE and which allows Norma, the legendary English folk singer, the opportunity to perform again after a prolonged battle with ill-health.

Headlining the 2018 event from Ireland the amazing Dervish who together with Jackie Oates and Jack Rutter performing Lullabies, Lisa Knapp & Gerry Diver, Topette!, Banter, The Gift Band Acoustic (featuring Norma Waterson), Bright Phoebus Band, Thomas McCarthy, Eddie Jay, Hardeep Singh Kohli & Ian Clayton will provide a very special weekend of music,  song and dance. Friday nights events will all be in Robin Hoods Bay, Saturday’s events at Whitby Pavilion & Sunday’s afternoon session at Robin Hoods Bay.

As Eliza explains “Seven years ago my mam was in a coma for four months having got septicaemia and she came out of it much physically impaired. That alongside the crippling arthritis she already had, meant she had to teach herself how to walk again, how to talk again, how to lift a cup. She can still sing, and she in fact comes alive when she sings. But the one thing she can’t do is travel. Normafest gives her a local opportunity to get on a stage and do what she loves. Everybody facilitates that, essentially. We sell tickets in order to pay bands to come here and augment the bill, so that if she isn’t able to perform – which can happen – there is still an extremely strong supporting bill of music around her. Normafest is a non-profit event, so most of these artists that have agreed to play for expenses and divide whatever is left in the pot between them which can amount to not very much.”

Tickets go sale on Monday November 13 via Musicport website with a limited number of full weekend tickets priced at £55. (Tel: 01947 603475)

There will also be a separately ticketed reception Friday teatime (Jan 5) at Tea Toast & Post in Robin Hoods Bay hosted by Norma herself. Tickets for this are £20 but very limited in number.

Tuomas Holopainen's 3-track demo earned him his very first record deal with his freshly founded band Nightwish back in 1996. Today, 20 years later - with over 2,000 shows under their belts and more than 8 million records sold - Nightwish are the biggest European symphonic metal band. Reason enough for Nuclear Blast to celebrate this huge anniversary by releasing a 2CD compilation titled Decades, on March 9. This release will be accompanied by a nine-month tour across the globe. After kicking off with 34 concerts in North America in March/April, the journey will continue with dozens of European festival and headline shows, including their highly anticipated UK show - a headline appearance at Bloodstock Festival on August 12. Across this tour, Nightwish will also be presenting a special set list featuring rare material from the early years of their career. That's why these evenings will not only be special events for fans, but also for the band themselves.

Tuomas stated: "July 6th, 1996 was the exact date marked on my family's summer cabin guestbook. On that date, by a campfire, a decision was made to form a band of three members, playing atmospheric acoustic music led by a female voice. 15 months later, this group would release its debut album, and more than two decades later, it would release a compilation including songs from eight studio albums and from the very first demo which gave the band its name.

The infinite freedom and potential I found from songwriting back in the day took me right back home, offering a place to feel free and meaningful. So the roller coaster ride begun, adventures from all sides of the spectrum ahead, making a pit stop at this place and age from where we`re greeting you now. Looking back, the voyage has been nothing short of spectacular.

The best part of it all, though, are the people. The fellowship of the band, past and present, the crew and the management. The relationships created, whether it's the fans in the front row, guest musicians, other bands, promoters, media, record label staff, or even your own heroes you never thought you'd meet. I've met my best friends through music, as well as faced the most unfortunate ordeals, but it's all been for the love of life and adventure, for learning, and for a meaning. The sense of privilege I feel looking into the past, the present, and future is immeasurable by words. It's something that can only be expressed through poetry and music.

A journey of two decades has taken our wonderful Edema Ruh this far, and the beauty of the future is, that it remains an untold story. In a few months, we'll celebrate the journey so far in the form of a nine-month nostalgia tour, including material from all of our eight studio albums. We shall meet you all soon, and it will be wondrous as never before!"

NIGHTWISH live 2018:

12.08.  UK       Derby - Bloodstock Open Air