Photo: Bingley Camera Club

Challenge Festival 2024

Bingley Music Town is running the Bandstand Stage for the Challenge Festival that takes place in Myrtle Park on 25th and 26th May 2024.

Volunteer

If you’d like to help us organise and run the event, please get in touch.

Sponsors

Thanks to all of our sponsors.

The Loft
Martinez Wine Bar
Specsavers
Five Rise Records

This is not-for-profit festival, but getting your band together to play still costs money, so with the help of our sponsors we’re able to pay the acts something towards their costs.

We’ve also had some sponsorship to feed and water our volunteers over the two days.

Bandstand Line Up

There will be music from 12 noon until 9pm on Saturday and from 12 noon until 8pm, with a new act starting every hour on the hour. The last act will be on stage at 8pm (Sat) and 7pm (Sun).

We’ve got 18 acts over the two days. Be sure to check back to this page for the latest details.

Time Saturday 25th May
12 noon Havoc City
1pm Cornell Daley
2pm Sabrina Piggott
3pm Fiddle n Feet
4pm Ben Greenwell & The Spirit Guides
5pm Wilko Wilkes
6pm Playing For Kicks
7pm Gevaudan Dogs
8pm Miriam - The First Lady of Folk
Time Sunday 26th May
12 noon Albatross
1pm Bethany Gibson
2pm Liz Narey, Stan Greenwood, Chris Grayston
3pm Otra
4pm Reuben and The Bridge
5pm Superstrut 5
6pm Harry Speight
7pm Augustin Bousfield

Bandstand Performers A-Z

Albatross

Sunday 12 noon

Albatross is a 5 piece all girl indie-rock band.

As a friendship group they began to experiment with instruments together and found their passion for music which continued to develop through secondary school, where they participated in school performances.

The Challenge Festival is their debut public performance. One not to miss.

Alice Gilmour

Alice Gilmour

Cancelled

Unfortunately Alice can no longer play at the festival.

We were expect mesmerising live violin loops, samples, and beats from this local musician and sound artist. When not performing solo, Alice plays the violin in musicals for professional and amateur companies in the Yorkshire area. She also supplies violin samples and solos to all sort of projects.

Alice Gilmour

Augustin Bousfield

Sunday 7pm

Augustin Bousfield is a musician, composer, and producer from Bradford. He’ll be bringing his own brand of wonky electro synthypop to the bandstand.

Augustin Bousfield

Ben Greenwell & The Spirit Guides

Saturday 4pm

A laid back folk blues band from Riddlesden’s Ben Greenwell and friends. Videos, links and more information on Ben Greenwell’s LinkTree

Ben Greenwell & The Spirit Guides

Bethany Gibson

Sunday 1pm

Bethany’s influences are Gregory Alan Isakov, Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. She writes about her own experiences with relationships and friendships to create a story for her listeners. Her strong vocals and cryptic song writing skills are what entice her audience.

Bethany Gibson

Cornell Daley

Saturday 1pm

Cornell is one of Bingley’s great musical treasures.

He organises the popular Buskers Night at Martinez Wine Bar in Bingley, and can be found singing and playing regularly around the district.

Cornell Daley
Photo: Bingley Camera Club

Fiddle n Feet

Saturday 3pm

Fiddle n Feet play traditional Appalachian dance music, and they’ll have their dancers with them. Fiddle ‘n’ Feet are an Appalachian dance group that is run from Bingley and rehearses in Shipley. They play traditional Appalachian dance music, and they’ll have their dancers with them.

You can usually find the musicians in the Brown Cow (Monday nights) and the Chip n Ern (Wednesday nights), so if you like what you hear it’s not hard to hear more!

Fiddle 'N' Feet

Gevaudan Dogs

Saturday 7pm

Gevaudan Dogs is a punk rock ensemble. Brainchild of songwriter and guitarist Vince Cayo, the four-piece bring a powerhouse of energetic and impactful punk sounds similar to acts like Social Distortion, Stiff Little Fingers and The Clash.

“A punk sound that takes it all the way back to the bones of why we love it so much.” – Mark Cartwright, The Punk Site

From the underground to the forefront. No apologies, no compromises – just pure punk energy live!

Gevaudan Dogs
Photo: Malcolm Such

Harry Speight

Sunday 6pm

Bingley musician, producer, and DJ, Harry Speight will bring you the first ever DJ set live from the Bandstand in Myrtle Park. We’re all about people playing instruments, but we’ll make an exception for one of the most talented young musicians this region of the country has produced.

Check out Harry Speight on Bandcamp

Havoc City

Havoc City

Saturday 12 noon

Formed in 2023, Havoc City are a young, energetic rock band that are making their mark in the West Yorkshire rock scene. They blend the hard rock and roll from the 80s and 90s with the modern indie of the 21st century. This is a great chance to check them out live on stage early in their career. Expect an electrifying attitude and emotion and passion for their music. Watch out for their debut EP, coming soon.

Havoc City

Liz Narey, Stan Greenwood, Chris Grayston

Sunday 2pm

Local folk legend Liz is usually putting on events for other people to sing at like Bingley First Monday Folk and Singing For Fun, so it’s a great treat that we’ll be hearing her sing some of her own material.

She’ll be joined on stage by Chris Grayston, and local legend Stan Greenwood, guitarist and founder member of the Skeletal Family.

Liz Narey
Photo: Bingley Camera Club

Miriam - The First Lady of Folk

Saturday 8pm

We’re delighted that legendary folk singer from the 70s, Miriam Backhouse, who will be closing the day on Saturday.

Miriam became one of the most in demand folk singers of her generation with appearances on radio, TV, and at many leading Festivals including both Cambridge and Edinburgh.

This is the first date of her UK tour

Miriam

Otra

Sunday 3pm

Otra are Rahel Guzelian and Tony Charnock, an acoustic duo with a repertoire of original songs and folk-style covers with guitar, whistle and fiddle accompaniment. They have been performing around the Bradford area and beyond for the past 20 years.

Otra

Playing For Kicks

Saturday 6pm

Playing for Kicks play songs you know and love from Tina Turner to Divine Comedy and Deacon Blue to B52’s. There’s something for everyone.

Playing for Kicks

Reuben and The Bridge

Reuben and The Bridge are an Acoustic/Folk duo, playing guitar and fiddle.

Reuben brings his guitar and warm and powerful lead vocals, while Bridget brings her own style of both lyrical and fiery fiddle playing, as well as haunting harmony vocals. Reworkings of classic rock and pop songs is their forte, but they also perform original compositions. Expect diversity!

Reuben and The Bridge

Sabrina Piggott

Saturday 2pm

Sabrina’s songs are full of a sense of open spaces and possibilities; she has taken her rich traditional music background from her ancestral home in the countryside of Cork, Southern Ireland and fused it with modern industrial city sounds of her adopted Leeds and Yorkshire.

Her distinctive rippling, almost Philip Glass evoking, acoustic guitar style sets the tone for a heart melting voice with a Celtic timbre that pulls the emotion out of the lyric. This can be heard in her debut album Roots & Wings, released in 2019.

Sabrina Piggot

Superstrut 5

Sunday 5pm

Supersrut 5, is a five-piece groove machine that will take you on a musical journey spanning decades!

They will be bringing the party to the bandstand on Sunday, with a lineup featuring a dynamic female vocalist, funky bass guitar, soulful guitar riffs, vibrant keys, and a drummer keeping the beat strong,

From the timeless classics of the 60s to rock classics to the chart-toppers of today, their repertoire covers a wide range of genres and eras. Whether you’re into the infectious rhythms of funk and soul or the disco beats that keep you on your feet, there’s something for everyone.

Superstrut 5

Wilko Wilkes

Saturday 5pm

A songwriter, music producer and rap workshop facilitator, Wilko Wilkes is an artist on a mission to leave a positive mark on the world. His tongue-twisting tracks have gained streams and radio play worldwide. His acclaimed live set has seen him play headline gigs and open for music legends Arrested Development.

He is also the founder of social enterprise Rap for Good, as well as a video producer, mental health advocate and community volunteer.

Wilko Wilkes