Norwich Summer Sessions 2025 Line-Up Announced

Steve ’Scratch” Wurly is a record producer and DJ, having played out for thirty years in the Underground scene mainly in East Anglia and other parts of the country. His latest releases are on No Beats Dropped recordings which has been running since 1991.

Passionate about music, he plays many styles from Rare Grooves, Hip Hop, House and Breaks which has informed his latest project;  producing and performing with ScratchAnna, a studio based trio playing Downbeat, Electronic, Trip Hop style music.

Dumbfoundus are three skateboarders from Gorleston and Lowestoft. They have been playing parties and festivals together for the last 10 years and are still friends. They play a mix of originals and classic covers in their own self-invented genre- Beach Pop. Go see them if you’re in the mood to be comfortably dumb.

Photographer: Olly Woodman

Five musicians. One mission: bring the party. BOP curate throwback bangers and party anthems spanning seven decades. With guitar, keys, rich harmonies and killer rhythm section; expect a high-energy, eclectic Summer Session. It’s live music the way it’s supposed to be: fun, full of feel, and totally unforgettable.

Hailing from Galway in the West of Ireland, Emma O’Reilly delivers a fusion of alternative pop and indie folk that’s emblematic of the rich creativity of the modern Irish music scene. Emma has toured in Ireland, the UK, Lithuania, Germany, the Netherlands, the US, and Canada, garnering comparisons with Kate Bush, Aldous Harding and Phoebe Bridgers.

Embark on a sonic journey with Nebula Sun, a band that seamlessly blends progressive grooves, energetic rhythms, and jazz fluidity. Their evolving riffs, enriched with layers of delay and distortion, propel you into a psychedelic space. Whilst leaning into moments of ‘raw chaos’ from double saxophones and heavy bass, Nebula Sun also weaves moments of tranquillity with soulful vocals that inspire togetherness. Nebula Sun have been championed by BBC Introducing, Lopa Kothari and BBC Radio 3’s In Tune.

Phoebe Troup is a songwriter and producer overlapping folk, rock, and experimental music. Phoebe and her 5-piece band bring lyric-driven songs to life with layered guitar, synth and sampled sound. Tracks from her debut album Middlenite, released in 2023, have been played on BBC Radio 6 Music and Soho Radio London.

Widely regarded as two of the best English players and innovators in traditional folk, Moore & Moss’ finely-crafted arrangements wield a rare potency. Having toured and recorded with with some of the biggest and brightest acts in the British folk scene, they now reconvene to perform as duo. Their second record Spectres further unites the deep and resolute harmony of Moss’s accordion with the texture and flow of Moore’s viola. Whilst intrinsically borrowing from English and other European traditional dance form, sonically Moore and Moss have their heads firmly in the present, understanding the values of contemporary music and art making.

Beat Fiasco –   Nu jazz, Drum n Bass, Breakbeat, Trip Hop, and a Soul groove fused with Afrobeat.

It’s a lot to unpack… but off the back of their love of Ezra Collective, Comet is Coming, Gogo Penguin, and Mammal Hands,  Beat Fiasco wanted to create their own take… but delivering maximum energy from the love Dance, Dub & DnB… played live…  by real musicians.

We all lived & loved the 90’s dance scene: Techo, Dub & Triphop… this never left us. So we started to forge our own style –  Jazz Punk – Frenetic edgy break beats, cavernous looming wobble bass with roaring Sax.

Alice-Lily is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter and music artist. Born in London and bred in Norwich, she grew up immersed in a wide range of music that shaped her style. Alice-Lily connects with audiences through her heartfelt lyricism and soulful melodies, crafting a sound described as pop-tinged neo-soul: both contemporary and timeless.

Her debut EP, “Players, Parties & Platonic Love” (February 2025) tells stories of navigating friendships and community in early adulthood.

Performance in association with Wild Paths Festival.

An exciting new duo intertwining kora and fiddle, crossing genres and traditions.

Suntou Susso is a multi-instrumentalist: Kora player, percussionist, singer and composer from The Gambia. Born a Griot in a 700-year old tradition, the Kora – harp-lute with 22 strings – is unique to the Griots of the Mandinka people.

Ross Grant is a violinist who grew up in the midlands, England. His playing is rooted in English traditional music, but sees him take influence from many genres across the globe. This project sees them blend music from the griots of the Madinka people with age-old traditional manuscripts from across England.

The Shunters Company are a five-piece raw urban blues band born out of the Norfolk Blues Society’s house band. These guys have all paid their blues dues and are hitting you back with their high energy mid-Atlantic attitude to chase away your blues and get you dancing!

A leading clown, comic actor and puppeteer. His shows feature hilarious, interactive and visual comedy rooted in the Commedia Del’Arte tradition. ​With a richly diverse performance background and a career lasting more than 25 years, Richard has performed in  circus, theatre, TV, international festivals, and corporate events. ​​Richard practices his work at the world-famous Covent Garden and takes his acts to international festivals every year.

Soaring harmonies and roaring fiddles combine with guitar, mandolin and banjo to play songs of the sea, migration and environmental struggle. The pulse of the natural world is the core of this band. Driving tune sets and compelling instrumentals weave throughout the ‘Kitewing’ set, an act that unites two critically acclaimed UK groups ‘The Shackleton Trio’ and ‘Christina Alden & Alex Patterson’.

See Emily Play is a fusion of bluesy, alternative rock rhythms with catchy, pop melody hooks. The London-based five piece band have been together for four years, and write all their music as a collective. They also love doing their own spin on classic covers.

Access Creative College will be taking over the Westlegate Stage on Sunday 18 August, where they will be showcasing a variety of different acts from their Artist Development and music performance courses.  Access has taught some of Norwich’s best talent such as Let’s Eat Grandma, SLEEMO and Maya Law.  The line up will be confirmed closer to the event.

Norwich Summer Sessions Platform is aimed at supporting young and up-and-coming acts by providing an opportunity to perform.

Aphra is a dynamic singer/songwriter known for her captivating live performances, blending soulful vocals with evocative lyrics.

Her music draws on 60s folk artists Judee Sill and Joni Mitchell, and blends with modern pop and soul influences. Accompanied by Nancy Dunell’s warm harmonies and Imogen Bournes’ sultry saxophone.

The best stories elicit profound personal reactions and in the 15 years she has been writing and performing, Hannah Scott has become a consummate storyteller. Her music is shaped by human stories, in all its chaos and glory. Her lyrics are powerful and poignant, and her voice feels strangely familiar, though you can’t quite put your finger on why. Her writing may be deeply personal but her music has a universal appeal that extends beyond the melodies you catch yourself humming days after listening to her songs.

Born in Suffolk and raised by an artist mother and an eccentric entertainer father, with music going back three generations to her songwriting great-grandmother, creativity was always destined to be an integral part of Hannah’s life.

Over the last decade The Vagaband have taken their brand of roots rock across the UK & Europe. As regulars on the festival scene they have performed at Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Wilderness, Bestival, Red Rooster & Maverick.

Based across the East of England, the six-piece band incorporate elements of Americana, folk, prog, psych and 70s country funk. They have released four studio albums, have collaborated with US cult band Ween on a remix, recorded award-winning film and T.V. soundtracks and picked up a music award in 2018. In 2024, they were nominated for ‘Best Country Song’ in the British Country Music Awards.

The Marmoset Quartet performs an eclectic mix of music falling under the broad category of Jazz. Our inspiration comes from music and musicians that celebrate invention, creativity, spontaneity, improvisation and composition, and we play a range of original material as well as arrangements of some beautiful ‘classics’ by influential composers as diverse as Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Arthur Blythe, Bill Evans and Lester Bowie.

The band was formed from Norwich-based musicians who have a wide-ranging professional experience including performance with The Brass Monkeys, Holding Hands, Nebula Sun, Natural Causes and, for those with longish memories, The Ouagadougous. The line-up of trumpet, tenor, tuba and drums allows for a dynamic musical space in which intriguing interactions occur.

Kazuki is a Japanese street performer known for his warm, comedic style that brings families together through laughter, music, and a touch of theatrical charm. A member of the Family & Magic Entertainment Organisation, he has performed in the legendary Princess Tenko Illusion Show and toured internationally, including appearances in Washington D.C. and Melbourne & Adelaide, Australia.

In Japan, he has been featured in many of the country’s top street performance festivals, such as the Daidogei World Cup in Shizuoka, Noge Daidogei, and Yokohama Daidogei, delighting audiences with his lighthearted and interactive shows. With  over 5,000 shows performed worldwide, he continues to connect with audiences of all generations, spreading joy one smile at a time.

One thing that is always evident at a Carrivick Sisters performance is their joy in playing together, in singing in close harmony and in delighting an audience. Twin sisters Charlotte and Laura Carrivick have grown up playing music together, and at a live show the stage becomes an extension of their kitchen; welcoming you into a warm, musical embrace while cooking up delicious melodies and tasty instrumentals. The sisters draw inspiration from their passion for traditional American old time and bluegrass music, English folklore and the wide variety of instruments they play: guitars, mandolin, fiddle, banjo and dobro.

Performing professionally together since 2006, the Carrivicks have toured internationally, picking up fans and stories along the road and now have seven albums under their belts. Aside from playing as a duo, Laura and Charlotte have been involved in many other bands and projects through the years, most recently with the twice IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Award nominated, Island Recording artists, Midnight Skyracer.

An East Anglian institution, 4D Jones have been tearing up the Rhythm & Blues rule book for over three decades! Taking their cue from the British Blues and Beat Boom of the 60s, they throw eclectic, unexpected and downright odd ingredients into their twisted musical stew.

Don’t be surprised to find Howlin’ Wolf hunkering down with Kate Bush in the middle eight of a slide guitar groover, and Connie Francis cosying up to Nick Cave in a swampy baritone ballad! Audience favourites at many festivals, including four appearances at Red Rooster and Camp Bestival in both Dorset & Shropshire, a good time is guaranteed with this bunch of beat fanatics.

NEW NOISE! is a partnership between Access Creative College, Norfolk Music Hub, Play Produce Promote and Pica pica, Pica pica promo, offering live performance opportunities to young musicians in Norfolk.  NEW NOISE! will be curating the Westlegate stage on Sun 31 Aug, as part of Norwich Summer Sessions Platform, aimed at supporting young and up-and-coming acts by providing an opportunity to perform.

Eliza Delf & The Wilderness will be showcasing music from the band’s remarkable new album Feast, as well as featuring songs from Eliza’s debut album Into the Wilderness, released to widespread acclaim in 2022.

Their music joyfully trespasses across the carefully constructed genre boundaries of indie, gothic folk noir, and progressive art rock.  The songs are full of darkly imaginative and fiercely untamed imagery.

Flair, virtuosity, subtlety, and creativity are the hallmarks of their live performance – all underpinning the dramatic and mesmerising vocals of Eliza.  At times hushed and fragile, at times soaring and spine-tingling, at all times captivating – Eliza commands the stage and enthrals the audience.

Photographer: Owain Delf

Safrela are an all-female, Bristol based collective, brought together by their love of Afro-Brazilian rhythms and vocal harmonies. Drawing from their combined experience and passion for Brazilian, Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban music, Safrela perform a mix of traditional roots music and original arrangements. Expect beautiful multi-vocal harmonies, alongside powerful Afro-Brazilian rhythms such as Maracatu, Samba de Coco, Ciranda and more.

Sarabanda is a collective who play Cuban son and vibrant salsa with a serious groove.  The collective’s obvious love of the music they play is evident in the passionate and exuberant arrangements of both original material and Cuban classics.