Wilkswood Reggae 2023
- Carnival in the Barn
- Events
- Headliners
- Launch Party
- Lineup 2020
- Lineup 2022
- Lineup 2023
- Lineup 2024
- Merchandise
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- Running Order 2022
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- Wilkswood 2020
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- Wilkswood Reggae 2022
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- Wilkswood Reggae 2024
- Wilkswood Reggae Festival 2018
The Roots Daughters
The Roots Daughters
Ariwa Showcase featuring Sista Aisha, Awa Fall and Redhed QI at Wilkswood Reggae 2023.
The main stage at this year’s festival will feature a unique fusion of some of the best and brightest female voices in UK reggae. A special showcase from Mad Professor’s Ariwa label will see The Roots Daughters making a heartful and defiant impression on the Wilkswood Reggae faithful. Sista Aisha, Awa Fall and Redhead QI will be joined by the Robotiks for some solid live roots.
Sista Aisha (born Pamela Ross in 1962) began singing for her father’s soundsystem at the age of 8, building up a strong local following in her home town of Wolverhampton. At the age of sixteen, she met Lippy, owner of the Locks City sound system, and she sang over the system’s dub plates. In 1979, she successfully auditioned for the band Capital Letters as a backing vocalist. Going solo in 1984 she was soon introduced to Mad Professor and, after a few singles, he produced Aisha’s debut album, High Priestess (1988). A second album, Daughters of Zion appeared in 1993, with further albums in the years that followed including collaborations with Norman Grant of The Twinkle Brothers. She also featured on the Roots Daughters series of albums, alongside artists such as Kofi, Fabian and Sandra Cross.
Aisha first performed in Jamaica in 2000 at the Augustus Pablo Benefit concert, and her debut performance in the United States came in 2004. She performed at the Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry-curated 2003 Meltdown festival at London’s Royal Festival Hall, which saw The Daily Telegraph describe her as “the closest we have to a female Bob Marley”. Sista Aisha has toured internationally with Mad Professor’s Ariwa Posse since 2006 and this will be her second visit to Wilkswood Reggae.
Awa Fall, aka Sister AWA, is an internationally acclaimed roots reggae artist and a particularly gifted singer in all black music genres including soul, rnb, blues and rap. Born in Bergamo, Italy in 1996 to a Senegalese father and an Italian mother, Awa started performing at the early age of fourteen in a guitar and voice musical project together with her auntie Valentina where the two of them performed all over Italy. At the age of eighteen, Awa decided to start her solo project and released her first solo album ‘Inna Dis Ya Iwa’ in 2016. Backed either by The Eazy Skankers, The Smoke Orchestra or with her Women Soldiers project, Awa has toured and performed all the biggest festivals of the continent such as Rototom (Spain), Uprising (Slovakia), Overjam (Slovenia), Africa Festival (Germany) and many many others.
Her second album ‘WOW-Words Of Wisdom’ was released in January 2019 on the Bonnot label and features Kumar Fyah, General Levy and M1 – Dead Prez. Awa’s now finalising the tracks of her upcoming album ‘Fire & Flames’ with collaborations with producers Paolo Baldini and Gaudi and featuring artists such as Brother Culture, Ombre Zion, Bunna and Jah Defender. The release date for Fire & Flames is expected for April 2023.
With 18 years delighting national and international festival and stage audiences, Redhed Qi brings her soulful spiritual style of roots reggae to this year’s main stage. Her roots may be firmly in reggae but Redhed brings a depth and scope to her singing that incorporates soul, funk, jazz and gospel.
An Ariwa staple, Redhed has released a number of tracks for the label, including her own album ‘Rootikal Love’ aka ‘I Am What I Am’, produced by Mad Professor & Joe Ariwa. ‘Love Me of Let Me Be’ was the last official single released to date by Redhed Qi, produced by Mikey Red for Makjam Productions, it boasts and old skool lovers rock flavour with a key ageless message.
Redhed is hugely spiritual: “I am a lover of music full stop. Soul-stirring music of all genres and when I say soul-stirring, I mean music that is actually energetically beneficial for the upliftment, health & wellbeing of the mind, body and soul. If we are what we eat we must be mindful of what we consume on all levels.”
Wilkswood Reggae Festival 2024
Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 July
Tier 1 & Tier 2 Tickets Sold Out
Tier 3 Weekend Tickets
Now On Sale
Limited Availability
ADULTS £125
YOUTH £60
UNDER 3s FREE!
Instalment Payment Plan Available
WEEKEND TICKET PRICE
INCLUDES FOUR NIGHTS CAMPING
IN THE BEAUTIFUL PURBECK COUNTRYSIDE IN THE WOODS BY THE SEA.
Get a Good Thing Going and book your tickets today!
Cooking with Class
Cooking with Class
Hollie Cook confirmed to play Wilkswood Reggae 2023
Wilkswood Reggae 2023 is delighted to present the amazing Hollie Cook, bringing her own brand of ‘tropical pop’ live and direct to the main stage at this year’s festival.
Hollie, born in 1987 in West London, is a singer and keyboardist and was part of the final line-up of iconic all-female punk/reggae band the Slits. Since 2010, she has been working as a solo artist producing a style of music she calls ‘tropical pop’, influenced by her passion for female rocksteady and reggae singers such as Janet Kay and Phyllis Dillon. Cook’s ability to continually surprise, delight and progress solidifies her position as one of this generation’s premier voices in reggae.
Hollie has a deep musical pedigree: her father is Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and her mother Jeni was a backing singer for Culture Club (Boy George is her godfather). Hollie joined the re-formed Slits and performed on the band’s 2006 EP Revenge of the Killer Slits, as well as performing on collaborations with former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown and Jamie T.
In 2011 Hollie released her eponymous debut album produced by Prince Fatty and featuring George Dekker of the Pioneers and Dennis Bovell. The album featured singles Milk And Honey, That Very Night and Walking In The Sand. The BBC, reviewing the album, described it as “one of the most enjoyable reggae albums” and she went on to record a radio session for the BBC and appear on Later… with Jools Holland. A dub remix version of the album was released in May 2012.
Hollie’s second album, Twice, was released in May 2014 and sees her obvious love of reggae joined by other influences including Bond-like strings, Brazilian percussion, dark disco and shades of Giorgio Moroder. Once again produced by Prince Fatty, she is joined on the album by Dennis Bovell, Omar, George Dekker and Winston Francis. Her third album, Vessel of Love, was released in January 2018 and features Alex Paterson, Martin ‘Youth’ Glover, Gaudi and Jah Wobble. In the same year Hollie released Sweet Like Chocolate, a cover of the classic 1999 Shanks & Bigfoot hit.
Her most recent album, Happy Hour, was released in 2022 and was produced by acclaimed, legendary producer Martin ‘Youth’ Glover: “I’m very honoured to work with Hollie, one of the most exciting emerging singers and writers over the last ten years. She combines seductive and wistful melodies, underpinned with some sharp lyrical observations and clever word play combined with an exquisite and informed pop sensibility. It was a pleasure to work with an artist with such high-calibre criteria and vision.”
Wilkswood Reggae Festival 2024
Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 July
Tier 1 & Tier 2 Tickets Sold Out
Tier 3 Weekend Tickets
Now On Sale
Limited Availability
ADULTS £125
YOUTH £60
UNDER 3s FREE!
Instalment Payment Plan Available
WEEKEND TICKET PRICE
INCLUDES FOUR NIGHTS CAMPING
IN THE BEAUTIFUL PURBECK COUNTRYSIDE IN THE WOODS BY THE SEA.
Get a Good Thing Going and book your tickets today!
Take a Chance on Aba Shanti-i
Take a Chance on Aba Shanti-I
Legendary sound system Aba Shanti-i to perform for an entire day with their own custom-built carnival rig.
Wilkswood Reggae Festival is chuffed to announce that the celebrated Aba Shanti-I will be performing with their own custom-built set-up in the Jah Spirit Sound System Arena at this year’s event.
Aba Shanti-I (born Joseph Smith) is a UK sound system operator and dub producer who has been playing throughout UK and Europe for over 30 years. He has been a resident sound system at Notting Hill Carnival since 1993 and was voted the No. 1 DJ in the World by DJ Magazine in the same year.
Born in Hackney of Antiguan parents who immigrated to the UK in the 1960s, the young Joseph was first introduced to roots reggae music by his father Alan Smith, who himself ran a sound system called Count Alan in the 1960s.
While deejaying for the Jah Tubby’s sound system, Aba Shanti-I was known as Jasmine Joe. In 1990, Aba took over the running of the Jah Tubby’s sound system, debuting at the Leicester Carnival.
When Aba embraced the Rastafarian faith he adopted a new and more positive attitude and, with his rediscovered faith, a new name: Aba Shanti-i. His new name in turn became the name of his soundsystem.
Since then, Aba Shanti-I and his sound system play regularly in the UK, with residencies at the Notting Hill Carnival since 1993, Leicester Carnival and the University of Dub as well as performances all over Europe.
Aba Shanti-I has produced and recorded with his brother and the band the Shanti-ites, releasing records on their own Falasha imprint. Their first record, Tear Down Babylon was released in 1993 and Aba Shanti-I currently has a studio on Morning Lane, Hackney. Aba Shanti-I sound system plays music in the roots reggae and dub style and he cites, Dennis Brown, Bob Marley, Junior Delgado, Yabby You and Prince Lincoln as inspiration. The original tracks are usually supplemented by reverb, delays and effects to generate his distinctive sound.
Wilkswood Reggae Festival 2024
Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 July
Tier 1 & Tier 2 Tickets Sold Out
Tier 3 Weekend Tickets
Now On Sale
Limited Availability
ADULTS £125
YOUTH £60
UNDER 3s FREE!
Instalment Payment Plan Available
WEEKEND TICKET PRICE
INCLUDES FOUR NIGHTS CAMPING
IN THE BEAUTIFUL PURBECK COUNTRYSIDE IN THE WOODS BY THE SEA.
Get a Good Thing Going and book your tickets today!
Bun in the Sun
Bun in the Sun
Kiko Bun plays the main stage at Wilkswood Reggae 2023
Kiko Bun presents his own cosmopolitan blend of contemporary roots and dub with a live performance on the main stage at Wilkswood Reggae 2023.
Like so many other kids growing up in West London, it’s no surprise the half-Panamanian, half-Italian Kiko Bun grew up obsessed with reggae and hip hop, immersing himself quickly into London’s ever-thriving subculture of musicians, MCs, DJs, shops bursting with revival Studio One singles and the all-important sound system mixtapes imported straight from Jamaica.
Kiko has since developed into is one of those rare artists, offering a contemporary voice for his generation over music that feels timeless. Kiko’s music, while influenced by the sounds of Jamaican Roots, Dub, Rocksteady and Boom Bap, is a reflection of his laidback lifestyle, and the reason why his fan-base has been building rapidly on the festival circuit including performances at Glastonbury, Boomtown, Leeds and Reading.
After establishing an authentic reggae sound over the years, working with the likes of Alborosie, Shy Fx, Chase & Status and Ticklah (of Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings), as well as receiving radio support from world renowned tastemakers such as Sir David Rodigan and Julie Adenuga, Kiko is now making things happen on the national and international stage.
A rocksteady-sampling, instantly memorable summer boombox anthem, Kiko’s debut release Sticky Situation sparked an extraordinary level of online interest, swiftly resulting in Kiko’s signing to a very natural home at Island Records. His first release with Island, Where I’m From, mixes his deep love of Jamaican roots music with crisp young London bass culture to create a heavyweight soundboy killer perfectly suited to rock anywhere from Bestival to any self-respecting blues dance.
Following a handful of singles, including 2020’s ‘Bad Boy Tenor’, the London native has performed with his band across the UK on a headline tour as well as performances alongside David Rodigan and The Outlook Orchestra at Rototom, and performances at Outlook Festival and the Royal Albert Hall to name a few.
Island’s Guillermo Ramos says, “Kiko has it all: the songs, the charisma, and most importantly – the voice. He has kept things completely authentic, quietly but diligently doing his thing until now, and we are excited to help him step things up. As debut singles go, things don’t get much better than Where I’m From… it’s got the crunchy bass sounds reminiscent of the boom bap 90s era which he so loves, but the sensitivities of the roots which he grew up on. We see his massive potential – and feel that he will quickly transcend the genre.”
Wilkswood Reggae Festival 2024
Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 July
Tier 1 & Tier 2 Tickets Sold Out
Tier 3 Weekend Tickets
Now On Sale
Limited Availability
ADULTS £125
YOUTH £60
UNDER 3s FREE!
Instalment Payment Plan Available
WEEKEND TICKET PRICE
INCLUDES FOUR NIGHTS CAMPING
IN THE BEAUTIFUL PURBECK COUNTRYSIDE IN THE WOODS BY THE SEA.
Get a Good Thing Going and book your tickets today!
One Steppa Head
One Steppa Head!
Iration Steppas Thursday night DJ set at Wilkswood Reggae 2023.
If you have opted for the extra Thursday ticket for this year’s Wilkswood Reggae Festival, you’re in for a real reggae treat. The mighty Iration Steppas has been confirmed to perform a DJ set on Thursday night, July 20th.
Iration Steppas was originally set up in 1990 by Mark Iration as a sound system in Leeds, where he played the latest sounds at blues dances, clubs and parties. With a posse of like-minded individuals Iration toured the country absorbing various sounds. With Papa Sam, the sound initially performed under the name Ital Rockers Hi Fi. Notable influences were Jah Shaka and Jah Tubby. Iration acknowledged that he was amazed by Jah Tubby’s collection of original dub plates when he secured his first acetates. A sound system clash in Leeds against Jah Shaka resulted in praise from the legendary soundman, encouraging Iration to continue in the business.
In 1993, Iration linked up with Dennis Rootical (under the guise of Kitachi), performing the leftfield dope beat sound. Live appearances by the duo were greeted with enthusiasm, playing festivals and clubs around the UK. They are also acknowledged as being the first to utilize DAT recordings of their own tunes at the High Rise studio in Leeds and to mix them live.
With Jack Rouble joining the group, their reputation grew and Iration Steppas released the classic ‘Scud Missile’ in 1993. The single was met with enthusiasm and demand led to the discomix being re-pressed three times before eventually being deleted. The initial hit was followed by the equally popular 12-inch discomix, ‘Mystical Warrior’. Acclaimed by the media as Jah Shaka’s ‘enlightened offspring’, they followed the hit with two 10-inch releases, ‘Reminiscence Dub’ and ‘Killimanjaro’ both of which were featured on their debut album. As Kitachi they released three dope beat singles, ‘Spirit’, ‘Scratch Remix’ and ‘Heavyweight’. The new wave of dub followers can also discover many specials recorded for a variety of 90s-style dub compilations, including Macro Dub Infection, Dubhead Volumes One and Two, Club Meets Dub and Dope On Plastic.
Always keen to spread the dub sound, the Iration Steppas have taken their unique style all over the world, from Norway to Italy, from the USA to Serbia and from Holland to Japan. If this wasn’t enough, there have been plenty of side projects: Kitachi, their trip-hop style dub band which saw them tour with Prodigy and Dreadzone amongst others; Mark’s production work for other artists like LSK (signed to Sony); and of course the continual search for new cutting-edge dub acetates with which to wow their crowds.
Whilst many fall by the wayside in the music business, the Iration Steppas are still going strong and, in fact, are more focused than ever, releasing both a much anticipated debut album ‘Dubz from De Higher Regionz’ on the acclaimed Dubheadz label as well as a highly desirable Subdub compilation entitled ‘Digital Afrika’, out on their own Tandoori Space imprint.
Wilkswood Reggae Festival 2024
Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 July
Tier 1 & Tier 2 Tickets Sold Out
Tier 3 Weekend Tickets
Now On Sale
Limited Availability
ADULTS £125
YOUTH £60
UNDER 3s FREE!
Instalment Payment Plan Available
WEEKEND TICKET PRICE
INCLUDES FOUR NIGHTS CAMPING
IN THE BEAUTIFUL PURBECK COUNTRYSIDE IN THE WOODS BY THE SEA.
Get a Good Thing Going and book your tickets today!
Don’t Change The Channel!
Don’t Change The Channel!
Channel One Soundsystem confirmed for Wilkswood Reggae 2023.
The majestic Channel One Sound System returns to the Jah Spirit stage at this year’s Wilkswood Reggae. Prominent producer and selector Mikey Dread will be performing for an entire day with the indomitable custom-built Channel One rig. It’s rare to see reggae soundsystems perform with their own rigs outside of the summer carnivals and anyone that witnessed Channel One at last year’s Wilkswood Reggae and the previous year’s Carnival in the Barn will attest to the utter awesomeness of their sound.
With over 30 appearances at the Notting Hill Carnival, Channel One are one of the must-see soundsystems at Europe’s biggest street festival. Formed in 1979, when Mikey Dread and his brother Jah T began to play at blues parties and local dances having spent many years under the watchful eye of their father, owner operator of the famous Admiral Bailey Sound. They chose the name Channel One in homage to the legendary Jamaican record label of the same name whose tunes featured heavily in those early selections. Inspired by Bob Marley’s belief in uniting people through reggae music, Mikey was keen to introduce new people to dub reggae music and started touring around universities, where he secured a solid fan base. Their unique, bass-heavy sound was finally saluted when they won the Red Bull Culture Clash in 2010, competing against the likes of Skream, Soul Jazz and Benga.
Channel One use hand-built, custom speaker stacks to provide a rich, heavyweight bass sound to complement their tight selection of old and new dub reggae classics, all played from a single vinyl deck and accented with echos and sirens. This year Mikey will be without longtime cohort Ras Kaleb but will instead have a team of MCs helping with the vocal mood.
Wilkswood Reggae Festival 2024
Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 July
Tier 1 & Tier 2 Tickets Sold Out
Tier 3 Weekend Tickets
Now On Sale
Limited Availability
ADULTS £125
YOUTH £60
UNDER 3s FREE!
Instalment Payment Plan Available
WEEKEND TICKET PRICE
INCLUDES FOUR NIGHTS CAMPING
IN THE BEAUTIFUL PURBECK COUNTRYSIDE IN THE WOODS BY THE SEA.
Get a Good Thing Going and book your tickets today!
It’s a Family Affair
It’s a Family Affair!
Discounted Family Weekend Tickets Now Available.
Take advantage of our Special Family Weekend Ticket Package and save £60 on current standard ticket prices.* Two adults and two youths can enjoy a weekend of full festival access including three nights camping for just £300. Weekend tickets include full access from Friday July 21st to Sunday 22nd July 2023; parking is included and weekend campervan passes can be purchased for just £25.
Wilkswood Reggae Festival prides itself on being family-friendly with plenty for the kids to do. There’s a dedicated Cub Hub field with plenty of activities for children and their parents to get involved in. Nature walks, bushcraft skills, pizza-making and face painting are all available. This year we offered free workshops in dance and rap and the participants collaborated to put on a Sunday afternoon show on the Bang Mix Stage.
* Current Early Bird Weekend Tickets are priced at £120 for adults and £60 for youths. These are limited to 500 only and ticket prices will rise to £150 and £75 respectively when all Early Bird Tickets are sold.
So book you and your family a mini-break and make this year’s Wilkswood Reggae Festival a Family Affair!
Wilkswood Reggae Festival 2024
Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 July
Tier 1 & Tier 2 Tickets Sold Out
Tier 3 Weekend Tickets
Now On Sale
Limited Availability
ADULTS £125
YOUTH £60
UNDER 3s FREE!
Instalment Payment Plan Available
WEEKEND TICKET PRICE
INCLUDES FOUR NIGHTS CAMPING
IN THE BEAUTIFUL PURBECK COUNTRYSIDE IN THE WOODS BY THE SEA.
Get a Good Thing Going and book your tickets today!
Calling all Artists
Calling All Artists!
Sign up for your chance to perform at Wilkswood Reggae Festival.
We have launched a new page specifically for artists to contact us about the chance to perform at an upcoming Wilkswood Reggae Festival. As well as reggae royalty and contemporary superstars, the festival has continued to provide a stage to all manner of smaller, less-established performers. From the broad range of acts on the family-friendly Bang Mix stage (annually curated by the legend that is Kim West) to early afternoon spots on the main stage, we have always provided a platform for some fabulous new local and national acts just waiting to be discovered.
As you can imagine we get inundated with enquiries from artists throughout the year. In order to streamline the process for artists to get in touch as well as making it easier for us to create a roster of potential artists for forthcoming festivals, we have created a dedicated Artists Application Form. Here, artists can provide details of their act, including genre, history and links to websites and music channels.
So whether you are a 10-piece band, producer, DJ, singer-songwriter or sound system, visit the page and sign-up now. Although we can’t reply to all applications, every artist will be thoroughly explored, catalogued and be available for selection to the Wilkswood Reggae line-up team.
Wilkswood Reggae Festival 2024
Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 July
Tier 1 & Tier 2 Tickets Sold Out
Tier 3 Weekend Tickets
Now On Sale
Limited Availability
ADULTS £125
YOUTH £60
UNDER 3s FREE!
Instalment Payment Plan Available
WEEKEND TICKET PRICE
INCLUDES FOUR NIGHTS CAMPING
IN THE BEAUTIFUL PURBECK COUNTRYSIDE IN THE WOODS BY THE SEA.
Get a Good Thing Going and book your tickets today!
Tier One Super Early Bird Weekend Tickets – 75% Now Sold
Wilkswood Reggae 2023
75% of Tier One Super Early Bird Weekend Tickets Now Sold
Buy yours today and save 33% on the standard weekend ticket price
Weekend Tickets for Wilkswood Reggae Festival have been selling like ice cold cans of Red Stripe on a hot summer’s day. Since they went on sale six weeks ago we have sold 75% of the Tier One Super Early Bird Weekend Tickets – and that’s without even having announced a lineup! It shows the growing popularity of the festival and the determination of the festival’s fans not to miss out.
The Super Early Bird Tickets are priced at £100 for a Weekend Adult and £50 for a Weekend Youth (under 3s are still free), offering a 33% saving on standard ticket prices. There was only 400 Super Early Bird Weekend Tickets on offer, and once they’re gone, they’re gone, so booking yours today means never having to say you’re sorry.
Once the Super Earlies are sold out there will be a limited quantity of Early Bird Weekend Tickets priced at £120 for Adults and £60 for Youths before the remaining tickets go on sale at £150 and £75 respectively. There will not be any day tickets available this year as it is strongly anticipated that all Weekend Tickets will sell.
Extra Thursday Tickets Available
In addition, and following on from the success of the Bonus Thursday tickets this year, there will also be an extra festival day available for staunch reggae fans on Thursday 20th July. Tickets are priced at £30 for admission to the main arena and an extra night’s camping. The Bonus Thursday was originally offered free of charge as a small thank you to all ticket holders that retained their tickets from the Covid-cancelled 2020 and 2021 festivals. It proved a great success and was a perfect way for festival goers to ‘settle in’ with some lo-key live music, sound systems, food and drink before the crowds descended. So if you want to make your weekend into almost a week, book your extra festival ticket online. Tickets for Thursday are limited to 1,000 and are only valid when presented with a weekend ticket or by residents of the BH19 postcode area.
The dates for next year have been confirmed as Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd July 2023. The festival will take place in its usual location at Wilkswood Farm in Swanage, Dorset. To keep the vibes and family atmosphere the same, the organisers have also confirmed that the capacity will remain unchanged at 2,500. Not surprisingly it was sold out this year, so don’t delay in getting your tickets for 2023.
All Weekend tickets include three days admission to the main arena, three night’s camping and parking. Weekend campervan passes are an additional £25 per vehicle. The last three Wilkswood Reggae Festivals have now sold out, each sooner than the last and the word is spreading. So if you don’t want to be Alone in the Wilderness and want to be a Soul Rebel, book your tickets soon.