Godiva Festival
Encyclopedia
The Godiva Festival is a free weekend long music festival held each year in the War Memorial Park
, Coventry
, England
, named after the city's famous former inhabitant Lady Godiva
. It first appeared as a day long event in 1997 and became a 3 day event the following year in 1998. On the Saturday the famous Godiva Procession takes place; a tradition that has is roots in the Great Fair of 1678.
had been introduced to the Legend and his effigy was paraded at each procession. Although the earlier festivities may have ignored puritan sentiment, city historians stress that the procession have always been seemly; once even the horse wore trousers. In 1861, the artist David Gee painted The Godiva Procession Leaving St. Mary's Hall, the picture is now on display in the Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry.
, Shed Seven
, Mercury Rev
, The Enemy
. Separate Stages and 'nights' cover the spectrum of reggae
, folk
, hip hop
and contemporary dance music genres. A comedy tent, kid's tent, main arena, fair, craft market and green space attracts families as well as the music goer. The Festival is a non-profit making event organised by CV One, producers of the acclaimed Coventry Jazz Festival, and is widely marketed as the biggest free festival in the Midlands as well as the biggest free family festival in the UK.
and Athlete
. A record breaking crowd of 120,000 people attended the three-day festival.
The 2009 Godiva Festival was headlined by Scottish alternative band Idlewild
and took place from Friday 3 July to Sunday 5 July.
and took place from Friday 4 July to Sunday 6 July.
The 2007 Godiva Festival took place from Friday 13 July to Sunday 15 July. It was also the 10th year for the festival.
It was the first time the comedy stage appeared and featured Shappi Khorsandi. Also on the Friday night Nerina Pallot
performed and John Burnside
recited poetry.
On Saturday the main stage lineup was:
Whilst EcoRhythm consisted of:
The Saturday night main stage line up was:
The Saturday night main stage lineup included:
Bands who played include:
War Memorial Park, Coventry
The War Memorial Park is a large park of about 48.5 hectares situated in southern Coventry. The park was opened in July 1921 as a tribute to the 2,587 Coventrians who died between 1914 and 1918 fighting in the First World War...
, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, named after the city's famous former inhabitant Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva
Godiva , often referred to as Lady Godiva , was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants...
. It first appeared as a day long event in 1997 and became a 3 day event the following year in 1998. On the Saturday the famous Godiva Procession takes place; a tradition that has is roots in the Great Fair of 1678.
Godiva processions
The Godiva Processions started in 1678. Earlier in the 17th century a new character, Peeping TomPeeping Tom
Peeping Tom is a nickname commonly given to voyeurs, particularly males. It originated with the legend of Lady Godiva, when a man named Tom watched her during her nude ride and was struck blind or dead.It may also refer to:In music...
had been introduced to the Legend and his effigy was paraded at each procession. Although the earlier festivities may have ignored puritan sentiment, city historians stress that the procession have always been seemly; once even the horse wore trousers. In 1861, the artist David Gee painted The Godiva Procession Leaving St. Mary's Hall, the picture is now on display in the Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry.
Visitors
The modern Festival attracts more than 75,000 visitors each year to a 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) site in Coventry City's War Memorial Park. The Festival also allows camping for visitors along its outer fields.Artists and Attractions
The 3-day festival includes a dedicated 'electric' main stage which has played host to a wide array of mainstream and independent acts including Kasabian, The FratellisThe Fratellis
The Fratellis were an indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. The band consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli , bass guitarist Barry Fratelli , and drummer and backing vocalist Mince Fratelli .The band released 2 albums during their career, Costello Music in 2006 and Here We Stand in...
, Shed Seven
Shed Seven
Shed Seven are an English indie rock band from York and were one of the groups which contributed to the Britpop music scene that evolved during the 1990s, yet never received the degree of mainstream success achieved by bands such as Oasis and Blur...
, Mercury Rev
Mercury Rev
Mercury Rev is an American alternative rock group, that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker , Jonathan Donahue , Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a...
, The Enemy
The Enemy (UK band)
The Enemy are an English rock band formed in Coventry in 2006, signed to Warner Music Group . In June 2007, The Enemy played twice at Glastonbury Festival, first in the 'Guardian Lounge' on Saturday and then the much larger 'Other Stage' on Sunday. They also headlined on the Saturday night of T in...
. Separate Stages and 'nights' cover the spectrum of reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and contemporary dance music genres. A comedy tent, kid's tent, main arena, fair, craft market and green space attracts families as well as the music goer. The Festival is a non-profit making event organised by CV One, producers of the acclaimed Coventry Jazz Festival, and is widely marketed as the biggest free festival in the Midlands as well as the biggest free family festival in the UK.
Godiva Festival 2011
The 2011 Godiva Festival took place from Friday 1 July to Sunday 3 July. The headline acts of the festival were Heaven 17Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
and Athlete
Athlete (band)
Athlete are a British rock band formed in Deptford, London, comprising Joel Pott , Carey Willetts , Stephen Roberts and Tim Wanstall...
. A record breaking crowd of 120,000 people attended the three-day festival.
Godiva Festival 2009
Idlewild (band)
Idlewild are a Scottish rock band, formed in Edinburgh, in 1995, comprising Roddy Woomble , Rod Jones , Colin Newton , Allan Stewart and Gareth Russell...
and took place from Friday 3 July to Sunday 5 July.
| Day | Electric Stage | Rhythm Tent | |
Friday |
|
|
|
|
Saturday |
|
|
|
|
Sunday |
|
Dave Swarbrick Dave Swarbrick is an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings as 'the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none' and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many World folk violin players that have followed him... & Kev Dempsey |
Godiva Festival 2008
The 2008 Godiva Festival was headlined by the Coventry band The EnemyThe Enemy (UK band)
The Enemy are an English rock band formed in Coventry in 2006, signed to Warner Music Group . In June 2007, The Enemy played twice at Glastonbury Festival, first in the 'Guardian Lounge' on Saturday and then the much larger 'Other Stage' on Sunday. They also headlined on the Saturday night of T in...
and took place from Friday 4 July to Sunday 6 July.
| Day | Electric Stage | Rhythm Tent | Spotlight Tent | Market Stage |
Friday |
|
|
|
Carl Donnelly Carl Donnelly is an English stand-up comedian and writer.-Stand up career:Donnelly began his comedy career in 2004. He has since been a regular on the London comedy circuit... |
|
Saturday |
|
Kanda Bongo Man Kanda Bongo Man, born 1955 in Inongo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a prominent soukous musician.Kanda Bongo Man become the singer for Orchestra Belle Mambo in 1973, developing a sound influenced by Tabu Ley... |
Kano (rapper) Kane Brett Robinson , better known as Kano and also known as Kane O, is an English rapper and actor. His grandparents came to England as immigrants from Jamaica. He was formerly a key member of east London’s N.A.S.T.Y... |
Linton Kwesi Johnson Linton Kwesi Johnson is a UK-based dub poet. He became the second living poet, and the only black poet, to be published in the Penguin Classics series. His poetry involves the recitation of his own verse in Jamaican Patois over dub-reggae, usually written in collaboration with renowned British... Kei Miller Kei Miller is a Jamaican poet, fiction writer, anthologist and occasional journalist.- Biography :Miller was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. He read English at the University of the West Indies, but dropped out short of graduation. However, while studying there, he befriended Mervyn Morris,... Jane Holland Jane Holland is an award-winning English poet, performer and novelist whose poems have been widely published in magazines and broadcast on the radio. She won an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors for her poetry in 1996... |
|
Sunday |
|
|
|
2007
| Day | Electric Stage | Rhythm Tent | Spotlight Tent | Market Stage |
Friday |
|
Mark Watson (comedian) Mark Andrew Watson is an English stand-up comedian and novelist.-Early life:Watson was born in Bristol to Welsh parents and attended Henleaze Junior school and then Bristol Grammar School, where he won the prize of 'Gabbler of the year', before going to Queens' College, Cambridge, where he studied... |
|
|
|
Saturday |
|
Ozomatli Ozomatli is a seven to ten piece band playing primarily Latin, hip hop, and rock music, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and their wide array of musical styles - including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap, and others.In a 2007 NPR interview, band... |
KRS-One Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper... Jehst William G. Shields, better known as Jehst or a slew of aliases including The High Plains Drifter, Billy Brimstone and Jay Star, is an English rapper and co-founder of hip hop label YNR.-Biography:... |
James Yorkston -Music career:A native of Fife, James Yorkston was an integral early member of the Fence Collective whose reach across contemporary music continues to lengthen: King Creosote, The Aliens, KT Tunstall, The Beta Band... and The Athlete Baby Dee Baby Dee is an American performance artist, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter from Cleveland, Ohio.-Early career:In the 1970s, Baby Dee began her musical career as a street performer, but soon decided to take work as an organist at a Catholic church in the Bronx... |
|
Sunday |
|
Seán Cannon Séan Cannon is an Irish musician. Since 1982 he has been lead vocal and guitarist for the Dubliners.-Early life:Seán Cannon was born in Galway, Ireland. He travelled around Europe at an early age, rambling in England, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. It was during these trips that Cannon learned to... |
|
Mr Hudson & The Library Benjamin Hudson McIldowie , known professionally as Mr Hudson, is an English R&B/pop artist based in London, England. Mr Hudson is signed to produce Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music... Newton Faulkner Sam Newton Battenberg Faulkner is an English singer-songwriter and musician from Reigate, Surrey. Known for his guitar playing, which involves rhythmically tapping and hitting his guitar's body, Faulkner came to prominence in 2007, with the release of his debut studio album, Hand Built by Robots... Polly Paulusma Polly Paulusma is an English singer-songwriter. Her first album, Scissors in my Pocket, was largely recorded and produced by herself at her home... Declan Bennett Declan Bennett is an English singer/songwriter, from 2001 to 2006 appearing under the name Sumladfromcov, now performing under his own name. As a teenager he was a member of pop/rock band Point Break, and he has also performed lead roles in shows in London's West End and throughout the United... |
2006
The 2006 festival took take place from Friday 14 July to Sunday 16 July.| Day | Electric Stage | Rhythm Tent | Spotlight Tent | Paradise Tent |
Friday |
|
Desmond Dekker Desmond Dekker was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group, The Aces , he had one of the first international Jamaican hits with "Israelites". Other hits include "007 " and "It Miek"... Tribute The Pioneers (band) The Pioneers are a Jamaican reggae vocal trio, whose main period of success was in the 1960s. The trio has had different line-ups, and still occasionally performs.-Founding and early years: 1962-1967:... |
|
|
|
Saturday |
|
|
|
|
|
Sunday |
|
Dave Swarbrick Dave Swarbrick is an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings as 'the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none' and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many World folk violin players that have followed him... |
Misty's Big Adventure Misty's Big Adventure are an eight piece band from Birmingham, England. Their music is an eclectic mix of jazz, lounge, psychedelia, two tone, pop and punk.... Devon Sproule Devon Sproule is a musician based for many years in Charlottesville, Virginia. She married musician and singer-songwriter Paul Curreri in 2005. She shared the prestigious ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award for 2009 with Oren Lavie... |
2005
The 2005 festival took place Friday 8 July to Sunday 10 July.It was the first time the comedy stage appeared and featured Shappi Khorsandi. Also on the Friday night Nerina Pallot
Nerina Pallot
Nerina Pallot is a platinum selling, BRIT Award and Ivor Novello Award nominated British singer and songwriter. Although born in London, Pallot was brought up in Jersey to a half-French father and mother from Allahabad, India.-Early life:Pallot played piano as a child and wrote her first song...
performed and John Burnside
John Burnside
John Burnside is a Scottish writer, born in Dunfermline.-Background:Burnside studied English and European Languages at Cambridge College of Arts and Technology. A former computer software engineer, he has been a freelance writer since 1996...
recited poetry.
On Saturday the main stage lineup was:
- Hundred ReasonsHundred ReasonsHundred Reasons are an English rock band from Farnborough, Hampshire, composed of Colin Doran , Larry Hibbitt , Andy Gilmour , Andy Bews and Ben Doyle . Originally, the band was signed to Columbia Records in mid April 2001, after fourteen months of near-constant touring...
- The OthersThe Others (band)The Others are an English rock band, signed to Poptones in July 2004 and their eponymous debut album was released on 31 January 2005.-Career:...
- Little BarrieLittle BarrieLittle Barrie is a power trio that originated in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, since relocated to London. Their sound could be described as stripped down R&B/Soul/Funk/Blues/Garage rock jamband. The band consists of Barrie Cadogan , Lewis Wharton and Virgil Howe . Before Howe, Billy...
- The PaddingtonsThe PaddingtonsThe Paddingtons are an English indie rock band from Hull, known for their energetic concerts and loyal fanbase. In various interviews bassist Dobbs has said it is due to their willingness to play almost any venue...
- Kid CarpetKid CarpetKid Carpet, real name Ed Patrick, is a musician from Bristol, UK. His music has been described as 'kiddy disco punk' and 'shit-hop', as it is recorded in his home studio using instruments such as samplers, Casio keyboards, and various children's toys including plastic Fisher-Price guitars and...
- Dogs
Whilst EcoRhythm consisted of:
- Blak TwangBlak TwangBlak Twang who also uses the pseudonyms of Taipanic and Tony Rotton, is a British rapper who grew up in Deptford, Lewisham, South East London...
- SkinnymanSkinnymanSkinnyman is an English rapper who was born in Leeds, Yorkshire and moved to Finsbury Park, London at a young age. He grew up on the Six Acres Estate next to Andover Estate...
- YungunYungunYungun is a UK hip-hop artist. He released his debut album The Essance on Janomi Records in 2004. He was born in North London where he currently works and resides.-Bio:He was educated at Eton College....
- Mr ThingMr ThingMr Thing is a British hip hop producer. He is a former member of the Scratch Perverts. He has worked with such artists as Yungun, Doc Brown and Devise...
2004
The 2004 festival took place Friday 11 June to Sunday 13 JuneThe Saturday night main stage line up was:
- The DatsunsThe DatsunsThe Datsuns are a hard rock band from Cambridge, New Zealand, formed in 2000. To date they have released four albums and several singles, most of which have charted in New Zealand and/or the United Kingdom...
- Goldie Lookin ChainGoldie Lookin ChainGoldie Lookin Chain is a comedic rap music group based in Newport, South Wales. The group produces humorous, controversial and often explicit songs that satirise hip hop, today's consumer society, the ‘chav’ culture and life in Newport and south Wales in general.-Background:Many of the songs...
- Young Heart AttackYoung Heart AttackYoung Heart Attack are a high energy rock band from Austin, Texas which formed in 2001. Chris "Frenchie" Smith and bassist Steven T. Hall had previously been in the Sixteen Deluxe and Joey Shuffield in Fastball.-Lineup:...
- Kasabian
2003
The 2003 festival took place Friday 6 June to Sunday 8 June.The Saturday night main stage lineup included:
- Shed SevenShed SevenShed Seven are an English indie rock band from York and were one of the groups which contributed to the Britpop music scene that evolved during the 1990s, yet never received the degree of mainstream success achieved by bands such as Oasis and Blur...
- Har Mar SuperstarHar Mar SuperstarSean Matthew Tillmann , better known by his stage names of Har Mar Superstar and Sean Na Na, is an American singer.-Life and career:...
- The Eighties Matchbox B-Line DisasterThe Eighties Matchbox B-Line DisasterThe Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster were an English rock band from Brighton, England, formed in 1999. They have released three full-length albums, Hörse Of the Dög , The Royal Society and Blood And Fire...
2002
The 2002 festival took place Friday 7 June to Sunday 9 June. It was the fifth year the festival had taken place.Bands who played include:
- Biffy ClyroBiffy ClyroBiffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band from Kilmarnock, comprising Simon Neil , James Johnston and Ben Johnston...
- Six by SevenSix by SevenSix By Seven were a Nottingham-based rock band who consisted of Chris Olley on vocals and guitars, James Flower on keyboards, Sam Hempton on guitar and Christian Davis on drums...
- BudapestBudapest (band)Budapest were a melancholic post-grunge rock band from Leamington Spa, England.The band were formed in 1999 by John Garrison with Adrian Kelley , Mark Walworth , Paul Possart and Chris Pemberton . After recording the material for their first album, Too Blind to Hear, Walworth committed suicide...