OTLEY Folk Festival takes place from Friday, September 16 to Sunday, September 18 at venues across the town.

Otley Courthouse will be hosting the headline performances of the annual festival, in association with Craven Brewing.

A Courthouse spokesperson said: “On the Friday night we’ve got Stanley Accrington as well as Damien Barber and Mike Wilson.

Stanley emerged from the dark days of the late 1970s and has been terrorising the cultural world ever since. He has written hundreds of songs in a range of styles on a breadth of subjects. There are old-style songs on current happenings and modern style songs on ancient events. There are poems, pastiches, parodies, and a plethora of other possibilities.

“Whether it’s rural and industrial songs local to Mike Wilson’s home in the North East, or the musicianship of modern folk writers such as Peter Bellamy, Ewan MacColl and Mike Waterson, Damien and Mike share a rich repertoire of songs from around the British Isles.”

Otley Folk Festival: Stanley Accrington + Damien Barber & Mike Wilson (Friday 16th September). Start time: 7.30pm, ticket price: £21

On Saturday, September 17 the Courthouse is the venue for Lucy Ward and Chris While and Julie Matthews (start time: 7.30pm, ticket price: £23).

The spokesperson added: “BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winner Lucy is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and folk musician from Derbyshire. Her songs are a sweet mixture of evocative imagery and quiet beauty; passion, protest and tradition all rolled into one. She has performed all over the world, including main stage performances at Glastonbury.

“Chris While & Julie Matthews are the longest-lasting female duo in Britain and have had 10 nominations in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.”

For more information about Otley Folk Festival visit: www.otleyfolkfestival.com