Never heard of the Tolpuddle Labour Martyrs? Neither had Si, until recently. But there’s a festival in their honor this coming weekend, and Si will be performing at it.
Where’s the festival? Well, from looking closely at the word ‘Labour,’ you might guess it’s in one of the countries that spells it that way. In fact, it’s in southern England, in the village of Tolpuddle, less than 10 kilometers northeast of Dorchester, marking an event that took place there in 1834.
Just so you know, Si won’t be in England for the festival, much as he wishes that were the case. His recorded live set should hit the virtual stage Saturday, July 17, at 4:30 pm U.S. Eastern Daylight Savings Time.
But there’s lots more music, starting at 1:00 pm, including at approximately 2:15 PM EDT, the wonderful Crys Matthews (www.crysmatthews.com), who shares North Carolina with Si.
Okay, technically Crys and Si share the state with 10.5 million other people, including Si’s multi-talented musician friend and Charlotte neighbor Josh Daniel (www.joshdanielmusic.com), who made the video you’ll be watching. But you know what we mean.
There’s a whole weekend worth of things worth your watching and listening including panel discussions about labour issues, excerpts from a musical play about Tolpuddle, and two rallies and marches. You can check out the full schedule at www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk
And in case you’re “across the pond” next year, why not plan to stop by the village of Tolpuddle July 15-17, 2022, so you can enjoy the full festival in person.
Please keep scrolling for the history of the Tolpuddle Martyrs and the Tolpuddle Festival.