Latest News

August 2010 - Children's Tickets

We have had many requests about children’s prices. Please note all children under 13 years of age are allowed in free of charge on either night. Also, for those who fancy a grassy knoll, don't forget your blankets.

August 2010 - A taste of what's to come!

Agiotfest newcomers 4Square performing live at the Folk Rising showcase at Cecil Sharp House, London on July 8 2010. Folk Rising is a series of concerts presenting the best of emerging artists in folk and acoustic music and is funded by Arts Council England in association with The Magpie's Nest.

August 2010 - It’s not all about Joe Brown

One Drop Forward - what a great act this is! A full-house at Elea, Mirtiotissa, enjoyed almost two hours of rhythmic reggae as the band warmed up for the Agiotfest. Stefanatty led the vocals, backed superbly by powerfully voiced Sistah Sofia. What a singer!

July 2010 - Raffle Prizes

1st prize - One week's stay at Villa Theodora Agios Ioannis, during May 2011 (sleeps up to seven persons).
2nd prize - Weekend for two at Hotel Erikoussa on Erikoussa island.
3rd prize - One page website plus 12 months hosting and promotion, by Truetype Web Solutions.
4th prize - Dehumidifier, supplied by Novatech.
5th prize - Three-course meal for two at Hotel Telesillas, Kondokali.
6th prize - Interior table and two chairs supplied by Evenos Wood Craft, Alykes.
7th prize - Einhell rechargeable hand drill supplied by Profi Technical Supermarket, Alykes.
8th prize - Dinner for two at Bistro Boileau, Kontokali.
9th prize - Free day for two persons at Aqualand Water Park.
10th prize - 24 hour Internet card for Compass Internet Café, from Hotel Telesilla, Kontokali.

July 2010 - Kuriri write to say ...

... "We have finished our spring Balkan tour. We played 18 concerts in Serbia, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Bosnia Herzegovina. In the autumn, Kuriri will enter the studio to record a new album."

July 2010 - Line-up and Running Order

Friday 27 August
6.00 pm - Doors Open - Food, Refreshments and Memorabilia Available
6.30 - Warm up bands - featuring Jemma Bartlett and The Good Ole Boys (Look out for Surprises!)
8.15 - Kuriri (Serbian Rock Champions 2009)
9.30 - Omega 5 (Back by popular demand)
11.00 - One Drop Forward

Saturday 28 August
6.00 pm - Doors Open - Food, Refreshments and Memorabilia Available
6.30 - Laura Zakian
7.30 - New Faces including Sonia Grammatikos
8:00 - 4Square
9.30 - Joe Brown and his Band
11.00 - An Element of Surprise

(Times may vary slightly)

July 2010 - Joe Brown at The Civic, Doncaster, June 25th 2010

Fifty years simply melted away as, beaming like a Pearly King, he strutted onto the stage, sporting that same old cheeky grin, brimming still with chirpy, cocky Cockney banter, and possessing, even now, a startlingly fine head of hair (albeit the hedgehog spikes have, at last, been tamed). It was Joe Brown MBE! The Bruvvers weren't with him, but four other fine musicians were: Joe's talented singer/musician son Pete, drummer Phil Capaldi (whose voice and lip work wonders on Elvis hits, though, yes, it is a bit late in the day to start working on the hips), bass player Mike Nichols and vocalist/instrumentalist Roland Jones.

All these decades on, new albums still appear and sell-out concerts continue. Doncaster's Civic Sauna (whoops! Theatre) was likewise packed, the temperature proving a bit of a problem for tuning strings. "Everything drops in the heat," Joe told us. But no-one noticed.

With little by way of fancy lighting or effects, the show's emphasis remains firmly on music and musicianship, both being given great breadth and diversity. Guitars, mandolins, ukuleles, banjo, electric fiddle, percussion and double bass are constantly swapped about, mixed and matched, as the band weave back and forth between bluegrass, country, ballad, rock, pop and comic song. Their vast, ever-expanding repertoire, also swapped about for each new tour, took us, this time, from Chas and Dave to U2, from Buddy Holly, George Harrison, Elvis and Dylan to recently written pieces and new arrangements. Of course, old hits like, 'Picture of You', 'That's What Love Will Do' and ''Enery the Eighth' still go down a real treat with the fans, though other numbers proved equally enjoyable and praiseworthy.

Two great instrumentals, 'Hava Nagila' and 'Duelling Banjos' left us wanting more, while Pete Brown's and Phil Capaldi's solos were so good, more of those would have been welcome, too; ditto Joe's electric fiddle. But, it seems, no matter how much material gets packed into each tour, just as much has to be left out.

The song 'Stay Young' best demonstrates, perhaps, why Joe's still as lively, fit, fresh and enthusiastic as ever: he loves what he's doing, he keeps the wheels moving, and what's more, he plans to keep it that way. The last number before our encore, written by son Pete, proclaimed, You're Never too Old to Rock and Roll (much to the joy and relief, no doubt, of all the old rockers in the audience.) But Joe had already proved that, anyway!

July 2010 - Joe Brown Trivia

Joe had played lead guitar with Johnny Cash, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran all by the time he was 20 and in the same period also played lead guitar with Ronnie Hawkins alongside Levon Helm (The Band).

Joe Brown’s first number 1 record was in 1962.

On The Beatles first radio broadcast George Harrison sang Joe's No 1 - Picture Of You.

The Beatles, in their early days, opened a couple of shows for Joe Brown promoted by Brian Epstein and unknown to Joe during one of these shows George Harrison sneaked into Joe's dressing room with Paul McCartney's brother Mike McGear who took a picture of him playing Joe's guitar. Many years later George turned up wearing a T-shirt with that picture on the front.

Joe Brown was one of the first UK stars to play a residency at the original Star Club in Hamburg.

Noel Redding is reported as saying that he and Chas Chandler took Jimi Hendrix to see Joe play and as a finale Joe played Hava Nagila with the guitar behind his head - next show Jimi did the same thing on one of his songs.

Eddie Cochran cited Joe Brown as his favourite guitar player.

Joe Brown was travelling in the same car as Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent on the tour when Eddie died as a result of a car accident. Joe had been taken off the tour halfway through to headline his own tour because of his own record success.

Joe played mandolin on Mystical One and sang backing vocal on the title track of George Harrison's Gone Troppo album in 1982 and twenty years later closed the show at the Royal Albert Hall Concert For George by playing I'll See You In My Dreams on ukelele.

Bruce Welch remembers that Joe gave Hank Marvin the echo unit which first gave The Shadows their distinctive sound.

Joe once caused a riot in Glasgow by referring to an Old Firm match and had to be got out of the building through a dressing room window and over the roof by the Police.

John Prine is a big Joe Brown fan but has yet to see one of his live shows.

June 2010 - Transport

Buses will be laid on from both the North and the South of the island, as soon as numbers are known the pick-up points will be advertised. Anybody in the north of Corfu wishing to travel by coach (or buy tickets for Agiotfest) should ring Ken or Jan Harrop on 69469 49545.

June 2010 - Youthful Assistance

The McGovern brothers, Peter and Kostas, are back in Corfu. Peter after 18 months travelling in Australasia and South-east Asia, and Kostas freshly arrived from Norwich University. They will both be playing a major part in the running of Agiotfest and will no doubt bring a youthful approach to the event.

April 2010 - Trafalgar Square to Corfu

Our man was there in the hustle and bustle of the St. George's day celebration at London's Trafalgar Square. With preparation underway for the following day's London marathon this part of the capital saw no local road traffic, which served to enhance the event's atmosphere. A truly complete day of uplifting experiences in a celebration that has almost been usurped by the sense of political correctness that has swept what was a proud country. The flag of St.George omnipresent amongst the throng held up by old and young alike brought back some of the freedom of expression and patriotism that the Brits are vilified for if they dare.

With the backdrop of Nelson's column to a colourful and brightly lit stage the bright sunny day's activities culminated at 5.00pm with the appearance of the legendary rock and roller Joe Brown. Accompanied by his four piece band and with Joe playing a variety of instruments, the hour long show flew by with the crowd singing along to some of his well-known hits. Despite being born up in Lincolnshire, his down to earth 'cockney-sounding' accent endeared him to the London crowd as one of them. With his permanent smile and witty banter Joe engaged each member of the crowd as if he was addressing them personally; finally closing the show with his emotional rendition the 1924 written song 'I'll see you in my dreams'. Back-stage photo shoots and personal introductions were all handled in true professional style and accepted with all good grace. A magical afternoon in London town that we look forward to repeating in the sunshine of Corfu in August.

The Troubadour.

April 2010 - An extraordinary talent and truly enduring Rock Legend - Joe Brown

Most people thought that they know Joe Brown but some were surprised when they listened to "More Of The Truth", Joe's recent album where songs by U2, George Harrison, Paul Kennerley, Gallagher & Lyle and a single written by his daughter Sam Brown & Charlie Dore sat alongside Joe's own Rock, Country & Gospel compositions and arrangements  -  not what you might expect to hear from one of Britain's original Rock and Rollers.

But make no mistake, "More Of The Truth" is a Joe Brown album. His distinctive voice makes sure of that, along with the fact that he's singing in English, not American.

There's no array of superstar guests on the album either, even though Joe could have called on a few. But that’s not what this album is about. "More Of The Truth" is about Joe Brown recording a selection of his favourite songs and finding a groove that gives you a new slant on the songs and tells you something more about Joe, the musician, singer and songwriter he is today.

The musicians on the album are mainly from Joe's regular band with Joe playing electric, acoustic and slide guitars, mandolin and Mandola, melodeon, Banjo and fiddle.

There's family of course: son Pete producing and playing guitars, mandolin and bass, daughter Sam singing or playing on several tracks and foster-son Richard Newman on drums for half the album.

It was half a century ago, as Lonnie Donegan was ruling the charts with 'Rock Island Line', that Joe joined his first band, the Spacemen Skiffle Group, at the age of 16. Three years later he was the resident lead guitarist on producer Jack Good's groundbreaking TV show Boy Meets Girl. He found himself backing visiting American stars like Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and Johnny Cash. (And that’s Joe's rockabilly lead guitar you can hear all over Billy Fury's classic 1960 album "The Sound Of Fury"....)

1960 was the year the Spacemen became Joe Brown And The Bruvvers and the hits began to roll in, starting with 'The Darktown Strutters Ball' and reaching a crescendo in 1962/3 with 'A Picture Of You', 'It Only Took A Minute'and 'That’s What Love Will Do'. During this time JOE was headlining British tours that featured Del Shannon, Dion, the Crystals… and an up and coming band called the Beatles.

The Beatles of course changed the whole pop music landscape but Joe was already broadening his own horizons. He starred in the long running West End musical "Charlie Girl" in 1965 and has since appeared in "Sleuth" and 1985@s "Pump Boys And Dinettes" which he directed and took on tour. And there were films – "What A Crazy World", "Three Hats For Lisa", "Spike Milligan Meets Joe Brown"and "Mona Lisa" with Bob Hoskins. Not to mention regular TV and radio appearances, including three series of "The Joe Brown Show" on ITV and presenting BBC Radio 2's "The Rock Island Line", "Good Rockin' Tonight", "Let It Rock" and "Joe Brown’s Sunday Roast" either side of the new millennium.

All this time Joe was touring regularly, playing up to 200 shows a year. In the early Seventies he formed Brown's Home Brew which included his late wife Vicki and Joe Fagin, touring and releasing two albums. He has continued to headline his own tours as well as the hugely successful "Solid Gold" tours and co-headlining tours with Marty Wilde.

Since the new millennium Joe has been confounding people's expectations of him on a regular basis. In 2002 he appeared at the Glastonbury Festival and endeared himself to the latest generation of rock fans. Later that year he won a brand new world-wide audience with his show-stopping appearance at "The Concert For George", staged at London's Royal Albert Hall in tribute to George Harrison with a stellar cast of musicians. Joe was asked by Olivia Harrison & Eric Clapton to sing "Here Comes The Sun', 'That's The Way It Goes' and to close the show with 'I'll See You In My Dreams', a favourite song of George's. Joe describes the show as "the highlight of my career" and the DVD of the concert has gone seven times Platinum in the USA alone..

If Joe has any regrets, it’s that he hasn't released enough records. Indeed between the mid Seventies and the early Nineties he scarcely released any. That changed when he signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell in Nashville in 1991 and started going there to write songs for the country market.

That led to the release of the "Come On Joe" album in 1993, recorded at his own home studio, produced by his son Pete and featuring his touring band – guitarist Neil Gauntlett, bassist  Rico Nilo and drummer Phil Capaldi. That was followed closely by an 'In Concert' video and by 1997’s "56 And Taller Than You Think" and "On A Day Like This", recorded in Nashville in 1998 and produced by Roger Cook with whom he later wrote a musical which premiered in 2005. That same year Joe agreed a deal whereby his records would be released by Track Records, the first album released under this agreement being "Hittin' The Hi Spots". In recent years he has also released a live double album, an all instrumental album and a live performance DVD.

Next came "Down To Earth" and the next phase in Joe's extraordinary career. As well as the songs mentioned above there's a couple of his own that stand up tall against the illustrious covers. These also include Hoagy Carmichael's 'Lazybones' that Joe learnt from George Harrison. "He loved Hoagy Carmichael. He used to play me his records all the time," Joe says.

Joe Brown completed a 37-date British tour with special guest Sam Brown in the Autumn of 2005 and a further 36 date solo tour with son Pete firmly in his band Spring 2007. A DVD of Down To Earth In The Studio was also released in 2006.

Joe took his band and Special guest Sam Brown to Germany to perform three special concerts for several major Radio & TV stations in June 2008 and will be going back to tour there as a result of the media interest in the "Down To Earth" release there, it marked his first official album release in over 40 years there.

He completed a sold out 40 date tour in autumn 2007 and for those dates Joe was joined by another British icon....the one and only Dave Edmunds. The man who 'knew the bride when she used to rock n, roll', whose swagger and guitar genius saw him signed to Led Zeppelin's Swansong label and whose hits lit up the charts world-wide. Dave kept the rock beacon burning brightly with songs such as 'Girls Talk', 'Queen Of Hearts' and 'I Hear You Knocking' and still found time to work with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jeff Lynne and the Everly Brothers, to name but a few. Joe Brown and Dave Edmunds was a remarkable combination, a brilliant pairing of singer / songwriter / guitar heroes and an evening that was compulsory for anyone who calls themselves a music lover.

In 2008 the story went on and gathered momentum in a big way when Joe's 50th Anniversary album released in February 2009 confounded certain peoples expectations by going Gold, selling over 120,000 copies in the UK and staying weeks on the chart with several weeks in the UK Top 20 and Joe was the undoubted star at the Mayor Of London's St Patricks Day Parade Concert in Trafalgar Square where with his band and three additional traditional Irish musicians he delighted an Irish crowd of several thousand braving the worst weather of the year.

His 50th Anniversary Concert at The Royal Albert Hall last September was a complete sell out and featured guests such as Mark Knopfler, Jools Holland, Dennis Locorriere, Dave Edmunds, Chas N Dave, his daughter Sam Brown and Henry Gross the founder of Sha Na Na and the 50th Anniversary Autumn tour sold out the major theatre venues here too.

His Spring Tour in 2009 was yet another solid 46 date sell out and he continued in this fashion in Autumn 2009  early 2010 with 40 more UK dates.

In June 2009 Joe was awarded the coveted Outstanding Contribution to Music Award by MOJO Magazine which was presented to him by Mark Knopfler and two days later it was announced that he was to be awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

I first saw Joe at Crayford Town Hall in 1962... He was there before any of us... Great player...Much respect.
Keith Richards, 2007.

For me, Joe has always been a guitar player first. I must say he appears to me at his happiest as a musician, playing the guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica and fiddle and composing songs. It is a pleasure to know him mostly on that level, though I would add that he is also not bad with an old joke or two or three.
George Harrison, 1986.

April 2010 - 4Square Press Release

Since humble beginnings in a freezing farmhouse on the outskirts of Rochdale in the winter of 2006, outspoken alternative-folk quartet 4Square has accomplished an incredible amount in a relatively short space of time. Not only has 4Square's music matured into the most unique and exciting sound you shall hear from the British folk music scene today; they have also shared stages with the likes of Steve Winwood, Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson and Seth Lakeman.

"4Square…who are they?" very much sums up the words on the lips of festival-goers before Fairport's 2009 Cropredy Convention took place. Despite this, after an astounding 80 minute set and encore before an audience of 20,000 people, 4Square then went on to sell every last one of their debut album, 20.20 Manchester, becoming The Cropredy Convention's 2nd biggest selling band of all time! 4Square played at a total of 11 festivals during the summer of 2009, and in past years have appeared at festivals such as Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Towersey Village Festival, Warwick Folk Festival, Bromyard Folk Festival, and Spratton Folk Festival.

2010 bookings for the band already seem to be flying in, and promise to include dates in Prague, South Germany and Corfu as well as the regular festival fixtures. Their 2nd album chronicLes is released in June.

"Annoyingly brilliant. 4Square, a teenage folk phenomenon." -
PJ Wright

"Simply stunning." -
John Tams

"Outstanding musicianship, total assurance, abundant energy and exceeding confidence...Dripping with very obvious talent."
David Kidman, netrhythms.co.uk

March 2010 - Joe Brown proves you are never too old to Rock & Roll

In a week where the retirement age was making the news, Joe Brown, well past retirement age showed the Philharmonic audience that you are never too old to Rock and Roll.

Joe Brown is a true Pop Legend, he was backing Johnny Cash, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran on their British tours, while still a teenager, appearances on "Boy meets Giri" an early pop show made him a household name, which in turn lead to a recording career, his first record to chart was a version of "The Darktown Strutters Ball" when Joe was backed by The Bruvvers for the first time.

On several of his early shows The Beatles were the opening act this lead to his meeting with George Harrison and a life long friendship.

An impressive line up of 17 stringed instruments, plus a Double Bass, a solo Snare Drum and a full drum kit set the scene for Joe Brown and his band.

Joe walked on stage to tremendous applause and said "What a wonderful welcome, I hope I can live up to it.

He then welcomed on stage the members of his band, son Pete, Phil Capaldi, Roland Jones and Mike Nichols. The evening off with The Ballard of Mississippi John Hurt, third song in and it was the turn of drummer Phil Capaldi to sing, "Don't Be Cruel". Phil could easily have an alterative career as an Elvis impersonator he was that good.

From U2 to Bob Dylan via Gallagher and Lylle, with country songs and a self penned Reggae song from Joe's son Pete, "A Reggae song by a white bloke from Walton on Thames" which was not out of place in this musical mix. Joe sang his surprisingly only No 1 "That Wonderful Picture Of You" and a Ukulele solo, "Not too loud for you" asked Joe and then went off for a cup of tea.

"Duelling Banjos", well Banjo and Guitar with Joe on Banjo and son Pete on Guitar got the second half rocking. This is not nepotism, Pete Brown is an In demand record producer who has worked with Status Quo, Dusty Springfield, The Specials and George Harrison, as well as producing sister Sam's world wide hit "Stop" and toured with her band for many years. Pete is also an accomplished songwriter.

Joe's rendition of George Harrison's "That's The Way It Goes" with son Pete having the unenviable task of the guitar solo, was a triumph. Joe's first wife, Vicki, who died in 1991, was a Liverpool girl. Joe said he had plenty of relatives here in Liverpool.

It was difficult to guess what was coming next; Joe and the band just enjoyed themselves as well as entertaining a very appreciative audience. From a Chris Struthers "Ageing' Ballard, that Joe said he got off Youtube to a little heard Travelling Wilburys song "Poor House".

Ironic that The film The Godfather was shown at The Philharmonic on Monday evening and Joe, The Godfather of Music, choose to include an Italian Wedding Theme played on mandolin, It was that sort of night. Another of Joe's hits "Sea of Heartbreak" was followed by "a tune I have been playing since I was 12, "Hava Nagila" the Jewish dance song. For the old Teddy Boys came the rockabilly hits of Carl Perkins including "Honey Don't" once sung by Ringo, Joe does it much better. Pete Brown wrote "'You're Never Too Old to Rock and Roll" for his Dad and on this showing Joe is not. Another Joe hit ''I'm Henry the Eighth I am" was bringing us to a close.

The light show was very simple and shows that you do not need to over do it with flashing lights, as was the musical volume, even if some of the mature members of the audience did have hearing problems the musical volume was just right, a lesson for bands who mistake volume for talent. Roland Jones, playing left handed guitar, now who else does that? Had a solo number, there was only Mike Nichols on a variety of instruments, but mainly Double Bass who did not sing a solo.

Most singers end with a rousting song, but not Joe, as well known for his friendship with George Harrison, as he is as an entertainer. George was Best Man at Joe's second wedding. Joe often worked with George and did backing on George's last album, the sublime "Brainwashed' Joe was asked to sing, by George's wife Olivia, at the Concert for George in 2002 at the Albert Hall. Joe closed that show with his version "See You in My Dreams" accompanying himself on Ukulele. It has become his signature tune.

Joe closed the show at The Philharmonic with "See You in My Dreams" to a standing ovation.

At the start of the show Joe hope that he could live up to the wonderful welcome, well he did. This was a great show, with great musicians, singing great songs, playing great music in a great venue to a greatly appreciative audience.

(Thanks to Philip Coppell.)