Next month Yellow Arch Studios will host a fundraising event in association with The Fun Branch to help Sheffield Tree Action Groups (STAG) continue their work of preventing the unnecessary felling of healthy trees in the city. The Roots of Steel Festival bill includes the likes of Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip, Franz Von from K.O.G. and the Zongo Brigade and DJ Winston Hazel. Joining them is up-and-coming afro-funk group Forefathers, along with some Americana vibes from the 20ft Squid Blues Band. Ex-Reverend and the Makers percussionist Bongo Bert will be performing a live dub-reggae set with vocals by Sofia Vargo. There’ll also be plenty more live funk, soul, blues and roots music acts performing throughout the day.
One of the organisers, Mark Walton from STAG, told Exposed: “The actions of Sheffield City Council have inadvertently forged a community which may have never previously met, under the common cause of protecting healthy roadside trees. The event we’ve set up is to celebrate this unity, bringing in a raft of entertainment for the bank holiday weekend so that we can party with some amazing bands on the Sheffield music scene and raise some awareness of what’s going on in the city.”
Music isn’t all that’s on the day’s agenda as from 3pm there will be a street food market featuring everything from Jamaican delicacies to classic pizza. Daytime activities for children will be available and you’ll also be able to enjoy some art installations and browse the market area.
Roots of Steel takes place on April 15th at Yellow Arch Studios. Tickets are available from partyforthepeople.org, and you can get more info on the festival and its cause by following @thefunbranch on Twitter.
