BerkoFestBerkhamsted Sports Club will play host to BerkoFest on 15 September 2012, a festival where musicians and comedians share the stage. Berkofest is designed to bring together music and comedy to the people of the Berkhamsted area. Four stages will encompass various acts such as high profile performances on the main stage, an acoustic performance stage, comedy show stage and open mic. 

The famous English folk singer, songwriter and multi talented instrumentalist Seth Lakeman will be performing alongside lead singer and guitarist Glenn Tilbrook of English band Squeeze, and British stand up comedian and musician Mitch Benn. 

Here our are top tips for BerkoFest 2012.

Seth Lakeman

Seth Lakeman is regarded as the UK's foremost folk singer, songwriter and virtuoso fiddler. His album Tales from the Barrel House released in November 2011 was a musical refelction of his Devon roots. He used various rustic locations for the recordings of his songs and videos, including a disused West Country copper mine, the Barrel House (from the title), and other workshops at the ghostly mining port of Morwelham Quay on the banks of the River Tamar. Seth Lakeman not only wrote the songs but also performed on every instrument and mixed and produced the album. 

The video below is a documentary about his inspirations behind this album Tales from the Barrel House. Seth Lakeman will be performing some of these tracks at live tours in 2012. Watch out for the bow shredding fiddle part against the moving tenor guitar rhythms. The role of the 'dirty' viola, banjo, bouzouki and primitive percussion sounds contribute to Seth Lakeman's theme of paying homage to miners, craftsmen, artisans and sailors who worked very hard for little reward and taking pride in everything they accomplished. He also uses the bass heartbeat from an old Salvation Army drum and other percussion instruments made from iron tools found down the mine and around the Morwelham workshop.  

Glenn Tilbrook

Most people will think of the English band Squeeze when Glenn Tilbrook is mentioned. Glenn and his writing partner Chris Difford made some of the top hits around the world including; 'Tempted', 'Hourglass', 'Cool for Cats', and 'Up the Junction'. After Squeeze went seperate directions in 1998 Glenn Tilbrook continued to write and perform his own music releasing two solo albums The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook and Transatlantic Ping-Pong. His joie de vivre that became Squeeze's trademark to success lives on in his new songs. In 2009 he released a new album called Pandemonium Ensues featuring new members and special guests for a band by the name of The Fluffers.   

Glenn Tilbrook is an active member of the charity 'Love Hope Strength' which was set up by his good friend Mike Peters (from The Alarm). He has participated with other musicans in record breaking treks to Mount Everest and Kilimanjaro raising money to buy equipment to help cancer sufferers across the world.

Whether he’s playing to a room of 50 people or to a festival crowd, either with Squeeze or solo, Glenn Tilbrook still gets the buzz from playing and making music that is all too rare among his peers or those he has inspired, and marks him out as a perfomer to be cherished.
Glenn Tilbrook website biography. 

Watch this video of Glenn Tilbrook performing on tour 2011.

Mitch Benn

Mitch Benn is one of the most sought after performers on the comedy circuit  and is acknowledged as of one of the best performers of comic songs in the UK.  He began his career in Edinburgh in 1994 later moving to London in 1996 where he established himslef as a comedian. Mitch Benn regularly performs on The Now Show for BBC Radio 4. 

Mitch Benn is a seriously talented musician. He is also a clever, focused and prolific comic. His Global Warming Song is now many, many years old, but both precedes and surpasses most of the material that any of the comics here this year are doing on the subject. 
Kate Copstick, Edinburgh Fringe Review 2007. 

Watch this video written and performed by Mitch Benn called 'Proud Of The BBC' in support of the BBC programs.