THREE stages, two bars and one weekend of discovery adds up to the Handpick’d Festival at Pocklington Arts Centre next month.

This summer’s annual Platform Festival in Pock may have fallen by the wayside when acts in negotiation signed up for festivals elsewhere, but rather than feeling sorry for themselves, director Janet Farmer and venue manager James Duffy have responded by signing up Shed Seven’s Rick Witter and Paul Banks, Thea Gilmore, York’s The Howl & The Hum, Bridlington’s Seafret and 16 more acts besides for their new festival.

“Pocklington Arts Centre will be bringing the festival season to a close next month with a truly spectacular celebration of some of the best established and emerging talent in the UK today, who have all been ‘handpicked’ to perform at a truly unique festival taking place under one roof,” says Janet.

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Handpick'd's Saturday headliner, Thea Gilmore

“Twenty acts will perform across three stages in one weekend of discovery for fans of live music and the spoken word alike in a festival that will be the first of its kind for the venue.”

The September 28 line-up will be Shed Seven duo Rick Witter and Paul Banks’s Acoustic Show, The Howl & The Hum and Jade Helliwell. September 29’s acts will be Thea Gilmore; The Eskies; Seafret; Coco & The Butterfields; Matt Abbott; The Dunwells; Buffalo Skinners; Dan Webster Band; Bella Gaffney & Polly Bolton; Rachel Croft; Amy May Ellis and Me, Thee and E.

“Handpick’d Festival is an opportunity for us to showcase some of the artists who have performed here previously and are firm favourites of Pocklington Arts Centre, while also being a celebration of some of the musicians and acts we admire the most,” says Janet.

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The Howl & The Hum: "lyrics that make you call your mum the next morning"

“This is an amazing line-up that heavily features some of the biggest and most exciting up-and-coming acts in the UK right now, alongside some of the very best musicians.

“We have a real passion for supporting emerging talent, with many of the acts on the bill being from Yorkshire. So, whether you’re already a fan of some of the acts on the line-up or want to discover some new music, we’ll have something for everyone at the Handpick’d Festival. Come on in!”

Shed Seven singer Witter and guitarist Banks are returning to Pock, where they launched their Shedcember tour last November, on the back of the Sheds’ triumphant sold-out show to 8,000 people at Castleford Bowl, Manchester, in June. Expect such Sheds’ anthems as Going For Gold, Chasing Rainbows and Getting Better, plus songs from last year’s”comeback” album Instant Pleasures.

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Bridlington duo Seafret

Fellow York combo The Howl & The Hum embarked on their first headline tour in England in the spring, later making festival appearances at Latitude, Live At Leeds and the BBC Biggest Weekend. Combining dark hypnotic pop with post-punk influences, pierced with lyrics that “make you call your mum the next morning”, Sam Griffiths’ four-piece have found favour with BBC 6 Music presenter Tom Robison, who calls them a “seriously great band, from whom you will be hearing a great deal more in the coming months”.

Kicking off the Friday night will be Leeds singer-songwriter Jade Helliwell. “She’s a YouTube sensation with her distinctive combination of British Americana and country,” says Janet.

The Saturday bill will be headlined by “furiously individual” Oxford singer-songwriter and former Brit Award nominee Thea Gilmore, who has drawn praise from Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, and Martha Wainwright.

Seafret singer Jack Sedman and guitarist Harry Draper went down a storm at the 2016 Platform Festival at Pocklington’s Old Station and have amassed ten million Spotify streams. The Eskies’ fusion of folk noir, gypsy jazz and sea shanties, combined with their stage swagger, has gone down well at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival and Camp Bestival.

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Leeds band The Dunwells

The colourful, energetic CoCo And The Butterfields blend powerful vocal melodies with an undercurrent of driving beatbox in their urban pop. Political poet Matt Abbott is a rising star of the spoken-word scene, having shared a stage with Jeremy Corbyn, Paul Weller and Sara Pascoe.

Leeds’s anthemic rock brothers The Dunwells, another Platform Festival alumnus, have appeared on the American talk show Late Night With Jay Leno and performed at Lollapalooza, South By South West (SXSW) and the Bonnaroo Festival. The Bob Harris-praised Buffalo Skinners evoke Sixties’ rock, folk and blues and York songwriter Dan Webster will be opening the main stage line-up with his band.

A few more acts will be announced over the coming weeks, taking the total to 20. Doors open at 7pm on September 28, when Witter and Banks will play their headline set from around 9.20pm; doors open at 12 noon on September 29, with Thea Gilmore headlining at 9.15pm.

Weekend tickets cost £61, under 18s £57; Friday day ticket, £27.50/£25; Saturday, £36.50/£30, on 01759 301547 or at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.