THE Waterson family performed at the first Beverley Folk Festival 21 years ago. Tomorrow, Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy and daughter Eliza Carthy will be joined by Norma's brother, Mike, his daughters Rachel and Eleanor Waterson and Lal Waterson's daughter, Marry Gilhooley, for the showpiece concert of this year's festival.

In the first appearance by two generations of England's first family of folk, they will be joined at the Voices In Harmony evening at Beverley Minster by the Beverley Community Choir and Zimbabwe's a cappella singers and dancers Black Umfolosi Five at 7.30pm.

The festival opens tonight with an acoustic set by festival debutants The Levellers at Beverley Leisure Centre, where Australian Derrin Neuendorf will be the support act on the 8pm bill.

Tomorrow noon at Beverley Memorial Hall, Barnsley poet and broadcaster Ian mcMillan and cartoonist Tony Husband present A History Of Folk. Between them they will create "a new cartoon starring every musician you ever wanted to hear on paper".

Manu Chao's backing band, Go Lem System from Barcelona, fill tomorrow night's world music dance slot at Beverley Leisure Centre at 9pm.

Crime writer Ian Rankin and fellow man of Fife, folk musician Jackie Leven, present Jackie Leven Said, a Rankin short story punctuated by Leven songs, at Beverley Memorial Hall on Sunday at noon.

Oysterband, keeper of the socialist folk flame Roy Bailey and BBC Young Folk Award winners 422 close the festival on Sunday at 7.30pm at Beverley Leisure Centre.

There will be family events, dance displays and pub sessions too, with performances by Roy Bailey, Martin Simpson, bluegrass band The Cole Porters, Irish groups North Cregg and Last Night's Fun, Derrin Nauendorf and festival favourites Old Rope String Band, Doghouse Skiffle Group and Sid Kipper.

For ticket information, ring the festival office on 01377 217569.

u SIX acts in six hours make up the Selby Funday Pop Concert 2004 at the James Street Recreation Ground on Sunday afternoon.

Whole Sky Moon lead off at midday, playing alternative guitar-driven rock in the vein of Radiohead and Elbow.

Perennial Selby Funday favourites Spring return for another showcase of their Del Amitri-influenced, sunshine-inducing, guitar rock at 12.50pm.

Party band Pure Silk and their eye-candy vocalists, Pips and Pet-Pet, will be playing an exuberant set list of covers from 1.55pm.

Electric Mayhem, on stage at 3pm, make no apologies for being a "proper rock band". Listen out for covers of Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine and 10cc's The Dean And I.

The Glamned quartet of Rod Hammerite, Fred Bare, Lou Brush and Neil Varnish pull on their stack heels in the name of glam rock, paying a not entirely serious tribute to Bolan, Bowie, Sweet and Slade from 4.05pm.

Last up will be The Bushburys, Eddy Morton's electric country-folk five-piece. Their slot starts at 5.10pm. Concert co-ordinator Andy Atkinson, former lead singer with the Bogus Brothers, Motel and The Wofflers, will be doing the stage links. Admission is free.

u Nii Tettey Tetteh and the Kusun Ensemble visit York next week to perform at the Grand Opera House.

In February this year, City of York Council's arts service organised an educational trip to Ghana for its world-drumming group, the Trans-Global Drummers. The young musicians stayed at the Kusun Centre near Accra, where they were taught West African drumming and dancing by members of the Pan African Orchestra and National Ballet.

Keen to develop the relationship, school head Nii Tettey Tetteh has organised the return visit to York in June and July.

He is bringing with him the Kusun Ensemble of drummers and dancers, who will be welcomed by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Janet Looker at a civic reception.

York already has strong links with Ghana through the One World Linking Association, which has developed a close relationship with the village of Fanteakwa and has been chosen by Coun Looker as one of her charities of the year.

The Kusun Ensemble launches the visit with 1.30pm and 7.30pm shows at the Grand Opera House on Wednesday.

The group will run drumming and dancing workshops in York schools, play schemes and community groups from June 21 to July 23 and will conclude the trip with a summer school at St Lawrence's Primary School from July 26 to 30. Please contact Jane Woolgar on 01904 554665 to book places.

For tickets, ring 0870 606 3595.

Updated: 15:27 Thursday, June 17, 2004