West Country folk stars Show Of Hands will return to the St Ives September Festival this year for the first time since a memorable final night at the 2019 Festival.

The Festival this week announced their headline Guildhall shows where the duo – singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and master musician Phil Beer – will appear on Sunday, September 10.

The success story of the September Festival’s long-time patrons includes selling out London’s Royal Albert Hall - where they will appear for a sixth time on Sunday, April 10 - three BBC Folk Awards, two honorary doctorates and beating Sir Francis Drake in a “greatest Devonians” poll.

After appearing all over the world from Australia to India, Germany to Canada, the Netherlands to Hong Kong - plus festivals including Glastonbury, WOMAD, Cambridge and Celtic Connections – they broke new ground this year performing on a week-long Mekong riverboat cruise from Vietnam to Cambodia.

The Guildhall line-up also includes the previously-announced Three Degrees - famously hailed by the then Prince Charles as his “favourite group” - whose biggest hit When Will I See You Again topped charts in the USA, UK, Japan and most European countries Rhythm ’n blues band Nine Below Zero, who have appeared with music greats Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, The Kinks, The Who and Squeeze, will kick off the Festival on Saturday, September 9.

Top folk performers Kathryn Tickell and The Darkening will follow on Monday the 11th, with double BBC Folk Award winner Jackie Oates on Thursday the 14th and singer-songwriter Luka Bloom, the younger brother of Irish folk superstar Christy Moore, on Monday the 18th.

Two of the greatest names in rock music history – David Bowie and Queen – will be honoured at this year’s Festival. The Bowie Lounge - Space Face, a special anniversary show to mark ten years since their first performance, will bring down the curtain on the 15-day festival of music and arts on Saturday September 23.

A collection of Cornish-based performers, artists and musicians led by Truro-based Keith Sparrow, The Bowie Lounge is inspired by the eclectic Beckenham Arts Lab that Bowie helped organise in the late 60s.

The Helston-based Good Old Fashioned Lover Boys, whose Queen Live show sold out The Guildhall at last year’s Festival, are returning on Friday the 15th.

Also back, after proving a big hit on their September Festival debut last year, will be popular Cornish band The Countrymen who will return with some new songs on their 2023 Bal Maiden Tour on Thursday the 21st.

Skillywidden, whose line-up includes members of internationally acclaimed traditional music band Dalla, will bring their take on the nos lowen style of Cornish dance music – and the opportunity for dancers to take to the Guildhall floor - on Friday, September 22.

The Festival will also be good for a laugh when Gary Delaney, star of Live at The Apollo and a regular guest on Mock The Week, brings his Gary In Punderland show to The Guildhall on Saturday, September 16.

More shows at other Festival venues will be announced soon. Full Festival information and tickets are online at www.stivesseptemberfestival.co.uk