Festival announces Riverside residency with all-female music line-up

Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music launches its Live At The Riverside residency with a line-up of international acts, Aruba Red (UK) and Aiko (Prague), playing live, and H E Ross’ (USA) new poem - which has been specially commissioned by Noise of Art for Black History Month. Monday 2nd November 2020 at 6pm, tickets available at The Riverside.

Following two successful Lockdown events at the Riverside Cinema, featuring Leee John of Imagination and Red Snapper, the festival has been invited to continue its programme supporting regional culture, the Riverside cinema and Music Venues Trust Save Our Venues campaign.

Alt. Soul singer Aruba Red

Alt. Soul singer Aruba Red tours internationally and has Suffolk roots through her father, music legend Jack Bruce who lived near Sudbury and was iconic bassist in supergroup Cream with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker.

Aruba, who takes her name from the legendary pirate, grew up in recording studios surrounded by musical siblings. Her first poem was published aged nine. In her early 20s she was scouted by Nitin Sawhney for a project at the Royal Festival Hall.

She’s worked with acts such as Maverick Sabre, Jah Cure, Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music), Natty, Ms Dynamite, Plan B and more, and held residencies at the Roundhouse and Southbank Centre, while playing festivals and venues internationally.

Aruba put her career on hold during a period of turmoil, when she lost her father, escaped an abusive relationship and, more happily, became a mother - experiences she’s poured into her music. She returned with 2018’s ‘Holy Waters’, which reached an impressive #7 on the iTunes Top RnB/Soul Albums Chart. Recent releases have featured a celebration of feminine strength and a cast of incredible talent, including Renell Shaw (Rudimental) and Nathan "Flutebox" Lee (Asian Dub Foundation).

Rising Czech singer Aiko 

Rising Czech singer Aiko was born in Moscow, grew-up in Prague and is currently forging a career in London. She joins us direct from shows in Denmark, and has racked-up TV appearances across Europe. She released her self-titled debut EP in August 2018, which achieved pan-European radio-airplay and critical acclaim. Last summer’s release of her first full-length album, ‘Expiration Date’, led to bookings at Europe’s major festivals, such as Sziget, Budapest, Waves Vienna, and the main stages of Praha Žije Hudbou, Good Fest and Sofar Sounds Budapest.

Poet H E Ross

Born in San Francisco, H E Ross met the beat poets as a teen before becoming a marine and an anti-Vietnam war campaigner. He was in Haight Ashbury in the late ‘60s, campaigned for civil rights, and started the Black Maritime History and Heritage movement in San Francisco. He became a sailor and naval historian, writing books and publishing magazines around the Caribbean, before settling in Suffolk, where he's set-up writers' groups and published anthologies.

His poem, Benjamin Franklin, the Lady and a Runaway Enslaved Boy named King, has been commissioned by Noise of Art and documents the true story of a young boy who escaped from enslavement in the USA to find freedom in Suffolk.

Ben Osborne, an award-winning producer, DJ, author and Woodbridge Festival founder, says:

“We’re delighted to start this residency at the Riverside with a fantastic female led line-up of artists and a poem commissioned in October’s Black History month.

“In these times, when cinemas have the double hit of films being delayed and audiences being limited, we’re offering a programme that helps keep our cultural networks connected and supports venues in creative ways.

“The Riverside remained open throughout two world wars, but had its doors closed for the first time by the COVID pandemic. If we can, we want to keep its doors open from now

“We’re very grateful to County Councillor Caroline Page for helping us to deliver this and our environmental programme and to Arts Council England for helping us support culture throughout the summer.”

Aiko appears in co-operation with Music Sans Frontier, a European grass roots network involving Move and Cross Club in Prague and Noise of Art and The Social in London.

This event is supported by the Arts Council England.

Tickets available at:

The Riverside Cinema, Quayside, Woodbridge, IP121BH
www.theriverside.co.uk 01394 382174
Tickets £10 doors 6pm

Money raised supports the Riverside Cinema and online broadcasts to raise funds for the Save Our Venues campaign.