Performers 2009

Hanif Kureishi CBE is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker. His screenplay My Beautiful Laundrette was nominated for an Academy Award and his book The Buddha of Suburbia won the 1990 Whitbread Award for best novel. His 2006 screenplay Venus received Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations and in 2008 he was appointed CBE. His latest book Something To Tell You – “a vital, teeming, panoramic, immersive novel” (Time Out) – was published last year. Read more ...

One of Granta’s 20 Best Young British Writers. British Book Awards Author of the Year 2003. Waterstone’s Author of the Year 2003. Winner of the Somerset Maugham prize and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year in 2002. Shortlisted for the Orange, Man Booker and Mail on Sunday/John Llewelyn Rhys prizes… Sarah Waters’ impressive list of literary achievements is too long to list in full here – but suffice it to say we’re thrilled to welcome her to the Port Eliot Festival this year. Read more ...

With worldwide sales of over 10 million, Jung Chang is responsible for exposing Communist China from beneath the veil to the Western world and beyond. Her autobiography Wild Swans, which was banned in her native China, is held up as a benchmark in family saga. Read more ...

Alain de Botton is an award-winning writer, broadcaster and public speaker, whose books have sold in millions around the world. Described as a “philosopher of everyday life”, he has covered subjects from art to architecture and from love to travel. Read more ...

Kate Summerscale's The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House (Bloomsbury, 2008) – hailed as "a classic" by John Le Carré – won the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction in 2008, and has been storming the book charts this year. She also wrote the bestselling The Queen of Whale Cay, a biography of British power boat racer Betty ‘Joe’ Carstairs, winner of the 1998 Somerset Maugham award and shortlisted for the 1997 Whitbread Biography award. Read more ...

With Romeo Stodart, lead singer of The Magic Numbers, already confirmed to play a set with folk songstress Kathryn Williams, we're pleased to announce that the whole band will now also be joining him at the festival for a sizzling Saturday night set on the Cabaret Stage. Read more ...

UK indie folksters Noah and the Whale will be mixing it up at this summer's festival with a set full of fun, fun, fun in the sun! With a Top 10 single ('5 Years Time' hit number 7 in the UK charts in summer 2008) under their belts and a frisky, sing-along-sound that belies the darker undercurrent of their lyrics, the London based four-piece promise to bring something a little special to their performance at Port Eliot. Read more ...

Responsible for Smash & Grab, London’s most infamous Thursday night knees-up, as well as breathing new life into Camden’s cult Barfly venue and BBC 6 Music’s Saturday afternoon slot, this lip-glossed, pencil-skirted duo are the undisputed ambassadors of contemporary music. Read more ...

Alt-rockers with a story to tell in every song, British Sea Power have been turning heads with their otherworldly sounds and unusual venues – Carnglaze Caverns in Cornwall to name one – since their inception in 2001. We can’t wait to welcome them to Port Eliot this year, where they’ll be doing something completely different: a low-key acoustic set and even a spot of birdwatching. Read more ...

Boston-bred Evan Dando is the founding member and legendary front man of The Lemonheads. He also performs as a solo artist and released his first album, Baby I’m Bored, in 2003. His songs blend open-heartedness and good humour with and an aura of mystery and hypnotizing abstraction. Described as eclectic and affecting, Evan Dando’s collection ranges from bittersweet country rock to sly, pure pop rock. Read more ...

Showcasing the best emerging comedy talent – including Edinburgh Festival previews – the Hog Wild Comedy Club flaunts humour like a feather-bower, tickling the audience under the chin and inviting everyone in with their no-holds-barred humour. Bringing a little piece of the London comedy circuit to Cornwall, Hog Wild are sure to win over the crowds with their eclectic members and mouth-watering mirth. Read more ...

Writer, musician, composer, nightclub host, actor and all-round legend, Richard Strange has played a key role London’s cultural life for the last 30 years. The Sex Pistols, Joy Division and The Jam supported his first proto-punk band, The Doctors of Madness, in the 1970s. Since then, Richard has remained as diverse as he has prolific; working with Tom Waits and William Burroughs, writing numerous articles and books, and appearing in films like Batman and Gangs of New York. Read more ...

Found in Translation has been described as “a quest of arbitrary limits and new frontiers, written in the tradition of Luke Rhineheart’s The Dice Man and Dave Gorman’s Googlewhack Adventure: one part literary lecture, one part multimedia performance, and with a hefty dose of cutting-edge satire.” Read more ...

Arthur Smith is a comedian, writer, actor, radio host and the self-proclaimed 'Night Mayor of Balham' (“I don’t do days”). A regular on the BBC TV show Grumpy Old Men and an Edinburgh Festival stalwart, Smith wrote the stage play An Evening with Gary Lineker, which was nominated for an Olivier Award. He continues to perform his stand-up shows across the country and guests on BBC Radio 4's Excess Baggage and Loose Ends. Read more ...

Plymouth's favourite Thai noodle bar will be coming to Port Eliot to tempt you with their funky Thai noodle boxes filled with the freshest, fragrant ingredients to make your mouth water. Read more ...

Considered by many to be one of the finest seafood restaurants in Cornwall, Trawlers' cuisine is modern European using first class ingredients sourced from excellent Cornish suppliers. Executive Chef Proprietor Mark Napper will be doing a cookery demonstration in the Big Kitchen on Sunday afternoon. Read more ...

Welcome to the theatre of food. Based in Devon, The Food Groove creates an appetising ambience with a combination of exotic international aromas, tasteful tunes and delicious, fresh, locally-sourced vegetarian and vegan food – mixed live in giant pans by dancing cooks. Read more ...

London-based Sporeboys are a group of hip mycologists and pickers that love to make simple mushroom sandwiches – but we're not talking simple quality here. Armed with baskets of locally-sourced, freshly picked chanterelles, cepes, trompettes and Japanese mushrooms, they’ve set up market stalls all over London that delight crowds with their delicious fare. And, we're mouthwateringly happy to say, they're returning to dish up more deliciousness at Port Eliot this year. Read more ...

The Dartmouth Ice Cream Company has been making and serving ice cream and sorbets since 1928. They have an on-site dairy using the best local West Country dairy products and real fruit, and, believe us, their flavours really are second to none. Read more ...

Dominic West is better behaved than The Wire’s Jimmy McNulty, but his portrayal of the bulldozer-like Baltimore detective has garnered him cult status, critical acclaim and huge numbers of admirers on both sides of the Atlantic. Read more ...

This sneak preview shows highlights from the forthcoming feature documentary on legendary Louisiana supergroup Lil’ Band O' Gold. "8 members, 25 egos, 6 livers." Read more ...

Kit Berry is the author of The Stonewylde Series, which is rapidly gaining cult status. She is a pagan and passionate about our folklore heritage, which features strongly in her novels. Read more ...

Sean Langan is a British journalist, documentary filmmaker, BAFTA nominee – and kidnap survivor. Armed with only a camera, Sean has worked in volatile situations, in environments noted for war, conflict and civil unrest, from Latin America to Iraq to Zimbabwe. Read more ...

Celebrated ‘fishing and culture’ website, Caught By The River, has gained a cult following for its evocative call to escape the rat race and celebrate the most important things in life – time, pleasure, books, music, cake and much more. Brought to us by Jeff Barrett, Robin Turner, and Andrew Walsh, Caught By The River will be hosting a special area by the estuary and presenting a varied mix of happenings in keeping with the website's unique spirit. Read more ...