‘World-class music in intimate local venues!’

WemsFest present live music in and around Emsworth throughout the year, including our annual Emsworth Beer, Cider & Wine Festival in September.

The 2025 Beerfest dates were September 19-21 – we’ll let you know when dates are set for the 10th Emsworth Beer, Cider & Wine Festival in 2026!

Details of all our forthcoming events can be found on the Events page. For our latest updates, please see the News page.  To sign up to our mailing list and receive a quasi-quarterly email update with news of our upcoming shows, please click here!  Finally, if you need to contact us urgently on the day of a show, please text or call 07802 500 050. 

Thank you for supporting local live music!

Next up: yet another full diary for November!

And it’s another busy lineup for November!

Thursday 13th November 8pm will see country/Americana star Ashley Campbell play Westbourne Community Hall (PO10 8TG) along with her band, as part of her #GoodnightNashville album release tour. Very much looking forward to having this accomplished #banjo player, and #vocalist, on our WemsFest stage!

Thursday 20th November 8pm – again at Westbourne Community Hall (PO10 8TG) – will see 4-piece Anglo/Irish band Ranagri grace our WemsFest stage for the first time – we look forward to hearing echoes of Pentangle, Jethro Tull, and new Celtic sounds performed on a vast array of different instruments including #flute, #harp, #guitar, and #percussion

Sunday 23rd November 2pm will see Wreckless Eric play (NOTE MATINEE TIMING!) on the intimate stage at The Havana, Chichester, PO19 1PH. Anyone who can encompass pop, bubblegum, garage trash, and psychedelia on more than 20 albums, own up to writing one of punk’s greatest classics ‘Whole Wide World’ and still remain unmasked, unhinged, and alive deserves to be heard!

Wednesday 26th November 8pm will see 4-piece Anglo/Irish band Flook come to St James Church (Emsworth, PO10 8TG) as part of their 30th Anniversary Tour!

  Tickets can be purchased at Bookends and Harbour Records in Emsworth village, as well as (NEW!) in Westbourne village at The Westbourne Cafe, and online at www.WeGotTickets.com/WemsFest 

This year, the charity bucket on our bar is fundraising for Cardiac Risk in the Young , and all profits from bar and ticket sales are reinvested into our local community.

Here are some previous events you might have missed…

9th Emsworth Beer, Wine, & Cider Festival – a load of good fun!

Our 9th Emsworth Beer, Wine, & Cider Festival offered over 25 delicious cask-conditioned ales from near and far, including interesting local brews and national award winners, along with a number of excellent ciders.  We were again joined by independent wine merchant, Bush Vines, who provided a range of wines by the glass.  The Festival is timed to fall within National Cask Ale Week, joining with the national celebration of our national drink!

Local musicians performed at all sessions.  During the Friday evening session, local shanty gang Spinnaker Shanty sang from their wide repertoire of songs of the sea.  During the Saturday afternoon session, the Southampton Ukulele Jam entertained the crowd despite a sudden shower!  Andy Beaumont performed his songs from the piano on Saturday evening.  The Westbourne Cafe‘s Top Burrito van was parked on site for the weekend to ensure that no one went hungry!

All profits from ticket and bar sales go towards supporting WemsFest (an entirely volunteer-run community interest company) to deliver world-class live music at very local venues – in addition to bringing musical workshops into local schools for Black History Month in October!

The Festival is held annually in the Emsworth Community Centre, a short walk from Emsworth Station and a stone’s throw from the 700 bus route.  The Community Centre is at the bottom of North Street, just north of the roundabout, between Emsworth Medical Practice and the Fire Station.

We had an outdoor seating area, subject to the weather, and an additional large ‘quiet’ room inside where we showed silent films and where customers could play cards or board games.

Tickets (£12.50) included a souvenir glass, programme and your first pint of beer or cider, or glass of wine.

There were four sessions:

Friday 19th September – 5pm – 10.30pm – £12.50
Saturday 20th September – 11am – 5.00pm – £12.50
Saturday 20th September – 5pm – 10.30pm – £12.50
Sunday 21st September – 12 noon – 4pm – FREE Admission with all remaining beers (if there is any beer left) at substantially reduced prices.  

Now we’ll get on with planning the 10th Emsworth Beer, Wine, & Cider Festival – in September 2026!

Max & Veronica sizzled at The Havana!

Max de Bernardi & Veronica Sbergia returned to WemsFest!  We were delighted to ask them back after the passionate playing that had everyone in smiles when they played for us last year.

Hip, cool, and highly entertaining as always, Max and Veronica had the crowd smiling again – and surprised everyone with special guest Billy Boy Miskimmin (The Yardbirds / Nine Below Zero) coming to join them onstage!  Thanks again to the artists for this beautiful show 🙂

Barry ‘The Fish’ Melton & his band – ”Better than Dylan at Brighton”!

A star of Woodstock showed why he remains in demand 56 years later, at The Havana, in Chichester’s city centre.  Barry ‘The Fish’ Melton and his band performed with humour and virtuosity to delight a packed audience who were full of praise as they left.  ”Better than Dylan at Brighton”, said one!

Le Vent du Nord made a welcome return to St James Church, Emsworth!

 

Le Vent du Nord are firm friends of WemsFest, and their local audience continues to grow despite the likelihood that many listeners won’t understand a word that’s being sung – it doesn’t matter! If you’ve seen them before, you know. If you haven’t, take a chance on something different – you will not regret it!

Since its inception in August 2002, Le Vent du Nord has enjoyed meteoric success, performing well over 2,500 concerts over 4 continents and racking up several prestigious awards, including a SONGLINES MUSIC AWARD -Americas (UK, 2023) Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros (France), two Junos (Canada’s Grammys), three FÉLIX at ADISQ (Québec), a Canadian Folk Music Award, and been awarded Artist of the Year at the Folk Alliance annual gala.  We were thrilled that they wanted to return to WemsFest for another evening of breathtaking melodies, harmonies, stories, and moments.

Blue Rose Code (SOLD OUT) – ”Loved every minute!”

We were delighted to bring Blue Rose Code back to WemsFest this July, for a stunning show at The Havana.  

Blue Rose Code is a band led by Edinburgh-born songwriter Ross Wilson. At the edge of contemporary alt-folk, Wilson’s music evokes a meeting of Van Morrison and a young John Martyn, both shipwrecked with a bunch of Motown records.  Local singer-songwriter Holly Knowles returned to WemsFest to support Ross – fantastic to have you back on our stage, Holly!

Surtierra Touring Project Finale: World Refugee Day concert in London on Friday 20th June is SOLD OUT

The WemsFest Choir, formed in January of this year, enjoyed singing alongside The Andover Museum Loft Singers and The Southampton & Winchester Visitors’ Group Choir, performing the Misa de los Mineros in this special project led by Anglo-Chilean band Quimantu.  The sold-out finale performance, held in ‘The Actors’ Church’ in Covent Garden, on World Refugee Day, was exceptionally good fun!  We are grateful to Quimantu for having extended this opportunity to collaborate, and look forward (with fingers crossed) to more collaboration in the future.

Cindy Kalmenson & Florence Sommerville treated the lucky audience to a country-Americana, California-meets-Essex double-bill at Havana Chichester!

California met Essex in this special country-Americana tour, featuring California singer-songwriter Cindy Kalmenson along with fast-rising Essex-based rootsy country singer-songwriter Florence Sommerville.  The lucky audience at The Havana, Chichester, really enjoyed these two wonderful artists, and we look forward to following their careers over the coming years!

In 2025, WemsFest adds The Havana to its quiver of venues. The Havana is an atmospheric subterranean venue in the heart of Chichester. Easily accessible by public transport, come enjoy an evening out in Chichester’s premier grassroots music venue. The Havana’s licensed bar and cosy (unreserved) seating will ensure you are comfortable. Apologies that this venue is not wheelchair-accessible.

Final (local) Surtierra Touring Project performance, in Portsmouth, was a resounding success 🙂

We are delighted to report that our final local performance of the Surtierra Touring Project was a resounding success 🙂

Our WemsFest Choir performed alongside two other choirs, the Southampton & Winchester Visitors’ Group Choir and the Andover Museum Loft Singers Choir – meaning there were nearly 100 singers on stage!

This performance took place at the outset of Refugee Week 2025, one week before we perform our final concert in London on World Refugee Day.

As always, we had our licensed bar serving delicious beers from Langham Brewery  as well as wines, local cider, nonalcoholic beers, & soft drinks.  All profits from bar & ticket sales are reinvested in the local community – this year, delivering the Surtierra Touring Project and musical workshops in local schools for Black History Month.  💪🏽 ❤️ 💪🏽 In 2025 our chosen charity is Cardiac Risk in the Young – we hope you will help us support this special charity this year💪🏽 ❤️ 💪🏽

Gasper Nali and Band, with support from Luhangah, sizzled in Chidham!

We were fortunate to bring Gasper Nali back to our WemsFest stage at The Old Malthouse in Chidham, alongside his band – David Luhanga & Mattias Stalnacke.  Somehow, the venue always knows when we have African musicians on stage – the joint heats up!  This evening was no exception – the dancers didn’t have to worry about getting cold between songs 😉 

Gasper Nali is a not-so-traditional babatoni player from the small town of Nkhata Bay on the shores of Lake Malawi. The babatoni is an African one-string home-made 3-metre long bass guitar, and with a stick and an empty beer bottle, together with a cow skin kick drum and catchy melodies, he creates the most amazing and danceable original Afrobeats possible!

The East Pointers, with special guests Saije, returned to The Old Malthouse

The East Pointers (with special guests Saije) returned to WemsFest at The Old Malthouse (AKA Chidham Village Hall, PO18 8TP) on Sunday 1st June 🎤🎻🎸🎹 to charm the audience with their range of songs and tunes, new and old, from slow and sweet to furiously fast with beats (and even a tin whistle!)

The East Pointers (JUNO award-winners from Prince Edward Island, Canada) have been blending the genres of folk and pop, electronic and traditional music, delighting audiences around the world for over a decade. 🎶❤️🎵 We were thrilled to welcome them back to our Chidham stage! They were beautifully supported by award-winning Australian indie folk duo Saije who are in the midst of their third UK tour.

XODUS got groovy in Westbourne!

XODUS Xceeded all Xpectations (hahahah) and drew a large crowd to Westbourne Community Hall.  Lovely to work with our partner African Night Fever and this consummate 7-piece band – they had everyone up and dancing from the first note.  The great musical legacy of Bob Marley lives on!

A standing ovation for Siobhan Miller Trio!

One of Scotland’s most celebrated folk singer-songwriters, Siobhan Miller embarked upon an intimate trio tour joined by two of Scotland’s finest musicians, Innes White on guitar and Charlie Stewart on fiddle.  This acoustic setting was the perfect opportunity to see Siobhan’s richly celebrated Scottish folk songs up close and personal.  The intimate setting of The Old Malthouse (AKA Chidham Village Hall) was perfect for our WemsFest audience to appreciate this trio live!

Siobhan’s musical prowess has earned her numerous accolades, including four BBC Alba Scots Trad Music Awards; Scots Singer of the Year titles and a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Traditional Track. Her discography boasts five solo releases, all of which have been shortlisted for BBC Alba STMA Album of the Year, including her latest album, Bloom.  The audience absolutely loved the music and the three musicians received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the night.  We hope they’ll be back our way soon!

The Surtierra Touring Project comes to Leigh Park

When we put out a call, in November, for local singers to form a new choir to learn, rehearse, and perform a 7-piece choral mass, in 4-part harmony, in Spanish, we weren’t sure what to expect.  Would anyone sign up?  Thanks to our amazing local choir leaders, Emily Barden and Laura Blake, 64 people signed up overnight.  They are now ready to perform the Misa de los Mineros for you, alongside iconic Anglo-Chilean band Quimantú, and the Alkyona Quartet!  From their many mother-tongues, choirs of local singers unite in a Spanish language prayer, singing to honour all those who have had to leave their homes due to war, poverty, or persecution. 

Our first performance, in Chichester, was called ‘a triumph!’  Our second performance, in Leigh Park, was another moving tribute to those who have to leave their homes due to war, poverty, or persecution, hailed as ‘magnificent’ by a local councillor.  Your last chance to see us perform locally will be during Refugee Week, on Sat 14th June at Portsmouth Cathedral – or at our grand finale performance in London on World Refugee Day!  

Saturday 14th June, 7pm – Portsmouth Cathedral, Portsmouth, PO1 2HA – tickets on sale now here

Friday 20th June 7.30pm – St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9ED – tickets on sale now here

GNOSS – a brilliant first gig at The Old Orchard!

A welcome back to WemsFest, but to a new venue, The Old Orchard AKA Southbourne Village Hall, for this multi-talented and award-winning Scots band.  GNOSS combines the talents of Aidan Moodie (guitar/vocals), Graham Rorie (fiddle/mandolin/electric tenor guitar), Connor Sinclair (flute/whistles/vocals), and Craig Baxter (bodhran/percussion) – and they have 3 fabulous albums which exemplify their forward-thinking take on traditional music coupled with the warmth of their live shows.

‘Album of the Year’ Nominees, Scots Trad Music Awards 2019 & 2021
‘Up and Coming Artist of the Year’ Nominees, Scots Trad Music Awards 2017
BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award Semi-Finalists 2016
Danny Kyle Award Winners 2015

“Gnoss are one of those rare birds in folk: a group you can name after hearing their first notes.” –  Folk Radio UK

The South Side Racketeers, and DJ Rob Moore – a great night in Westbourne!

Easter Saturday dance party!  The South Side Racketeers, & DJ Rob Moore (of Harbour Records Emsworth) cranked out the ska, blue beat, and Jamaican RnB to coax everyone onto the dance floor – a fantastic evening!

Feast of Fiddles brought their 30th Spring Tour to Emsworth!

Born in Nettlebed on Valentine’s Day 1994 as a one-off special concert, Feast of Fiddles has done 29 spring tours, 26 festivals and has 7 CDs to its name. Not bad for a bunch of old folk-rockers! In 2025 they are doing their 30th Spring Tour and playing songs and tunes from their latest live album.

This is a band of friends that puts on a show of huge dynamic range performed with passion, joy and a liberal dose of fun. Fiddlers Garry Blakeley (Band of Two), Ian Cutler (Bully Wee), Marion Fleetwood (Trad Arr, Sandy Denny Project), Tom Leary (Joe Brown), Brian McNeill (Battlefield Band), and Simon Swarbrick (Merry Hell) bring a large range of fiddle playing styles to the rock back-line – all held together by legendary drummer Dave Mattacks, Martin Vincent on guitar, Dave Harding on bass, and genial host Hugh Crabtree on accordion.  To quote Mark, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening on all accounts!

“Absolutely awesome!” – Sue Marchant, BBC East

“Britain’s fiddling supergroup” – Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2

“The best fiddle players of a generation” – Ian A Anderson

Sat 5th April: The Surtierra Touring Project debut!  (in Chichester)

When we put out a call, in November, for local singers to form a new choir to learn, rehearse, and perform a 7-piece choral mass, in 4-part harmony, in Spanish, we weren’t sure what to expect.  Would anyone sign up?  Thanks to our amazing local choir leaders, Emily Barden and Laura Blake, 64 people signed up overnight.  They are now ready to perform the Misa de los Mineros for you, alongside iconic Anglo-Chilean band Quimantú, and the Alkyona Quartet!  From their many mother-tongues, choirs of local singers unite in a Spanish language prayer, singing to honour all those who have had to leave their homes due to war, poverty, or persecution.  Join us at any of three local performances, or at our grand finale performance in London on World Refugee Day!  

Saturday 5th April, 7pm – St Paul’s Church, Chichester, PO19 6FT – tickets on sale now here

Friday 9th May, 7pm – Park Community School, Leigh Park, Havant, PO9 4BU – tickets on sale now here

Saturday 14th June, 7pm – Portsmouth Cathedral, Portsmouth, PO1 2HA – tickets on sale now here

Friday 20th June 7.30pm – St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9ED – tickets on sale now here

Big thanks to Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers, for this interview with Rachel Pantin, Joint Artistic Director of Quimantu and Musiko Musika, and of the Surtierra Touring Project

Tickets can be purchased at Bookends and Harbour Records in Emsworth village, and online at www.WeGotTickets.com/WemsFest

FARA enchanted (again) a full house at Chidham

Whoop! FARA are doing a 10th Anniversary tour in 2025 and we were one of the stops!

The award-winning FARA are:
Kristan Harvey & 
Jeana Leslie & 
Catriona Price  & 
Rory Matheson 

They’ve played for WemsFest several times before and our audience was delighted to have them back on stage at The Old Malthouse.  Enjoy the rest of your 10th anniversary tour, FARA!

Steve Knightley (SOLD OUT) 

“A craftsman at the peak of his powers” — Tony Hall, former BBC Director General

“Some of the best songs written in the last twenty years”— Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2

“The gravel-voiced spokesman of the rural poor” — Robin Denselow, The Guardian

Steve Knightley came to The Old Malthouse on Monday and treated his loyal audience to old favourites and new favourites.  He also credited Mauricio Venegas-Astorga, founder of Quimantu and composer of the Misa de los Mineros, which the WemsFest Choir has formed to sing as part of the Surtierra Touring Project, for teaching him to play the cuatro (and then Steve demonstrated just how good he’s got at playing it).  Thanks for coming to Chidham, Steve!

Kris Drever & Chris Stout thrilled the packed house at Chidham

Kris Drever and Chris Stout are icons of the Scottish roots culture and two of the most powerful contemporary voices to sing out of it in the last quarter century.  In Glasgow in 2019 the two found themselves to be neighbours in the West End and began meeting up and playing music together. Both musicians found a sound of great interest and emotional power in these little get-togethers, and it soon became a more regular happening.  We were thrilled that they drove all the way down to WemsFest on the central south coast – and the audience felt the same way 🙂

McGoldrick, McCusker, & Doyle aced it again

Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker, & John Doyle are simply brilliant at what they do! All three musicians have won global acclaim for being the absolute top shelf of traditional Celtic music. This was their 7th WemsFest appearance (including several special online shows during the pandemic) and we were thrilled to have them back! 

Michael Messer & Chaz Jankel enjoyed a sold-out show at Havana

Michael Messer is a virtuoso slide guitarist, singer, songwriter and roots & blues innovator whose reputation as an innovator of the blues and master of slide guitar is well known.  Messer’s latest project is an album he has recorded with the renowned songwriter and musician, Chaz Jankel. A recording artist in his own right, Chaz Jankel is most widely known as the co-writer of many hit records with Ian Dury & The Blockheads. The album ‘Mostly We Drive’ was released in January 2024 and reached #2 in the IBBA (Independent Blues Broadcasters) chart for January.  We were delighted to bring this exciting duo to WemsFest for a sold-out show at The Havana!

In 2025, WemsFest has added The Havana (3 Little London, Chichester PO19 1PH) to its quiver of venues. The Havana is an atmospheric subterranean venue in the heart of Chichester. Easily accessible by public transport using bus or train, come enjoy an evening out in Chichester’s premier grassroots music venue. The Havana’s licensed bar and cosy seating will ensure you are comfortable.

InOurArea Creative Cafe 

Would you like to contribute towards planning Emsworth’s Cultural Calendar?  We’d love to hear your ideas!  Join us for complimentary wine and cheese, upstairs at The Crown Inn, at 4pm on Saturday 8th February.  All welcome, but please RSVP to Mark at adwemsfest@gmail.com so he knows how much cheese to buy!

Emily Barden & Friends launched our new collaboration with The Havana, Chichester!

Vibrant performer, and deservedly celebrated contemporary choir leader, celebrating the release of her new album ‘Vapour Trails’, Emily Barden is a singer-songwriter, performing acoustically both as a solo artist and alongside other musicians.  Emily is an experienced choral leader and vocal arranger, and currently runs several adult Community Choirs, including the WemsFest Surtierra Touring Project Choir. She is one quarter of the acapella group Oaken, regularly travelling the country doing workshops and gigs.  

This was the first of several afternoon gigs WemsFest is organising at The Havana, 3 Little London, Chichester PO19 1PH – an atmospheric subterranean venue in the heart of Chichester.  Easily accessible by public transport using bus or train, the audience enjoyed an afternoon performance and could be home in time for your Sunday roast!  The Havana’s licensed bar and cosy seating ensures that you are comfortable. Please note that unfortunately there is no wheelchair access at this venue.

The 3rd Emsworth ‘January Blues’ Festival – a roaring success!

We are absolutely delighted to share that the only complaint we’ve heard about the weekend was that one couldn’t get into the pub on Saturday afternoon!  The Coal Exchange, The Crown, and Queenie’s Vintage Tearoom were pleased with the crowds that packed in to see Michael Roach, Ben Waters, Mark Harrison, Dino Baptiste, and Sarah Saville – and we can only apologise to those who couldn’t physically get into the venues – we hope to add additional venues for 2026!  The ticketed evening concerts were phenomenal – THANK YOU Bex Marshall Band, and Jo Harman & Band, for sharing your incredible music with us – definitely lifting our spirits and banishing our January blues with the January Blues!

Oysterband bids Emsworth A Long, Long Goodbye

What a great show to end a fabulous year with!  Oysterband closed out our 2024 season with a sold-out show at St James Church, Emsworth – part of their ‘Long, Long Goodbye’ Tour.  We were delighted, though not surprised, that this show sold out many months ago – so many fans wanting to come to Emsworth to see Oysterband for one last time.  As a totally voluntary organisation we work hard and play hard, so to end on another sell-out makes everything worthwhile.  THANK YOU to all of our audience for your support in 2024!  We couldn’t have any of this fun without you 🙂

 

Come catch your favourite band,

or perhaps ‘the best band you’ve never heard of’ –

You won’t regret it !! 

You can find out more about WemsFest here. If you’d like to contact us or join our mailing list, please email adwemsfest@gmail.com – You can also contact us on 01243 370501 or 07802 500050.

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