‘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 are September 19-21 – put it in your calendar and get your tickets here!

Please click the images above to learn more about our collaboration with Quimantu:

The Surtierra Touring Project and to donate to help us deliver this special community project!

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: Final (local) Surtierra Touring Project performance, in Portsmouth!

Our final local performance of the Surtierra Touring Project is getting closer! We are so ready, and so excited, for this performance 

Our WemsFest Choir will be performing alongside two other choirs, the Southampton & Winchester Visitors’ Group Choir and the Andover Museum Loft Singers Choir – meaning we’ll be nearly 100 singers on stage!  

This performance will take 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’ll have 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💪🏽 ❤️ 💪🏽

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

 

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 were 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 on to 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.

 

3rd Emsworth ‘January Blues’ Festival was 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!  Hopefully 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 🙂

 

Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas were sublime at Chidham

Scottish fiddle meets California cello, and everybody wins!  Alasdair and Natalie came all the way to Chidham (on a tour that largely focused on Yorkshire and Scotland) to play new and old music from their six award-winning albums (covering 20 years of playing together), plus some surprises to delight us all.  

 

The Soul Train rolled through Westbourne 

On a wild and windy November night, The Soul Train rolled through Westbourne! 🚂

DJs Richard ‘Tricky’ Marsh & Martin Jackson, of the wildly popular Friday night ‘Soul Train’ radio show on The Flash On Air – ‘Where Real Music Lives’, spun 60s & 70s Soul, Motown, R&B, Stax, Atlantic, Rare Groove, and Northern Soul.

2nd InOurArea Creative Café brought locals together

Last year, WemsFest launched a new initiative, ‘InOurArea’. We hope that this will be a regular opportunity for thinkers, doers, artists, activists, anyone who has an idea and wants to find local like minds to help discuss and collaborate!

We had a fantastic turnout at our inaugural InOurArea event last November – loads of connections made, ideas shared, and projects progressed.  The second ‘InOurArea’ Creative Café took place on Sat 23rd Nov from 4-6pm, upstairs at The Crown Inn, Emsworth, PO10 7AW.  We heard about Mark’s vision for a year-round programme of Emsworth events, and discussed local issues of importance to those in attendance.  

Mark is hoping to organise another meeting in February – for anyone who would like to come and meet other locals and get involved in our local community 🙂

 

Capercaillie gifted us an incredible evening in St James Church

We didn’t even have enough time to update the website between Friday and Saturday’s gigs!  Capercaillie have since come and gone; we felt like lottery winners, having scored one of the few highly-coveted autumn tour dates!  

Thank you to the audience who travelled long distances to see the band – including Cristian who came from Italy to catch his 100th Capercaillie show!  And a huge thanks to the band for bringing their music, which has touched so, so many over the last 40 years 🙏🏻

 

Irrelevant Elephant & DJ Mark Covell slayed in Westbourne 🔥🔥

BBC Children In Need fundraiser dance party 

Our sequel of last year’s hugely popular Irrelevant Elephant x DJ Covell dance party took place on a chilly Friday night when the punters did their best to stay warm on the dancefloor at Westbourne Community Hall (AKA Westbourne Club).  We thought Irrelevant Elephant sounded even better than last year, and were delighted to welcome Mark Covell back from Barcelona.  We are grateful for your support of this event where 10% of all ticket sales, and all donations on the evening, went to BBC Children In Need. 

 

Boo Hewerdine & Heidi Talbot finally came to WemsFest!

We were thrilled that Boo Hewerdine & Heidi Talbot finally made it to our WemsFest stage after illness necessitated a postponement of last year’s show.  A broken guitar string nearly derailed the whole evening, but luckily Boo had brought some creative merchandise which saved the show 😉 

Fairport Convention play to a packed St James Church

We were delighted, but not surprised, that so many of you came to see Fairport Convention at WemsFest again!  Thank you for your support – it was a full house! 

Justin Adams & Mauro Durante attract audience from far & wide

An acclaimed collaboration between Robert Plant‘s former guitarist, Justin Adams, and Italian fiddle, guitar, and percussion player, Mauro Durante, their music is rooted in the fascinating tradition of Taranta – the healing rituals of Southern Italy. It’s atmospheric and hugely danceable.

Justin Adams, guitarist, producer and composer, has been a chief collaborator with Robert Plant in his band, the Sensational Spaceshifters, co-writing a series of four albums and touring the world. His production on landmark albums by Tinariwen and Rachid Taha highlights his feel for North African groove, while his award-winning project with Gambian maestro Juldeh Camara, ‘JUJU’, linked griot tradition with raw blues spirit. His recent solo album of guitar atmospherics, ‘Ribbons’, was cited among the top 50 albums of the past decade by Songlines Magazine.

Mauro Durante toured the world for many years with Ludovico Einaudi, playing violin and frame drums. He is one of the leading players in the pizzica style of Southern Italy and leads Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, who have played great festivals all over the world. Last year CGS were featured in their own concert at the BBC Proms (where Justin Adams guested with them) and they won Best Group in the Songlines Music Awards.

This new collaboration stems from a concert led by Ludovico Einaudi, the Notte della Taranta in Puglia, where the two first played together, recognising kindred spirits in the trance rhythms of Taranta which transcend “melancolia” or the blues. Together they create a raw, stripped-back sound that moves and mesmerises.

 

Maroon Town performed for approx 1145 students in a week!

We were delighted to have these cool cats back in town!  Maroon Town’s Rocksteady Royals played Westbourne Community Hall again, and there was plenty of dancing 💃🏽🕺🏽

The band worked tirelessly in the run-up to their evening gig, completing five whole days of school workshops, in honour of Black History Month, at Emsworth Primary, St James Primary, Westbourne Primary, Springfield Secondary, & Bishop Luffa Secondary schools.  Feedback from the schools, students, parents, and teachers has been simply incredible.  Big shoutout to Mia (age 7) for being brave enough to come dance on stage on Friday night!

 

The Magpies made their WemsFest debut in Chidham!

It has only been a short space of time since The Magpies burst onto the UK folk scene, but they have already made a huge impression with their fresh brand of neo-folk, and have been ‘making waves wherever they play’ (Phil Beer, Show of Hands).  The Magpies are three young English women, all established artists in their own right, who have come together to form this trio – they’ve already played all the festivals!  At The Old Malthouse in Chidham, they delivered their gorgeous brand of ‘transatlantic folk’, merging Celtic folk, bluegrass, & Appalachian tradition, on guitar, banjo, and fiddle, with beautifully sung harmonies from Bella Gaffney, Holly Brandon, & Ellie Gowers.

 

Greg Douglass & band played all the Steve Miller Band classics!

NOT another tribute band!!  We were delighted to welcome Greg Douglass, one of the Steve Miller Band‘s stalwarts, for a night of Steve Miller Band classics, and more.  Especially loved the guitar soloing at the end!  Enjoy the rest of the tour!

 

Lulo Reinhardt & Yuliya Lonskaya: simply outstanding!

We were delighted to present these two wonderful world-class guitarists, whose onstage chemistry has wowed audiences over the past 2 years. At its core is gypsy swing, but add influences from North Africa, and India, then folk, jazz, bossa nova, baroque, and romanticism – we had a fascinating evening of music!

 

Veronica Sbergia & Max De Bernardi impressed us all!

Veronica Sbergia & Max De Bernardi came to WemsFest on an explosively rainy night and warmed the audience right up!  Their blend of country, blues, and ragtime was just what the crowd ordered for a midweek pick-me-up.  We wish them the best for the rest of this UK tour, and hope that they’ll return!

 

That’s a wrap on the 8th Emsworth Beer, Cider, & Wine Festival!

Thanks to everyone who attended our 8th Emsworth Beer, Cider, & Wine Festival!

The 2024 festival took place over the weekend of the 13th, 14th, & 15th September, in the Emsworth Community Centre, North Street (behind the fire station), PO10 7DD.

Our festival always features  a huge range of delicious drinks – including at least 26 different cask-conditioned ales from far and wide – but certainly including our local heroes Langham Brewery, carefully selected wines by the glass from Bush Vines and Vin Wines, and a range of ciders

PLUS!
– Indian street food from Darbar Emsworth
– live music from Andy Beaumont (Friday night), Southampton Ukulele Jam (Saturday afternoon), and Spinnaker Shanty with The Rollicking Nancies (Saturday night)
– outdoor seating area
– indoor ‘chill-out’ room showing silent films

AND ALL PROFITS TO A GOOD CAUSE!
All your drinking helps us bring Maroon Town Band to 5 local Hampshire & West Sussex schools for musical workshops this October, for Black History Month

Le Vent du Nord returned to WemsFest and there was dancing in the aisles 🙂

Le Vent du Nord sound great WITHOUT INSTRUMENTS. Now we know what they can do when they add in bouzouki, fiddle, guitar, bass, accordion, keyboard, and of course hurdy gurdy and their feet! (podorhythmie – using the feet to tap and beat just like a drum)

The result is stunning, and had our enraptured audience on their feet and jigging down the aisles – we are already awaiting their next tour!

 

 

Barry ‘The Fish’ Melton and his band – back in the UK for the first time since the 1970’s!

Including David Bennett Cohen of Country Joe and the Fish

Our WemsFest audience had a rare opportunity to savour some of the music of one of the finest psychedelic rock bands in the world!
We were delighted to welcome two former members of Country Joe And The Fish: Barry Melton on lead vocals and guitar, David Bennett Cohen on guitar/keys, plus Canadian guitarist Natalie Martel on rhythm guitar, Steve Browning on bass, and Bernie Fox on drums, to the Emsworth Sports & Social Club on a Wednesday night in July, for a real throwback to the heady days of decades ago.

 

Gonora Sounds – worth the wait!

From the streets of Zimbabwe to the Chidham Village Hall

Gonora Sounds is a family band that has been busking on the streets of Zimbabwe since 2004, entertaining thousands of commuters with their street beat – dubbed ‘Gonora Sounds’ by regular revellers.

The evening ran on ‘Africa time’ – big thanks to the audience for their patience while we completed soundcheck, and for their stamina as the band then steamrolled right through any idea of an interval!  Though the timing was unorthodox, the dancefloor was full and everyone went home with joy in their hearts for the power of music to bring us all together!

 

Golden Shoals!  All the way from Nashville, to Chidham! 

Calling all bluegrass buddies, Americana aficionados, live music lovers & Old Time enthusiasts! Golden Shoals (Amy Alvey & Mark Kilianski) blend oldtime Appalachian traditions with fine original songwriting and excellent musicianship on fiddle, guitar and banjo. They combine Americana, bluegrass, folk, jazz and more, involving traditional and contemporary influences to great effect – winning a whole audience of new fans at their WemsFest gig.

 

Flook returned to WemsFest!

Flook returned to WemsFest, and we bloody loved it 🙂

This absolute powerhouse of a quartet, responsible for the ‘exploding excellence of instrumental folk music’ (fRoots Magazine), are:
Brian Finnegan – whistles and flutes
Sarah Allen – flutes and accordion
Ed Boyd – guitar
John Joe Kelly – bodhrán

The lucky audience was treated to a smashing evening of well-loved tunes alongside some brand spanking new arrangements that we just can’t wait to learn. (And learn the names of!)

Thank you Flook for coming back to WemsFest – we are already looking forward to next time 🙌🏽

📷 Naoki Fujioka

 

 

London Astrobeat Orchestra played Talking Heads!

Presented in collaboration with African Night Fever, this collective of musicians from West Africa, Europe & beyond offered a completely unique, razor-sharp, liquid funk & jaw-droppingly tight take, on the finest of the Talking Heads‘ timeless and totally danceable classics.  

 

Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman brought beauty to Chidham

We were spoiled again when Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman brought their beautiful partnership to The Old Malthouse, singing songs ranging from their latest album Almost A Sunset, to one that Kathryn wrote when she was 13!  The duo have long established themselves as one of the UK folk scene’s most rewarding and enduring partnerships, twice winning BBC Radio 2‘s ‘Folk Duo of the Year’.  We’re so glad they joined us for this gorgeous night in Chidham!

 

Steve Wickham & Ray Coen showed off their technical wizardry at The Old Malthouse

The WemsFest audience enjoyed a rare opportunity to enjoy Steve Wickham, The Waterboys’ fiddle player of more than 35 years, together with Ray Coen, his NoCrows colleague. The two of them played Wickham Festival last summer.  At The Old Malthouse in Chidham, they dazzled! 

 

Feast of Fiddles 30th Anniversary Spring Tour is epic! 

Born in Nettlebed on Valentine’s Day 1994 as a one-off special concert, Feast of Fiddles has done 28 spring tours, 26 festivals and has 7 CDs to its name. They’ll be headlining the New Forest Folk Festival and also opening up Fairport’s Cropredy Convention this summer. Not bad for a bunch of old folk-rockers!  We loved having them at St James Church!

 

Ímar returned to Emsworth with plenty of energy!

BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners, Irish/Manx/Scottish quintet Ímar are amongst Glasgow’s hottest folk property.  They revved up the WemsFest audience back in April 2022 and people are still talking about it – we had to have them back!  This show was no less energetic – gorgeous sounds and we can’t wait for next time.

 

Lindisfarne fans: ‘In all the years of seeing the band, tonight was the best one I’ve seen’ 😍

Legendary 70’s Tynside folk-rock pioneers Lindisfarne brought a classic five-piece line-up of long-time members fronted by founder-member Rod Clements on vocals, mandolin, fiddle, and slide guitar.  Lindisfarne have a reputation for live performance second to none.  Their power to galvanise audiences remains undimmed and is guaranteed to get the crowd on their feet and singing along.  They did not disappoint!

 

 

Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham came back to Emsworth 🙂

That’s right, the legends Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain came back…..rocks of the Transatlantic Sessions.  Gods of trad!
A stunning show.  Please come back again next year!

 

Martin Simpson at The Lens – simply stunning!

Martin Simpson is one of the best acoustic guitarists in the world, and a multi-award winning artist, and we were delighted to welcome him back to WemsFest, this time at The Lens Studio at Portsmouth Guildhall.  His new album, Skydancers, drops April 12th – but we got to hear the title track live and are all now going to champion the cause of the Hen Harrier!

 

Blazin’ Fiddles burned bright in Emsworth

Yippee, the Blazers came back!  2024 sees the 25th year of the Blazin’ Fiddles – who are winners of the MG ALBA / Na Trads Hands Up for Trad Scotland’s Folk Band of the Year 2023 (and 2019, and 2013), as well as Live Act of the Year (2004) and Album of the Year (2005).  And they showed us exactly why, with a gorgeous and fun performance at St James Church in Emsworth!

 

Ian Siegal hit all the right notes at The Old Malthouse

Ian Siegal is an award-winning Bluesman with a well-deserved international following and a great collection of acclaimed recordings.  3-time winner of British Blues Awards ‘Acoustic Artist of the Year’, we were delighted to bring him to the intimate and atmospheric venue of The Old Malthouse (AKA Chidham Village Hall) for an evening of first-class Blues!

 

McGoldrick, McCusker, & Doyle did NOT disappoint!

What a treat for Leap Day!

Mike McGoldrick, John McCusker, & John Doyle are no strangers to WemsFest, having graced our stage in 2018 and 2020, and should need no introduction. 

We were thrilled that this trio of superstars came back to WemsFest – this time to the Lens Studio Theatre in Portsmouth Guildhall – and we are already looking forward to having them back again soon.

 

Brìghde Chaimbeul treats WemsFest to a proper soundbath

 

Brìghde Chaimbeul came to Chidham and entranced us all! We were thrilled that she chose WemsFest as one of only 5 stops on her England tour this month.  

From the Isle of Skye, this smallpipes player has pushed the boundaries of Celtic music to new boundaries.  She’s a BBC Radio2 Horizon Award Winner & the youngest ever winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award.

We saw her play at Wickham Festival last summer and she wowed the crowd! 

‘Folk Album of the Month’ – The Guardian
‘Exciting, unusual and gorgeous’ – Songlines
📷 @cami.lemoine

 

DJ Party Night –  the Soul Train has left the station!

On Sat 17th Feb, over 100 people boarded THE SOUL TRAIN!  Driven by Richard ‘Tricky’ Marsh and Martin Jackson – spinning 60’s & 70’s Soul, R&B, Motown, Stax, Atlantic, Rare Groove, & Northern Soul.  We sensed a night of thirsty work on the dancefloor, with the records spinning til nearly midnight, and we were right – you drank us dry!  Next time we’ll be ready for ya 😉

 

Michael Weston King & Lou Dalgleish sang ‘My Darling Clementine’ – a country duet!

We were excited to welcome back Michael Weston King & Lou Dalgleish – one of the most highly acclaimed country duos in the UK.  They appeared here nearly 2 years ago and since then they have had a busy performance programme taking them all over Western Europe, reinterpreting the songs of Elvis Costello with their match-made-in-heaven harmonies.  The WemsFest audience enjoyed our first Sunday matinée performance (with fresh coffee) – something we will do again!

 

2nd Emsworth ‘January Blues’ Festival – smiles all around!

Presented in association with Harbour Records Emsworth, the 2nd Emsworth Blues Festival took place over the 2nd weekend in January 2024. 

On Friday 12th Jan, our local favourite Deborah Bonham brought her band back to St James Church Parish Hall.  Her show was a tremendous success last year and this year was no different with the tickets selling out well before the gig date.  

On Saturday 13th Jan, we were delighted to again present FREE MUSIC in the local pubs!  The Coal Exchange and The Crown Inn each hosted four acts (Dino Baptiste!  Jon Walsh!  JC & Angelina Grimshaw!  The Hot Tone Sinners!), who rotated between the packed pubs between 1-5pm. 

In the evening of Saturday 13th Jan, we closed out the Festival by bringing Errol Linton back to the WemsFest stage!  Cerys Matthews calls him ‘The greatest British Blues performing artist’ and they have been voted ‘The UK’s Best Blues Band 2023’ by the UK Blues Federation.  We were thrilled to have a chance to hear that harmonica and those smooth, smooth vocals, before Errol and the band head over to Memphis to represent the UK in the International Blues Challenge!  Best of luck boys

 

Also: SPRING 2024 Diary is here! 

Soooo much good music coming to these parts (THANK YOU MARK!) 

Deborah Bonham Band, Errol Linton & Band, (plus Mark Harrison, Dino Baptiste, & The Hot Tone Sinners!), My Darling Clementine, The Soul Train DJ Night, Brìghde Chaimbeul, McGoldrick McCusker & Doyle, Ian Siegal, Blazin’ Fiddles, Martin Simpson, Ímar, Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham, Lindisfarne, Feast of Fiddles, Steve Wickham & Ray Coen, London Astrobeat Orchestra presenting ‘The Talking Heads’, Flook, and Golden Shoals – all in the next 6 months!  

 

Kasai Masai workshops for children and adults,

and WemsFest Christmas Party Night –

all under our belt along with the mince pies!  

 

We were delighted to bring Kasai Masai to The Old Malthouse (AKA Chidham Village Hall) for WemsFest’s annual ‘Christmas Party Night’.  The band mixed the infectious dance grooves of Soukous, traditional Congolese folkloric music, and of course their own contemporary style and Kasai Masai magic, to get everyone on the dance floor.  

We were equally thrilled that two members of the band, Nickens and Otis, came to the area a day early, to deliver workshops in three local primary and secondary schools between Emsworth and Chichester.  These workshops were generously subsidised with funding from two benefactors – we are very grateful for this support and excited to have been able to provide match funding to reduce the cost of the workshops to the schools.

Finally, for anyone needing to sweat out the previous night’s mulled wine 🍷 and mince pies, we offered a FREE two-hour workshop in African drumming and dance, at The Old Malthouse (AKA Chidham Village Hall).  23 adults (and one enthusiastic 6-year-old) bravely tried something new, learning multiple Congolese drumming rhythms, attempting to sing while drumming, and learning to dance!  Well done to everyone who attended – another testament to our lovely audience 👏

 

Can the Can!

FREE Christmas Street Art Workshop created new decorations for Emsworth town centre, from recycled tin cans

On Sunday a small group gathered at Felix & Tabitha, AKA the Old Sorting Office on North Street, to make sustainable Christmas decorations for the Emsworth town centre, using tin cans collected in collaboration with the Final Straw Foundation.  Look out for the result on the roundabout this December!

 

MAROON TOWN! Rocked the joint!

We were completely thrilled to have Maroon Town come and treat us to another night of dancing at Westbourne Community Hall!  Maroon Town’s blend of Jamaican ska/reggae/Latin with tinges of rap/dub/breakbeat/jazz/funk got the crowd throwing the best shapes of the year so far. 

 

Locals love late night party night!

Nearly 150 people boogied the night away – shows us that people here just wanna dance! 

We will definitely do this DJ/band format with Irrelevant Elephant and DJ Mark Covell again – such an excellent time packing locals onto the dance floor with locals on stage and in the DJ booth, in the perfect local venue 🙌🏽

 

Boo Hewerdine & Heidi Talbot – SOLD OUT

The WemsFest audience are clearly excited about this gig – it’s been sold out for ages! 

We’ve had to postpone having this PowerDuo of Boo Hewerdine & Heidi Talbot on stage in the atmospheric setting of The Old Malthouse (AKA Chidham Village Hall) – due to illness – but we wish Boo a swift and thorough recovery, and will let all ticketholders know the new date (for which all original tickets will be valid), ASAP

 

Thrilled to have such a great response to the

‘InOurArea’ Creative Café!

WemsFest have launched a new initiative, ‘InOurArea’

‘Lil Jimmy Reed & the Bob Hall Band brought greatness to Emsworth

We brought a True Blues Legend to St James Church Parish Hall!  Leon Atkins has gone by the name of ‘Lil Jimmy Reed since the night he filled in for Jimmy Reed – he’s now touring, accompanied by UK legendary Blues piano player Bob Hall and rock-solid bass player Hilary Blythe as the last of the original Louisiana Bluesmen! 

 

Packed house for GNOSS in Chidham

GNOSS played for a capacity crowd at The Old Malthouse – everyone was dancing at the end! 

If you missed out on a ticket, we’ve added the first of our 2024 dates to this website (and our online ticket outlet) so get booking!

 

Blue Rose Code came to Emsworth – and we are grateful 🙂

Blue Rose Code is Edinburgh-born songwriter Ross Wilson. 

Time Out is said to have described Wilson’s performance:  ‘Imagine John Martyn, meeting a young Van Morrison, shipwrecked with a crate of Chet Baker records’.  

The WemsFest audience got to experience a bit of magic when Ross, Gus, & Lyle took the stage with their guitars (and a mandolin) at St James Church Parish Hall – we all loved it!

 

Boogie-Woogie with the King! Dino Baptiste & NightTrain played a fantastic show in Compton Parish Rooms

You’ve met this guy Dino Baptiste before – playing the keys for Dana Gillespie at last year’s 1st Emsworth Blues Festival!  He wowed us all then and we wanted him back for more.  He certainly delivered and will be returning to WemsFest again in the future!

 

Gasper Nali & Michael Mountain played Malawian Double-Double Bill in Chidham and Portsmouth 

We danced our way into Black History Month! 

Over the weekend of Sept 30/Oct 1, Michael Mountain and Gasper Nali delivered two great WemsFest shows and hooked a wide audience on Malawian music, including Michael’s homegrown reggae and Gasper’s homemade babatoni (single-stringed bass, played with a kick drum and an empty beer bottle!)

 

7th Emsworth Beer, Cider, & Wine Festival was a delicious success!

Festival was held at the Emsworth Community Centre, Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th September

(full list of beers & ciders is below just in case you need to refresh your palate…)

‘Audit’ (8%) Lacons (Great Yarmouth). Orange marmalade and maltiness, with damson and toffee

‘Barnsley Bitter’ (3.8%) Acorn (Wombwell). A proper Yorkshire bitter !

‘Best Bitter (Forever !) (4.0%) Dolomite (Chesterfield). One of England’s newest breweries.

‘Chequered Past’ (4.4%) Powderkeg (Woodbury Salterton).

‘Dark Mild’ (4.0%) Bank Top (Bolton). Coffee roast with a smooth fruit aftertaste

’87 Porter’ (6.5%) Elland (Elland) GBBF Overall Winner !  You decide !

‘Encore ‘(3.8%) Lacons (Great Yarmouth). Solid with a strong citrus support.

‘Fallow (5.8%) Burning Sky (Firle). An English IPA striking a comfortable balance Malt v Hops

‘Golden Best’ (3.8%) Green Jack (Great Yarmouth). Combination of German hops and Anglian malt

‘Grazing Girls’ (4.5%) Brew 61 (Bromsgrove). Crispy, fruity, and from down on the farm !

’Hip Hop’ (4.0%) Langham (Lodsworth). Strongly hopped and always popular.

‘Island Hopping’ (3.9%) Swannay Orkney). GBBF Session Bitter Winner !

‘Jaipur’ (5.9%) Thornbridge (Derby) . 6 hop-experience creates this American-style IPA

‘Lance’ (4.0%) Keltek (Redruth). Golden fruity and very easy drinking.

‘Little Sharpie’ (3.8%) Humpty Dumpty (Reedham). A great session bitter !

‘Mosaic’ (4%) Arbor (Bristol). Gluten-free with bold tropical flavours and floral aromas

‘Peanut Caramel Swirl’ (4.5%) Shiny (Little Eaton). Just try this delicious peanut/caramel Porter

‘Pit Hill Porter (5.8%) Dolomite (Chesterfield). Columbus, Magellan, Cook, Vespucci. You ?

‘Plum Porter (4.9%) Titanic (Burslem). Bags of flavour in this award-winning Porter.

‘Red Mill’ (4.3%) Humpty Dumpty (Reedham). Crisp, hoppy red ale with caramel and fruit notes

‘Ripper’ (8.5%) Green Jack (Lowestoft) A champion Barley Wine inspired by Belgian Tripel Ales.

‘Sourpuss’ (4.5%) Langham (Lodsworth).  Specially brewed for us.  Smooth and very drinkable.

‘Speak Easy Transatlantic Pale Ale’ (4. 3%) Powderkeg (Woodbury Salterton) Hugely popular !

Strength in Numbers’ (6.5%) Roosters (Harrogate)  Who thinks the West Coast is the best coast ?

‘Wheelie Pale (4.1%) Fixed Wheel (Blackheath). Blend of Citra/Blanc, Magnum/Cardinal hops

‘Yorkshire Blonde’ (3.9%) Ossett (Ossett). Who doesn’t love one ? Full-bodied, round and sweet

 

CIDERS: 

‘Cloudy Cider’ (4.5%). Using a variety of Herefordshire Apples.  Gluten free.

‘Chucklehead Medium’ (7%) Chucklehead (Devon) One of the most popular Devon ciders around.

‘Wasp’s Blood  (5.9% )  Apple’s Bloom (Nutbourne) Medium Cider locally-made with the juiciest of red apples. In bottles only.

‘Rum Cask’ (5.6%) Hallets (Newport, Wales) Aged in rum casks and deservedly popular.

 

Rod Picott launched WemsFest Autumn Diary

Wednesday 20th September at The Old Malthouse (AKA Chidham Village Hall)

On a rainy night on England’s South Coast, Rod Picott kept the room cosy with his guitar, his soulful voice, and his songs about life in America

 

Autumn ’23 Diary has dropped!

WemsFest are delighted to present a jam-packed programme to entertain you this autumn – and we are so grateful to our dedicated audience for allowing us to bring these fantastic artists to our little patch of the #southcoast!  Pull up a chair and make sure you’ve got tickets to see the incredible artists who are coming your way this Autumn.  See the September dates below! 👇🏽

We kick off the season with Rod Picott, who will bring his Nashville-Americana sound to The Old Malthouse (AKA Chidham Village Hall) on Thurs 20th Sept

The 7th Emsworth Beer, Wine & Cider Festival 🍻🍷will be held at the Emsworth Community Centre over the weekend of Fri-Sun 22nd-24th Sept

Sat 30th Sept & Sun 1st Oct see us kicking off Black History Month with a Malawi special double-double-bill! Gasper Nali and Michael Mountain will both play both nights – Saturday night at The Old Malthouse (AKA Chidham Village Hall) and Sunday night at The Lens Theatre at Portsmouth Guildhall (tickets direct from Portsmouth Guildhall)

 

 

Come catch your favourite band,

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

You won’t regret it !! 

 

We are committed to running our events safely. Please do not attend events if you feel unwell or if you think you may have come into contact with someone with Coronavirus. We are unable to give refunds so please feel free to pass your tickets on to family and friends if you cannot attend.

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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