McGoldrick, McCusker, & Doyle

Does Folk Music arguably get better than when these 3 luminaries get together onstage ?
Michael McGoldrick – the English master of flutes, whistles, and Uillean pipes – is joined by his mates the renowned Scottish fiddler John McCusker and exceptional Irish guitarist/vocalist John Doyle to play blistering tunes, tear-jerking slow airs, and they add a liberal dose of humour – 3 mates on stage with awesome empathy in a room perfect for their music. They may look sombre but their music certainly isn’t !

🎶  McGoldrick, McCusker, & Doyle   🎵
🗓️ Thursday 4th March
📍 Chichester Assembly Rooms, The Council House, North Street, Chichester, PO19 1LQ
🕗 Doors open 7.30 for an 8pm show, unreserved seating
🍷 Licensed bar serving Langham Brewery 🍻


🎫 Tickets on sale now at Bookends and Harbour Records in Emsworth village, at The Westbourne Cafe in Westbourne Village, & online at www.WeGotTickets.com/WemsFest

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“Traditional music at it’s most graceful, ingenious and jaw dropping” – The Guardian

McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle are one of the most important and sought-after collaborations in contemporary Celtic music … a true folk supergroup whose influence reaches far beyond the tradition.

Individually, they are world-renowned artists; together, they form a trio whose instinctive interplay, decades-deep friendship and effortless command of their craft have made them a benchmark for modern folk musicianship.

Between them, Michael McGoldrick (flute, uilleann pipes, whistles), John McCusker (fiddle, whistles, harmonium) and John Doyle (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandola) have helped shape the sound of the genre for more than three decades. Their collective CV tells its own story: founding members of era-defining bands, vital members of the Transatlantic Sessions house band, BBC Folk Award winners, composers, producers, and solo artists whose fingerprints can be found across the most influential traditional and roots recordings of the last generation.

What elevates the trio even further is the extraordinary regard they command from their peers. As a collective, they are highly sought after for guest appearances and studio collaborations, bringing their unmistakable musical intelligence to projects across genres.  Their playing features on work by artists such as Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Paul Weller, Steve Martin, Joan Baez, David Gilmour, Eddi Reader, Julie Folwis to name but a few – testament to the respect they hold at the highest levels of the music world. When McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle appear on a record, it signals authenticity, mastery, and a deep-rooted connection to the heart of the tradition.

Their own trio work is equally acclaimed. From the instinctive brilliance of their first studio album The Wishing Tree to the electrifying spontaneity of their live concerts, they create music that feels both timeless and urgently alive. Sets unfold like conversations … tunes and songs passed back and forth with ease, humour, precision and playfulness … the kind of musical telepathy that can only come from growing up, travelling and playing together for most of their lives.

Bridging the Irish and Scottish traditions with grace and innovation, McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle have become a defining ensemble of their generation. Their performances are celebrated as masterclasses in ensemble playing, rich in tradition yet always forward-looking. Audiences and critics alike praise their shows as moments of musical alchemy: spontaneous, moving, and thrillingly alive.

As individuals they are exceptional; as a trio, they are iconic.

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As always, we’ll have our licensed bar serving delicious beers from Langham Brewery 🍻 as well as wines, local cider, nonalcoholic beers, & soft drinks

WemsFest is an entirely volunteer-run community interest company.

All profits from bar and ticket sales are reinvested into our local community, delivering musical workshops in local schools each October in celebration of Black History Month

This year our charity bucket on the bar is supporting relationships & sex education in local schools, delivered by Options Chichester – please do help us support this important work

If you require special assistance or have mobility difficulties, please contact us in advance at adwemsfest@gmail.com or 07802 500 050 and we will do our very best to accommodate you so that you are comfortable.

The Unthanks in Winter

The Unthanks are returning to WemsFest! 

🎶  The Unthanks in Winter  🎵
🗓️ Sunday 13th December
📍 Portsmouth Guildhall, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2AB
🕗 Doors open 7.30 for an 8pm show
🍷 Licensed bar 🍻


🎫 Tickets on sale midday Friday 19th June at https://www.portsmouthguildhall.org.uk/whats-on/event/the-unthanks-in-winter/ 

 

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Described as ‘the gold standard’ of all winter records alongside Frost and Fire by The Watersons in a five star review from The Times, The Unthanks In Winter is a dream-like winter fantasia, embracing both the dark and the light in the most ritualistic of seasons. Moving in and out of focus, like a memory, In Winter is a bittersweet hymnal to our shared winter experience. It’s an extensive, completist time-capsule of the season, featuring Christmas tunes known throughout the world from multiple cultures, mixed with the traditional and the newly written, all passed with great care and love through The Unthanks filter.

In Winter has been described as “an artful triumph” (Songlines), “a massive statement” (Klof), “the definitive folk album for winter” (TradFolk), “the essence of winter in all its emotional complexity” (FATEA), “an absolute gem and one of the finest albums the Unthanks have given us yet” (Narc), “truly beautiful music, full of winter chill and familial warmth” (Buzz), “As breathtaking as freezing air” (The Telegraph), “a rare beast that transcends the notion of a Christmas album” (Silent Radio), “the familiar made strange” (The Wire) and “a timeless celebration of winter. One of the few albums of its type to transcend its limited purpose” (Record Collector).

In their typical magpie style, The Unthanks collect and reimagine, at once unique and familiar, inventive but natural and effortless. Hear a Tyneside band playing a German Christmas song in the style of The Beach Boys; a Spanish carol performed by English folkies through the filter of Tom Waits; a French carol given desert-blues menace, a newly written tribute to the NHS to the tune of O Holy Night; a wintry opening piece inspired by A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten; traditional wassails and old stories coloured with folk noir and traces of Vincent Guaraldi’s Merry Christmas Charlie Brown.

In Winter is a world in itself, capturing the warmth and nostalgia of the festive season, the chill and darkness of the winter months, and the reflective ritualisms of the turn of the year; the end and beginning of the circle of life.

 

 

Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet

Super excited for this gig featuring one of the greatest voices on the planet PLUS Emsworth’s own Biff Roxby on trombone!

🎶 Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet 🎵
🗓️ Friday 20th November
📍 Westbourne Community Hall (AKA Westbourne Club), River Street, Westbourne, West Sussex, PO10 8TG
🕗 Doors open 7.30 for an 8pm show, unreserved seating
🍷 Licensed bar serving Langham Brewery 🍻

🎫 Tickets on sale now at Bookends and Harbour Records in Emsworth village, at The Westbourne Cafe in Westbourne Village, & online at www.WeGotTickets.com/WemsFest

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Rioghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet move with ease and confidence between swampy jazz, raucous brass, fractured funk, blues balladry, and gorgeous folkloric textures.  Connolly’s powerhouse vocals lead the charge, blending mischief, protest and vulnerability into something fiercely human and utterly live. Honeyfeet holds all of this together with a groove and a commitment to musical freedom. The lineup consists of Lorien Garth Edwards on bass, Ellis Davies on guitar, John Ellis on keyboards, Biff Roxby on brass, and Phill Howley on drums, forming a fluid and fearless musical unit.

At the heart of Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet is the indomitable Ríoghnach Connolly, whose voice is equal parts fierce, tender and fearless, connecting ancestral song traditions with contemporary storytelling. She has won the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Award for Best Folk Singer and BBC Radio 2’s Folk Singer of the Year. In early 2025, she joined Annie Lennox on stage at the Royal Albert Hall for “Sisters: Annie Lennox and Friends,” a landmark concert that raised funds for The Circle, Lennox’s global feminist organisation. Sharing the bill with artists including Celeste and Nadine Shah, Connolly brought her singular presence to a night that celebrated the transformative power of music and collective voice.

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As always, we’ll have our licensed bar serving delicious beers from Langham Brewery 🍻 as well as wines, local cider, nonalcoholic beers, & soft drinks

WemsFest is an entirely volunteer-run community interest company. All profits from bar and ticket sales are reinvested into our local community, delivering musical workshops in local schools each October in celebration of Black History Month

This year our charity bucket on the bar is supporting relationships & sex education in local schools, delivered by Options Chichester – please do help us support this important work

If you require special assistance or have mobility difficulties, please contact us in advance at adwesmfest@gmail.com or 07802 500 050 and we will do our very best to accommodate you so that you are comfortable.

Birdvox

 
🎶 Birdvox
🗓️ Thursday 5th November 🔥🔥
📍 Westbourne Community Hall (AKA Westbourne Club), River Street, Westbourne, PO10 8TG
🕖 Doors open 7.30 for an 8pm show, unreserved seating
🍷 Licensed bar serving Langham Brewery 🍻
🎫 Tickets on sale now at Bookends and Harbour Records in Emsworth village, at The Westbourne Cafe in Westbourne Village, & online at www.WeGotTickets.com/WemsFest
 
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Birdvox is an exciting new electro-folk band born from a mutual love of birds, harmonies and kitchen discos. Together they embrace energetic, shapeshifting synthesis and the joy of vocal interplay.  Expect velvet harmonies, considered lyrical stylings and lively bespoke beats.
 
Birdvox comprises four established, multi-tasking artist-producers:
– Sarah Hayes (vocals, flute, synths, programming)
– Charlotte Printer (vocals, bass)
– Jenny Sturgeon (vocals, guitar, synths, sampling)
– Inge Thomson (vocals, accordion, electronica, beats)
 
We saw them perform at Showcase Scotland at Celtic Connections this January and were very impressed, can’t wait to hear their debut album dropping in September!
 
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Birdvox will play Westbourne Community Hall (AKA Westbourne Club), River Street, Westbourne (near Emsworth), West Sussex, PO10 8TH on Thursday 5th November

Doors open 7.30pm for an 8pm show.
Unreserved seating

As always, we’ll have our licensed bar serving delicious beers from Langham Brewery 🍻 as well as wines, local cider, nonalcoholic beers, and soft drinks

All profits from bar and ticket sales are reinvested into our local community

If you require special assistance or have mobility difficulties, please contact us in advance at adwemsfest@gmail.com or 07802 500 050 and we will do our very best to accommodate you so that you are comfortable.

Ímar

A welcome back to one of the most exciting bands on the Celtic Music scene. The 5 band members of  Ímar hold a plethora of All-Ireland and All-Britain music titles, not to mention BBC Folk Awards, BBC Radio Scotland Awards, and more. Boasting members of Mec Lir, Mànran, Talisk, and RURA, this band are a joyful powerhouse of music who never rest on their laurels !

 

🎶  Ímar 🎵
🗓️ Tuesday 3rd November
📍 St James Church, Church Path, Emsworth, Hampshire, PO10 7DP
🕗 Doors open 7.30 for an 8pm show, unreserved seating
🍷 Licensed bar serving Langham Brewery 🍻


🎫 Tickets on sale now at Bookends and Harbour Records in Emsworth village, at The Westbourne Cafe in Westbourne Village, & online at www.WeGotTickets.com/WemsFest

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Adam Brown (bodhrán), Adam Rhodes (bouzouki), Mohsen Amini (concertina), Ryan Murphy (uilleann pipes) and Tomás Callister (fiddle) share a strong background in Irish music – although only Murphy actually hails from Ireland; Rhodes and Callister are from the Isle of Man, whilst Amini is a Glasgow native, and Brown originally from Suffolk – and it is these foundations which underpin many of Ímar’s distinctive qualities, in both instrumentation and material.

 

The band’s unmistakable synergy centers on the overlapping cultural heritage between Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. All three places once shared the same Gaelic language and a similar kinship endures between their musical traditions.

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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 and ticket sales are reinvested into our local community, delivering musical workshops in local schools each October in celebration of Black History Month

This year our charity bucket on the bar is supporting relationships & sex education in local schools, delivered by Options Chichester – please do help us support this important work

If you require special assistance or have mobility difficulties, please contact us in advance at adwemsfest@gmail.com or 07802 500 050 and we will do our very best to accommodate you so that you are comfortable.

Fairport Convention

Fairport Convention! in a fantastic new-to-us venue! 

🎶 Fairport Convention 🎵
🗓️ Tuesday 27th October
📍 Horndean Technology College (Barton’s Hall)
🕗 Doors open 7.30 for an 8pm show, unreserved seating
🍷 Licensed bar  🍻


🎫 Tickets on sale now at Bookends and Harbour Records in Emsworth village, at The Westbourne Cafe in Westbourne Village, & online at www.WeGotTickets.com/WemsFest

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The 4-piece line-up (sans DM) include this new (to us) venue and we couldn’t be happier.
Great sightlines and facilities, and just off the A3M. You know what to expect – bad jokes from Ric, deadpan bass-playing from Peggy, and combined great musicianship when Simon, and Chris join their buddies to romp through an ever-growing repertoire now dating back nearly 60 momentous years

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As always, we’ll have a licensed bar!

WemsFest is an entirely volunteer-run community interest company.  All profits from bar and ticket sales are reinvested into our local community, delivering musical workshops in local schools each October in celebration of Black History Month

This year our charity bucket on the bar is supporting relationships & sex education in local schools, delivered by Options Chichester – please do help us support this important work

If you require special assistance or have mobility difficulties, please contact us in advance at adwemsfest@gmail.com or 07802 500 050 and we will do our very best to accommodate you so that you are comfortable.

Lennie Gallant & Band

Lennie Gallant has just been named 2026 Canadian Folk Music Awards Solo Artist of The Year and we are so excited he’ll be making a stop at WemsFest this autumn!

 

🎶  Lennie Gallant & Band 🎵
🗓️ Thursday 3rd September
📍 Westbourne Community Hall (AKA Westbourne Club), River Street, Westbourne, West Sussex, PO10 8TG
🕗 Doors open 7.30 for an 8pm show
🍷 Licensed bar serving Langham Brewery 🍻


🎫 Tickets on sale now at Bookends and Harbour Records in Emsworth village, at The Westbourne Cafe in Westbourne Village, & online at www.WeGotTickets.com/WemsFest

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Lennie Gallant, an acclaimed East Coast songwriter with sixteen albums and numerous awards, has recently released his new album, Shelter From the Storms, which has received rave reviews and sold out shows across Canada. The album reflects on the turbulent times we live in while celebrating the human ability to navigate through hardship with community, love and laughter.

A rare UK show for one of Canada’s most revered songwriters and musicians. With over 16 albums to his credit and numerous music industry awards this is a very rare opportunity to see and hear one of Canada’s greatest up close and personal.

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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 and ticket sales are reinvested into our local community, delivering musical workshops in local schools each October in celebration of Black History Month

This year our charity bucket on the bar is supporting relationships & sex education in local schools, delivered by Options Chichester – please do help us support this important work

If you require special assistance or have mobility difficulties, please contact us in advance at adwemsfest@gmail.com or 07802 500 050 and we will do our very best to accommodate you so that you are comfortable.

Singing workshop with Windborne

An all-day (10am-4pm) singing workshop in-person with Windborne!

What: Singing workshop with Windborne (acclaimed singing quartet from the USA)
When: Saturday 1st August 10am-4pm (including a lunch break)
Where: Chichester New Park Centre (Old Dojo Room), PO19 7XY
Cost: £50
Bring: Packed lunch/snacks or money for lunch in Chichester, a water bottle, and a mug (if you’d like to make a cuppa)
Requirements: A love of singing and willingness to make musical fun!

Tickets for this event are available online only here, or via bank transfer (pay in full or 2 x £25 installments) – please email hellowemsfest@gmail.com for bank details 

Windborne offer Old Songs, Bold Harmony, and a Profound Vocal Experience. We are delighted that they’ll be spending a day with WemsFest to get us singing together!

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About the workshop:
This all-day workshop will take place in the heart of Chichester, at the New Park Community Centre (Old Dojo Room). Self-serve tea and coffee will be available throughout the day in the small kitchen next to the Old Dojo Room. There will be a lunch break where singers can eat a packed lunch in the Old Dojo Room, walk across the street to the park for some fresh air, or take a short (5-10 minutes) wander to one of Chichester’s many shops or cafes to purchase lunch.

There will be chairs for everyone in the Old Dojo Room, but we expect Windborne will get you up and moving at points! Please let us know at adwemsfest@gmail.com if you have any accessibility requirements.

 

About the singing:
“The most exciting vocal group in a generation,” Windborne draw on deep roots in vocal harmony traditions while bringing old songs vividly into the present. Known for innovative arrangements, their harmonies are bold, surprising, and richly expressive.

Specializing in close harmony singing, the ensemble moves effortlessly between dramatically different styles of traditional music. Their musical knowledge spans many continents and cultures, while remaining firmly grounded in American folk singing traditions.

In this workshop, they will teach songs from their American roots, including songs of protest and freedom from their albums To Warm the Winter Hearth and Song on the Times, alongside folk songs gathered during their travels. Open to everyone, the workshop is taught entirely by ear by Jeremy Carter-Gordon, Lynn Rowan, Will Rowan, and Lauren Breunig.

 

About the band:
With more than 20 years spent studying polyphonic music around the world, Lauren Breunig, Jeremy Carter-Gordon, Lynn Rowan, and Will Rowan bring vibrant energy to the stage and a blend of voices shaped by decades of friendship and dedicated practice.

Their performances guide audiences across continents and centuries, illuminating the remarkable power and variety of the human voice. Alongside the music, the singers share stories behind the songs and offer insight into the traditions and styles they perform, creating an experience that is both entertaining and deeply engaging.

TARRAN

TARRAN are an exhilarating contemporary folk group from Glasgow, with roots in both Ireland and New Zealand. We saw them perform at Celtic Connections and we are so excited to be bringing them to WemsFest!

🎶  TARRAN  🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🎵
🗓️ Saturday 13th June
📍 The Old Malthouse AKA Chidham Village Hall, PO18 8TP
🕗 Doors open 7.30 for an 8pm show, unreserved seating
🍷 Licensed bar serving Langham Brewery 🍻


🎫 Tickets on sale now at Bookends and Harbour Records in Emsworth village, at The Westbourne Cafe in Westbourne Village, & online at www.WeGotTickets.com/WemsFest

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TARRAN are: Sophie Joint (keys), Breanna Wilson (fiddle), Malachy Arnold (harp) and Rory Stark (whistle/bodhran). Using elements of funk, blues and contemporary rhythm, the band create a lively and innovative twist on traditional music.  Award-winners and title holders, they’re very much on a rapid rise to the top !

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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 and ticket sales are reinvested into our local community, delivering musical workshops in local schools each October in celebration of Black History Month

This year our charity bucket on the bar is supporting relationships & sex education in local schools, delivered by Options Chichester – please do help us support this important work

If you require special assistance or have mobility difficulties, please contact us in advance at adwemsfest@gmail.com or 07802 500 050 and we will do our very best to accommodate you so that you are comfortable.

John McCusker Trio (John McCusker, Sam Kelly, & Toby Shaer)

“

“One of the UK’s most gifted and versatile musicians in any genre, John McCusker is equally in demand as a multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer”. – The Guardian

The John McCusker Trio is led by John McCusker, one of the most revered traditional musicians of his generation. A multi-award-winning fiddle player, producer, and composer, John has been a linchpin of contemporary Celtic music for over three decades.

John is renowned for transcending musical boundaries. Since 2008, he has toured globally in Mark Knopfler’s band, playing iconic venues like Madison Square Garden and the Royal Albert Hall. He has also performed with David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Paul Weller, and Paolo Nutini. As an influential producer, John has shaped the folk landscape, working with Kris Drever, Kate Rusby, and Eddi Reader, alongside composing for major BBC and film soundtracks. His accolades include BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Musician of the Year.

He is joined by two of the UK folk circuit’s finest talents. Sam Kelly, a BBC Horizon Award winner and frontman of Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys, is celebrated for his spellbinding voice and genre-blending approach, which has taken him to Glastonbury and stages across Europe.

Completing the trio is Toby Shaer, a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist whose mastery of flutes, whistles, and guitars has made him a premier touring musician for Cara Dillon.

Together, The John McCusker Trio delivers a thrilling combination of instrumental brilliance, heartfelt songs, and unforgettable live energy. Their performances weave a rich tapestry of original compositions and traditional melodies, captivating audiences with warmth, humour, and world-class musical innovation.

The John McCusker Trio will play The Old Orchard (AKA Southbourne Village Hall, First Avenue, Southbourne (near Emsworth), West Sussex, PO10 8HN) on Sunday 7th June

Doors open 7.30pm for an 8pm show.
Unreserved seating

As always, we’ll have our licensed bar serving delicious beers from Langham Brewery 🍻 as well as wines, local cider, nonalcoholic beers, and soft drinks

🎫 Tickets on sale now at Bookends and Harbour Records in Emsworth village, at The Westbourne Cafe in Westbourne Village, and online at www.WeGotTickets.com/WemsFest

All profits from bar and ticket sales are reinvested into our local community

If you require special assistance or have mobility difficulties, please contact us in advance at adwemsfest@gmail.com or 07802 500 050 and we will do our very best to accommodate you so that you are comfortable.