An Dannsa Dub

Future dub from Ancient Scotland! Fusing the mystical energy and instruments of traditional Scottish music and Gaelic song to create heavy, meditative driving bass lines of dub music to fill the dance floor. Limited unreserved seating with lots of room for dancing. (PLEASE NOTE VENUE CHANGE FROM CHICHESTER TO WESTBOURNE)

An Dannsa Dub
Friday 11th September
Westbourne Community Hall (AKA Westbourne Club), River Street, Westbourne (near Emsworth), West Sussex, PO10 8TG
Doors open 7.30 for an 8pm show, limited unreserved seating with room for dancing
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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Formed in 2020, An Dannsa Dub (led by Tom Spirals and Euan McLaughlin) have been making waves. Twice nominated for Live Act of the Year at the Scots Trad Awards as well as the ’23 SAMAs, the band has garnered critical acclaim for their ability to seamlessly blend the mystical sounds of Gaelic song and traditional Scottish instruments with the pulsating rhythms and deep basslines of digital dub.

An Dannsa Dub have electrified crowds across the UK festival circuit and beyond, including Glastonbury Festival, Celtic Connections, Dubcamp (France), and Goa Sunsplash (India). Their distinctive sound, fueled by top-tier musicians, continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

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As always, we’ll have a licensed bar serving Langham Brewery 🍻 as well as wine, local cider, and a range of non alcoholic 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.

Boo Hewerdine & Yvonne Lyon

Yvonne Lyon and Boo Hewerdine‘s new collaboration, ‘Things Found In Books’, is an album of songs written in response to a notice board in Culzean Castle’s secondhand bookshop.

Notes, photographs, old receipts, letters, postcards and fragments of people’s lives had been collected and kept on the board on the wall among the bookshelves.

Forming an inimitable songwriting partnership, Yvonne and Boo weave these ephemeral stories with their own, creating an album full of nostalgia and beauty, hope and longing.

Boo Hewerdine & Yvonne Lyon will play The Old Malthouse (AKA Chidham Village Hall, Main Road, Chidham, West Sussex, PO18 8TP) on Friday 22nd May

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

Salt House

A delightful blend of heartfelt vocals and instrumental interplay influenced by the landscapes of the Scottish Highlands, Northumberland, and Shetland has given this trio a deserved reputation.

Jenny Sturgeon (vocals, keys, guitar), Ewan MacPherson (vocals, electric and acoustic guitars), and Anna Hughes (vocals, fiddle, viola, and tenor guitar) make their first visit to WemsFest and with a new album to boot !

Salt House have been a mainstay on the folk scene for over a decade. The band’s reputation as thoughtful and innovative interpreters of both ancient ballads and contemporary songs has been solidified with acclaimed album releases and extensive touring. Described as a “gentle, lulling delight” by The Guardian, Salt House blend heartfelt vocal and instrumental interplay, offering listeners a moment of reflection and connection. New songs that sound like they’ve always been here, ancient ballads woken up. Poems given melodies they’ve long deserved.

Jenny Sturgeon, who has a PhD in seabird ecology, is known for her introspective solo work and collaborations with Birdvox and Outliers. Through her creative output as a sound artist and songwriter she explores themes of landscape and human connections. Her solo project ‘The Living Mountain’ based on the writing of Nan Shepherd was released to wide critical acclaim.

Anna Hughes, a versatile multi-instrumentalist and composer, draws on her transitory life experiences to create music that reflects forgotten landscapes and the wonders of the natural world. Working across multi-disciplinary projects Anna is a sought after collaborator as well as working with duo project Watersmeet.

Ewan MacPherson, is a multi-instrumentalist and singer with over two decades of experience working at the forefront of the folk / trad music scene. He toured extensively with Shooglenifty for thirteen years, was a member of Malinky and Nu-Nordic Quartet Fribo. His session work includes a variety of artists from the British Isles and beyond. His most recent solo project album ‘Hushman’ was described by KLOF Magazine as “…a little masterpiece of confidence and understatement. Wonderful.”

“effortless” – BBC 6

“elegant” – Mojo Magazine

Salt House will play Westbourne Community Hall (AKA Westbourne Club, River Street, Westbourne, West Sussex, PO10 8TG) on Wednesday 4th March

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

Blue Rose Code (SOLD OUT)

‘Ravishingly beautiful, a burnished blaze of Caledonian Soul, muted jazz, and poetic recitation’ This comment from Uncut magazine succinctly describes this much lauded musician who has the rare quality of making you feel that he’s performing just for you.

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.

In 2025, WemsFest adds The Havana, Chichester, 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.

Come see Blue Rose Code at WemsFest at The Havana on Thursday 17th July in Chichester. You won’t regret it.

Tickets available now at Bookends and Harbour Records and online here