Old Baby Mackerel play high-energy, foot-stomping Bluegrass featuring some of the UK’s best Bluegrass musicians. Be prepared to be transported back in time to the early 20th century and across the Atlantic to North America where songs dramatized the small town fascination with locomotion, religion and the veneration of whisky and bootleg liquor. Gathered around a single condenser microphone in the true Bluegrass style, the sounds of banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle and double bass blend lightning-fast rhythm, virtuosic solos and evocative harmonies to get knees bouncing and elbows swinging.

In the last four years Old Baby Mackerel have been featured on BBC radio, played Glastonbury Festival festival twice (2019 and 2022), sold out venues across the UK and played at festivals and venues all over the UK, Ireland, Europe and Thailand.

This band will definitely get your feet moving, so buy your Early Bird tickets now!

Bluegrass band The Often Herd transcend the traditional boundaries of the genre. Although they might resemble an American string band, complete with driving energy, tight vocal harmonies and dazzling instrumental interplay, their vibrant, transatlantic sound is deeply coloured by their surroundings; the striking natural and industrial landscapes of Northern England. This unique approach won them the title of “Best European Bluegrass Band 2018” at the prestigious La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France.

Rupert Hughes (guitar) and Evan Davies (mandolin), write songs steeped in personal experience whilst drawing from a wide pool of influences ranging from old-time to psychedelia. American-born fiddler Niles Krieger and jazz bassist Sam Quintana add fiery instrumental skills to the mix, launching the band’s arrangements into the stratosphere. Together, their sound is both boldly contemporary and soothingly familiar, taking time-honoured traditions to new places with a fresh perspective.

Don’t miss The Often Herd at Didmarton 2024, buy your Early Bird tickets while you can!

Taff Rapids Stringband are a rising bluegrass sensation from Cardiff, known for their refreshing take on the genre. This dynamic ensemble has channeled their influences from the bluegrass forefathers right up to progressive bands such as the Punch Brothers. Their repertoire ranges from traditional bluegrass classics to captivating originals and by incorporating bluegrass songs sung in Welsh, they also infuse their heritage into the music and bring a unique touch to their performance. Invited to participate in the International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass, Taff Rapids Stringband’s electrifying performance, rich harmonies and instrumental prowess, is catching the attention of everyone they perform for.

Don’t miss out, buy your Early Bird tickets while you still can!

Pet Yeti is certainly more than the sum of it’s parts, an explosive live act not to be missed! High octane solos, lonesome harmonies and trendy footwear. This five-piece band have an impressive list of achievements and awards between them. Reuben and Benjamin Agnew (guitar and bass), two brothers from Northern Ireland, were 2015 BBC Young Folk Award finalists. Kieran Towers (fiddle) is becoming a name to watch out for on the UK and US bluegrass and old-time scenes. Joe Tozer (mandolin) has toured extensively in the UK, Europe and Canada. John Breese (banjo) is another familiar face on the UK scene, since graduating from his Masters’ Degree on classical guitar in 2011, he has gone on to tour and teach internationally with the banjo and double bass in various bands.

Don’t miss out on seeing this band, buy your Early Bird tickets while you still can!

The Carrivick Sisters are one of the UK’s top young bluegrass and folk acts. Twins Laura and Charlotte perform their original songs and instrumentals along with a few carefully chosen covers on guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, and clawhammer banjo. Their busy touring schedule is rapidly building them a reputation for engaging and entertaining live performances with tight sibling vocal harmonies and multi-instrumental virtuosity. Having grown up in South Devon, an area rich in folk lore and legends, much of their original material is inspired by their local surroundings and history. As well as touring all over the UK, they have performed at festivals in Canada and mainland Europe. In 2008 Laura achieved 2nd place at the RockyGrass Fiddle Contest in the U.S., the sisters were BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards 2010 finalists and were named Band/Duo of the Year in the 2011 FATEA Awards. This pair are most definitely an act not to be missed at Didmarton this year!

Whiskey Deaf Duet – Annie Staninec and John Kael, are a Portland, Oregon, U.S. duo with a passion for finding lesser-known traditional bluegrass and old-time songs and crafting them to their particular style. They both play and teach multiple instruments, have toured nationally and internationally, and have each received awards and recognition from the International Bluegrass Music Association and others.

Annie is a uniquely gifted fiddle player, bringing driving rhythm, musicality and joyful exuberance to every performance. She has toured the world with artists spanning from Peter Rowan to Rod Stewart, and is on countless recordings in a variety of musical styles.

John plays guitar, banjo and mandolin equally deftly, has a repertoire of literally hundreds of traditional songs, and is an award-winning songwriter himself.

John and Annie both share a deep knowledge of traditional American musical styles – they provide a highly entertaining and even educational performance and Annie’s fiddling is 100% guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

Don’t miss out, buy your Early Bird tickets from our website while you can!

The William Bakerfield Band are Loraine and Pete Baker-Wakefield along with Stu and Jo Williams. They formed to perform at the Junction Bluegrass ‘Bresfest’ weekend two years ago and enjoyed it so much they’ve been singing and playing their favourite songs together ever since.

Pete and Loraine have performed as the duo Bakerfield for many years while Stu and Loraine have played in bands together for longer than they care to remember. Jo and Stu had only ever played in their kitchen so they’re now enjoying performing together on stage.

Pete, Loraine and Jo provide all the vocals (along with guitar, mandolin, double bass and fiddle) while Stu plays banjo and critiques their harmonies!

After many Sunday afternoons playing, singing and eating biscuits they’re looking forward to performing in 2024 and beyond.

This is another band not to miss out on, so why not head to our ticket page and secure your bargain price tickets now.

The Ragged Out String Band play an infectious and energetic take on Old-Time Appalachian Folk Music and Bluegrass. The band have been at the forefront of the UK Americana scene for some years now and have become regular fixtures at many of the country’s leading venues and festivals. ‘The musicianship is top-notch and the playing and singing is tight.’ – British Bluegrass News. ‘An honest, well-executed performance with brilliant playing.’ – Old Time News. Expect fiery fiddle tunes and songs backed up by a driving rhythm section of guitar and banjo. The band are Emily Smith (fiddle), Joe Auckland (banjo) and Andy Quelch (guitar) and their joyous sound is sure to put a smile on your face and a spring in your step.

Don’t forget to buy your tickets in advance to get them at a bargain price!

Our next artist announcement for Didmarton 2024 is Brooks Williams & Aaron Catlow. They create joyous and virtuosic music that not only tugs at the heart-strings, but also gets you up on your feet. AmericanaUK writes, “How such a complete and sensational sound can come from just two voices and two instruments is awe-inspiring.”

Aaron Catlow is half of the Bristol-based duo Hawes And Catlow, with guitarist-singer Kit Hawes. He is also the fiddler in UK festival favourite Sheelanagig. Catlow’s other credits including playing with Grammy Award-nominated Yola, Mad Dog Mcrea and Afro Celt Sound System.

Cambridge UK-based, Georgia US-born, Brooks Williams has a long-standing solo career in both North America and the UK and is also known for his collaborations with Boo Hewerdine, Dan Walsh, and Rab Noakes, among others. He is named one of WUMB-FM Boston’s Top 100 All-Time Artists.

The music this duo create with just a guitar and fiddle is not to be missed!

Afternoon all, our next announcement is another band coming to Didmarton for the very first time, the fabulous Naomi Bedford and the Ramshackle Band.

Naomi Bedford is an English singer working in the folk and country genres. She has made four acclaimed albums; most recently ‘Singing It All Back Home’, a collection of Appalachian ballads which was a Guardian Album of the Month in 2019. Her previous albums have featured contributions from UK music legends such as Justin Currie, Andy Summers, Alasdair Roberts and Paul Heaton. She also regularly performs and records with Paul Simmonds, chief songwriter and mandolin player with The Men They Couldn’t Hang.

Naomi has toured widely throughout the UK and appeared at many prestigious Festivals including Glastonbury, Cambridge, Celtic Connections, Sidmouth and Wickham. She has also appeared in session for Mark Radcliffe on Radio 2 and on BBC Radio Scotland. Among her many supporters are; Iggy Pop, ‘Amazing. Naomi pulls no punches’, Shirley Collins, ‘The best singer of Appalachian ballads that I know’ and Del Amitri’s Justin Currie, ‘An English Emmylou’.

The Ramshackle Band are a revolving troupe of musicians that feature guitars, banjos, lap steel, bass, percussion and rich harmonies, all of which combine to produce an entrancing folk/country/ceilidh hybrid that is all their own.

We know this band will be hugely entertaining and we can’t wait to welcome them and you to Didmarton 2024, so please buy your tickets early and don’t miss out! 😃