Good evening folks, here’s something that will surely brighten up your Monday, we are delighted to announce that the amazing Growling Old Men (U.S) will be coming to Didmarton 2025!

Ben Winship (mandolin & vocals) and John Lowell (guitar & vocals) are both veterans of the Northern Rockies acoustic music world, and have been performing and recording together since 1998. Together the duo presents a tight, yet relaxed set of original and traditional bluegrass songs, ballads and tunes – informed equally by the music of the Appalachian hills and the western plains.

In concert the Growling Old Men are engaging and spontaneous as they make a big sound for two guys. Their shows include a blend of well-rehearsed material and a few new songs hot off the press – they like to walk the edge of improvisational risk taking.

Ben Winship is a multi-instrumentalist and a founding member of Loose Ties, with whom he performed from 1986 to 1996. In the words of Tim O’Brien, “Ben is one of the acoustic music scene’s best writers.” In addition to the Growling Old Men, he also performs with Brother Mule, the Fishing Music Band and local Dixieland band the Jackson 6. Ben also runs a well-respected recording studio, the Henhouse.

John Lowell has been a major name in the Northern Rockies bluegrass and acoustic music scene for the past 45 years. Fronting two of the region’s finest bands – Wheel Hoss and Kane’s River – John has set a standard for rock solid guitar playing, great singing, and captivating songwriting. Minor 7th magazine said “Lowell flat-picks and sings with panache and a musicality that transcends genres”. His 2022 solo recording She’s Leaving Cheyenne was named #1 by Wyoming Public Radio and his song Angus MacKenzie won Working Cowboy Song of the Year. Most recently the International Western Music Association named John Songwriter of the Year and his recording Snow On The Wineglass was named Western Album of the Year. In December of 2024, he received the Montana Governor’s Arts Award, the highest honour bestowed upon artist working in the visual, literary or performing arts .

You will most definitely not want to miss these guys, so buy your tickets now while you can! 😀

It’s time to grab yourselves a bargain, Super Early Bird Tickets are on sale now! At just £85 for a full festival weekend, including camping, it’s incredible value, add to that anyone 17 and under on 29th August 2025 gets in free and BBMA members can get a further £5 discount, how can anyone resist such a bargain?

Good afternoon all you lovely bluegrass fans, anyone fancy a £5 discount on their already bargain price weekend ticket? We thought you might, well if you are a member of the British Bluegrass Music Association you can. Before you buy your tickets, just sent an email to tickets@didmarton-bluegrass.co.uk with your BBMA membership number and you will receive a special code to use when you make your ticket purchase. Simple as that! Super Early Bird tickets go on sale on the 1st November, don’t miss out on the festival bargain of the year! 😀

We have just received this wonderful certificate of thanks for your help in raising £700 via the raffle and in donations for Jessie’s Fund last weekend. Have a look at their website to read about the amazing work they do. 😃
https://jessiesfund.org.uk/

Big News! We are absolutely delighted to announce that not only are Hiscox Cases, who make world class instrument cases right here in the UK, offering all our festival attendees a huge 20% discount off their entire range of cases, but they have also donated an amazing prize for our raffle too! One lucky winner will receive a voucher for a free instrument case of their choice from their Standard or Pro2 range, which includes, but is not limited to, guitar, mandolin, fiddle and their brand new banjo case!

Here at Didmarton we are proud to have Hiscox Cases supporting our festival and the music and musicians we love so much. Many of us, including some of the festival committee, already own Hiscox Cases and know just how good they are at keeping our beloved instruments safe.

Festival ticket holders may receive an email with an exclusive discount code, but we’ll have flyers on site to give out and at the Merch table in the marquee. Raffle tickets are only sold on site and the draw will take place on Saturday night in the marquee, don’t miss your chance to win one of our amazing prizes.

See you in a few days, we can’t wait! 😀

The Devil’s Damned String Band are a bluegrass band from the South Coast of England. The boys offer a performance full of the energy and warmth of mountain bluegrass, with a mixture of original, traditional and contemporary songs. A band that is sure to get hearts pumping and feet stomping.

Don’t forget to buy your discounted advance tickets while you can!

Like so many of you, we were so sad to see the incredible Flats & Sharps announce their decision to disband, here at Didmarton we have been delighted to host many of their performances over the years and wish each one of them all the very best for their future endeavours. However, there is a bit of amazing news, the lads are having one last farewell weekend of gigs and we are honoured to say that the Sunday afternoon concert at Didmarton Bluegrass Festival will be their very last show! Don’t miss this last hurrah from one of the country’s finest bluegrass bands, please join us and give them the send-off they so richly deserve.

Flats & Sharps are a four-piece bluegrass outfit from Penzance, Cornwall. Delivering energetic, enthusiastic, and spirited Bluegrass to audiences all around the world, Flats & Sharps have been performing their unique take on this music for over ten years. Their shows include a wide variety of influences, from a fresh and modern outlook on foot-stomping Bluegrass material through to their powerful and well-crafted original songs, with beautiful moments everywhere in between. Their music perfectly blends strong harmonies and stonking solos, their incredible stage presence and energy create an evening that’ll have you dancing, laughing and singing along in no time. Over their time together, the band have made their presence known all around the world, including multiple tours in Australia, Europe and around the UK.

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!