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! 😃

Good afternoon and welcome to our second band announcement for Didmarton 2024. This time it’s the turn of a great European bluegrass band who first played for us in 2018, G-Runs ‘n’ Roses!

Upon hearing the name you expect to see a bunch of rough guys with tattoos and long hair, but the picture does not confirm your assumption. Luckily, these lads have other aces to pull out of their sleeves.

G-runs ‘n’ Roses are a young and energetic bluegrass band from the Czech Republic in the heart of Europe. They play both original and existing songs with a strong focus on solid rhythm and tight vocal harmonies. This is complemented with fancy instrumental solos and incorporated into elegant arrangements. However youthful their music may be, tasteful it shall remain, and the band retains a deep respect for traditional bluegrass music. The band was formed in July 2006 and their first CD “Learning To Fly” appeared in 2008. Their latest release “Gravity”, which features the second line-up of the band with Ondra Kozák on guitar, was released in May 2013. Both albums received enthusiastic reviews in the major bluegrass magazines.

Following a brief pause after the 2020 season, G-runs ‘n Roses returned to the scene in 2022 with a new line-up that still features veterans Ralph Schut and Milan Marek, but adds new members Vlado Krizan, Christopher Schut and Peter Burza.

The philosophy of G-runs ‘n’ Roses is, that if the band members are having fun, it shouldn’t be hard to share that fun with the audience. The result is a relaxed atmosphere, which gives every individual member enough space to add his own individual touch to the group’s music. Interaction with the audience is a key-element of any successful performance and the group will adapt itself to entertain audiences regardless of age or background.

Don’t miss this band they’re fantastic, so buy your advance tickets today!

Here at Didmarton Bluegrass Festival we love to encourage the younger generation to come to our festival and experience the music and atmosphere we all love so much and we understand how tight budgets are when trying to bring the whole family to a festival. So with that in mind we have decided to create a new tier of ticket prices to help make that happen and make it cheaper for families to attend. From today a Full Weekend Children’s Ticket for those aged between 15 and 17 (on 30th August 2024), when bought alongside an adult ticket, will be priced at just £30, a huge saving on all full weekend price tiers. When day tickets go on sale, there will also be Children’s Day Tickets available for those aged between 15 and 17 (on 30th August 2024), also priced at just £30 when purchased alongside an adult ticket. Children 14 and under still get into the festival for free.
If you have already purchased a ticket for a child that falls into this new price tier and would like a refund on the difference, please contact us via our tickets@ email address.

Hello folks, the long wait is finally over, it’s time to start revealing the amazing line-up we have in store for you at Didmarton 2024 and what better way to start than with the fabulous Campell/Jensen! Ashley Campbell and Thor Jensen form a unique meeting of musical genres as the duo Campbell/Jensen. With Ashley coming from the world of country and Americana and Thor having a diverse background from rock to gypsy jazz, they create a fresh sound as a duo.

Ashley Campbell, daughter of country legend Glen Campbell, began her career playing in her father’s band on several world tours and has found success as a solo artist in the country music scene. Her original music has taken her all over the world, from China to Japan, to the mainstage at London’s O2 Arena to opening for Kris Kristofferson and the Bellamy Brothers. She has also been spotlighted for her banjo playing with Rascal Flatts in the music video for their hit single “Banjo”.

Thor Jensen, a virtuoso guitarist and songwriter from New York has traveled many different roads. From touring the world with Hazmat Modine, playing Americana with Quiet Life opening for the likes of Dr. Dog, Portugal. The Man and Shovels and Rope, then onto joining the Stephane Wrembel Band, playing the music of Django Reinhardt, performing at Carnegie Hall and all over the world, all the while immersing himself in New York’s jazz scene.

Ashley and Thor met in late 2021 and have been playing music together ever since. Both being strong instrumentalists in addition to the combination of Thor’s deep baritone and Ashley’s clear as a bell vocals, together they make a one of a kind blend.

Don’t miss these two at Didmarton this year, buy your tickets now!

Yesterday we teased about some exciting news, well here it is. You’ve heard of Early Bird Tickets, well at Didmarton Bluegrass Festival we give you Super Early Bird Tickets! Not only that, but from 8am on 1st November, for a limited time, you can buy your full weekend festival tickets at last year’s Early Bird price of just £80!

Sadly our costs, like everyone’s, have skyrocketed in the last couple of years and if we are to survive we have little choice but to increase the price of our tickets to offset that. To this end full weekend tickets will be: Early Bird – £85, on sale from 1st February, Advance – £90 from 1st June and the On-The-Gate price will be £98.

However, if you buy your tickets between 1st November and 31st January, you will be able to buy your weekend tickets at last year’s Early Bird price of just £80, beat the increase and save almost £20 on the Gate price!

I’m not going to mention the ‘C’ word as it’s still Halloween, but, festival tickets do make the most excellent gifts for almost any occasion…

We look forward to seeing you in 2024!

Committee meetings have been had, ideas have been bounced around, very important decisions have been made and exciting things are afoot in regards to Didmarton 2024! ‘What exciting things’ I hear you cry? Oh come now, it would be little fun to tell you everything all at once, but the date is set, 30th August to 1st September and if you watch out on this or our Facebook page tomorrow, we’ll be making a big announcement you really won’t want to miss.