Festival Fringe

Hannah Cumming and David Mitchell are both experienced performers on the Folk scene. Having known each other for years, they have finally come together to form the dynamic folk duo Haze-Fire! They combine Hannah’s rhythmic, often improvisational, fiddle style with David’s particular classical/folk guitar, which mixes melody and percussive playing, to create their own unique sound.
Alongside keeping simple renditions of beautiful tunes, Haze-Fire’s sets also use varied arrangements of harmony and rhythm between the violin and guitar to take interesting and unexpected twists and turns to make the most of the music they arrange together.
As well as the instrumental music, Hannah’s soulful voice can be added; including more modern songs or tunes to mix up the Folk repertoire if needed!
Both are experienced musicians and as at home playing for listening as dancing audiences having performed for concerts, festivals, ceilidhs (Hannah is also an experienced caller), public and private events around the country at venues large and small.
Haze-Fire – luminous morning mist through which the dawn sun is shining (poetic).

Steve has been playing violin since the tender age of 9, so some 60 years! Originally playing classical violin in a number of amateur orchestras, Steve entered the folk world whilst at University.

He has played for Lancashire Clog, Rapper, Cotswold, NorthWest and Border Morris, currently leading The Hobos Morris band and also playing for Dorset Buttons Rapper and Arish Mel Ceilidh band

What started out as a drunken dare between a singer and a poet in a potting shed has evolved into a collective of musicians that have been writing, performing and recording together for over 10 years and gained a devoted local following.
Wimborne based folk-country-punk outfit The Two Man Travelling Medicine Show deliver a heady mix of acoustic ballads, stomping anthems, fairground-like melodies and socially aware lyrics. With catchy songs reflecting influences from Crosby Stills Nash and Young to Joy Division and a lineup of bass, guitars, banjo, mandola, violin, drums, percussion and 5-part vocal harmonies, the sound is big and mayhem is always close by.
As a FATEA magazine reviewer put it: ‘if you like The Levellers then this is your new favourite band’.

Although this session doesn’t have an official "lead", you are very welcome to turn up and play. Maybe on your own, maybe bring some mates, or maybe others will join you. You will be welcome during the daytime.

Tim Lacey has performed for many years as a bass player in original bands and song writing has always been an important part of his life.
He has now stepped out of his comfort zone, performing a set of newly written songs at events and open mics, gaining confidence as a singer/songwriter.
His music comes from the heart, powerful storytelling and life experience delivered with melodic enthusiasm. His first solo release ‘Flickering Candles’, released on 28th February 2025, tells of the
tragic story of ‘The Halsewell’ shipwreck off the Dorset coast from the perspective of a visiting scuba diver.
He’s currently recording and producing his first album to be released in the coming months and is actively out performing at local venues and events, his songs being well received.

Kelp! shantymen are a small, eclectic group of local men who have discovered the pleasure of singing traditional sailor’s working songs. Whilst Kelp! have more than 300 years of experience, most of it has nothing to do with singing shanties or songs of the sea. Neither do they have any formal training or coaching, which is reflected in the authentic delivery of their working songs, ballads and duets which takes the audience back to tough times at sea and wild times in port. Increasingly popular at local events over recent years, Kelp! has a wide appeal to young and old, their raw enthusiasm always proves infectious.

Salisbury-based folk singer and one half of award-winning folk duo Antoine & Owena, Antoine has been writing and performing for 25+ years and has an eclectic repertoire of original songs, mixed with traditional folk songs and a few more modern covers. Inspired by traditional and contemporary folk music, Antoine creates his own original blend of folk music that provides a feast for the ears, the heart and the feet. Antoine creates an eclectic mix of original and traditional material inspired by history, tragedy, love and hope. His original songs focus on story-telling, whilst his own take on traditional folk songs are stylishly sympathetic to the originals but given new tunes with a contemporary twist. Injecting a healthy dose of humour and storytelling into his live performances, Antoine keeps his audience entertained throughout.

Richard and Sophie sing and play a variety of songs and tunes using accordion, guitar and voices. Richard is a veteran of bands including Diggory Venn and Murphy’s Lore. Sophie has appeared solo or in duos on the folk scene and has written, produced and/or appeared in several folk-dramas including A Tolpuddle Man and To Win The Day with Time and Tide. Some of Richard and Sophie’s material is traditional, some contemporary. It could range from an old ballad to a set of tunes to set the feet a-tapping or a jolly joiner-inner song. But, be aware that Richard may burst into an Eastern European tune or a Klezmer medley without warning!

The English folk tradition is shot through with a melancholic strand. All English speakers experience melancholy because the language itself is melancholic. It has a natural “dying fall” as Orsino says in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”. And besides, it rains a lot here, especially at the seaside where “It’s Filling the drains with disappointment; Relentlessly washing away The fun.”
“A Fondness for Melancholy” is a celebration of this most British of emotions. Not sad, exactly but tugging at the heart-strings. And we hope there may be a few rays of sunshine and twinkles of humour amongst the rain drops.

Julian Harrow is a performer, song writer, and artist whose work spans 50 years from clowning to performance art. Over the past decade he has performed solo on a tin can ukulele and with a variety of bands and groups in Southampton. His songs are described as "slightly amusing, world-weary reflections on love and death."

Peter John Cooper has made his career as a playwright, poet and theatre director. He lived and worked in Swanage for over twenty years before he faded away to Bournemouth. Peter was associated with the Mowlem (briefly as Manager) and later when he brought summer seasons there, most notably as part of UK tour of Captain Pugwash. A great deal of his poetry is based on his experiences of Swanage and he was well-known through the Swanage poetry scene.

Julian and Peter have worked together on all sorts of wacky projects over the past 50 years, from versions of Mummers Plays, as street theatre performers throughout the Uk and onward into tours of Holland with Attic Theatre. More recently they teamed up to perform “Life and Death and Everything in Between” a bizarre event with actors and musicians that Peter wrote for the Bournemouth Emerging Arts festival. A studio version is available on line and as a podcast on Peter’s channel.

Following the release of her critically acclaimed album “Gone to flowers”, Amy has teamed up
with two excellent musicians for live performances this summer. Sherida Katerina joins her on violin and Siubhan O’Neill on double bass, with both of them providing vocals to help create the sublime harmonies Amy’s recorded music is known for.
Amy loves to get the audience laughing and singing along with her one moment, and then
maybe shedding a little tear the next, so you can expect an eclectic selection of extraordinary
songs from the new album, alongside older favourites and some more traditional folk.
Her new album “Gone to flowers” was released in February 2026 and has been receiving
glowing reviews and radio play by a whole host of national and international folk DJs including
Mark Radcliffe on BBC Radio 2 and Frank Hennessy on BBC Radio Wales.

Steve has been playing violin since the tender age of 9, so some 60 years! Originally playing classical violin in a number of amateur orchestras, Steve entered the folk world whilst at University.

He has played for Lancashire Clog, Rapper, Cotswold, NorthWest and Border Morris, currently leading The Hobos Morris band and also playing for Dorset Buttons Rapper and Arish Mel Ceilidh band

Critically acclaimed duo, storming the uk folk scene, with headline slots at many folk festivals and only in their second year!

St. Fian play a genre bending blend of trad and contemporary music, to make you laugh, dance, think twice and maybe even shed a tear.

Often described as some of the most beautiful female voices you will hear, with top musicianship and comradery……a pure treat for the musical soul.

Stringfellas think faces, rock classics blues and Irish. A fun, foot tapping , singalong, popular covers, band. Stringfellas, comprising Derek vocals/lead guitar, Rob percussion and Kevin vocals/fiddle/mandolin/guitar, are based in Reading. They have played in Swanage on the fringe of the blues and folk festivals for many years.

State of Undress Acoustic Trio blend the fire of rock with the storytelling soul of folk. Their sets mix powerful original songs, reimagined traditional tunes, and a few favourite covers, all delivered with irresistible energy and heart.

State of Undress Acoustic Trio are : Charlie Rose – lead vocals; Alan Rose – guitars and vocals; and The Bodhraness – Catie Lake, one of the region’s finest percussionists.

"I absolutely loved SOU (Acoustic Trio), so lively and very different – I’d go out of my way to see them again" Sally, Lymington Acoustic, July 2026

Formed in March 2024 and based in Wimborne, Rev. Green bring together six
experienced musicians with deep roots in the UK folk and acoustic scene. Their sound
blends blues grit, folk storytelling, Americana grooves and spirituals—usually up-tempo
and immediately accessible.
The band features Rev. Steve Utley (mandolin, mandocello, tenor guitar), Jeremy
Green (guitar, bouzouki), Nat Morris (banjo, tenor banjo, guitar), Andy Bridgeman
(bass), Jayne Chalke (percussion) and recent addition Stefan Defilet (fiddle/violin), who
brings exceptional musicianship and expressive range to the band’s sound.
Rev. Green have played at venues and events including Wimborne Minster Folk
Festival Square Stage, The Big Camp Out Festival, plus The Old Thatch, The
Oddfellows Arms, The Tap House, The Portsmouth Hoy, Brunny Folk and Wimborne
Food Festival, alongside regular local showcases.
With a reputation for engaging audiences and reading the room, Rev. Green are as
comfortable leading a packed pub chorus as they are delivering a listening-room set.
Between them, the six members bring decades of live performance, recording, touring
and production experience, creating a band grounded in musicianship, professionalism and genuine love for the craft.

Although this session doesn’t have an official "lead", you are very welcome to turn up and play. Maybe on your own, maybe bring some mates, or maybe others will join you. You will be welcome during the daytime.

Powerful vocals, bluesy guitar and clarinet, mix in some folk and add a large pinch of humour.
John and Pauline have the recipe for making music that will have you coming back for more.

Step back to the seaside and meet the women history forgot. Before beach huts, before lidos, before swimming became a leisure pursuit for all, there were the Dippers: the working-class women who guided bathers into the sea, season after season, in all weathers.

Created by Michele O’Brien, Amy Rose and Teresa Grimaldi, The Dippers is an immersive free outdoor performance that brings these forgotten figures vividly back to life. A purpose-built replica small -scale bathing machine takes centre stage, surrounded by costumed characters, intricate puppetry, automata and music.

Rooted in community and shaped by local voices, this is a show for everyone — curious children, seaside nostalgists, and anyone who has ever stood at the water’s edge and wondered.

Free to attend. No tickets required. Just turn up and be swept in.

Maiden Oak is a Swanagebased ceilidh band which plays for weddings and parties throughout Purbeck.
The band was founded by Rollo Woods, who was awarded English folk movement’s highest honour, the Gold Badge.
The band continues to use Rollo’s arrangements of old tunes to play lively music in the old village style.

Trad Folktronica group Goldefynche perform English folk songs from the 13th to the 19th centuries, updated with synthesisers, vocoders and ambient samples.

Andrew James is an in demand multi-instrumentalist, folk musician, singer and ceilidh caller.
A regular feature at local festivals, in recent years he has appeared at Purbeck Valley Folk Festival, Wimborne Minster Folk Festival and Dubs at the Mill – in various ensembles/guises. The Andrew James Band brings together a range of talented musicians from these various projects. Expect driving folk tunes, rousing choruses and lots of fun!

Made up of five choirs based in Dorchester, Sherborne, Bridport, Wimborne, Wareham and Winterborne. Singing acapella in four part harmony learning by ear (scores are available).

Alongshore is a traditional folk duo formed by singer and musician Vic Baines (also known as Pendlecheek) and poet Ledger De La Bald (also known as Boathook Bald). They are well known in the English folk and maritime scene.

Blending traditional and original song, archive material and field recordings into a soundscape of coastal lives-past, present and future. Boathook Bald’s poetry meets Pendlecheek’s music to tell of the overlooked stories of Dorset’s inshore communities: touching, funny, evocative tales of struggle, change and survival where sea meets the land. Focusing on maritime folklore, local ghosts, shipwrecks, and the history of old coastal communities.

The duo has released an album entitled Diamonds, Rubies and Emeralds which features 13 tracks of original and traditional songs as well as Ledger’s poetry.

The Time and Tide Theatre Group is a Dorset-based collective of musicians and performers who specialize in powerful folk-dramas interwoven with traditional tunes and songs. The group frequently performs in the Purbeck and wider Dorset area, bringing local history and literature to life.

‘Who’s Afear’d’ tells stories of Dorset folk – fishermen, lifeboatmen, sailors, soldiers (and some women too) – who have gone beyond the call of duty and shown that in extremis, they were not ‘afear’d’.

Following the success of last years ‘To Win the Day’ Time and Tide are back with their newest production ‘Who’s Afear’d?’ having been most recently performed at the Wessex Festival.

‘Who’s Afear’d’ is the official motto of the county of Dorset. The motto reflects the historical resilience and unyielding spirit of the people of Dorset, which has been demonstrated throughout history, including the bravery of the county’s regiments in major conflicts.

Featuring Sophie Wright, Richard Wirdnam and Martin Stephen on guitar, accordion and vocals.

Named after local landmark St Lucas’ Leap, their music finds inspiration from their childhoods on the coast and in the Purbeck hills. Aside from their original music they play traditional folk tunes, assorted skiffle and bluegrass, and acoustic covers.