Expect tales of whisky, railroads and heartbreak as UK bluegrass band, Old Baby Mackerel bring their traditional American sounds to Dorset.
Playing tunes as they should be played – with a twist of British wit on the side – they’ll take you back to early 20th-century North America, where the songs dramatised the small-town fascination with locomotion, the trials of murderous drunks and the veneration of bootleg liquor.
Old Baby Mackerel will play two gigs with Artsreach, the county’s touring arts charity, as part of a UK tour where they appear at festivals like Priddy Folk, Purbeck Folk and Glastonbury.
This lot are all about high-energy, foot-stomping bluegrass with a line-up of the most renowned musicians from UK folk, Americana and festival bands, including Flats & Sharps.
Their rhythmic fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar and double bass will set even the weariest of knees bouncing and elbows swinging to blistering solos and sweet harmonies.
Catch them live at 7.30pm at Winterborne Stickland Village Hall (01258 880920), on Friday, July 1 and at Marnhull Village Hall (01258 820458) on July 8.
Information and tickets also available at artsreach.co.uk

by Lorraine Gibson