WemsFest concerts come thick and fast with big names lining up

Over nearly a decade and a half the organisation has put on something like 700 events – and it's got three great gigs coming up for May, says artistic director and founder Mark Ringwood-Millington (more details on www.wemsfest.com/events) Saturday May 11 at 8pm brings Steve Wickham & Ray Coen to The Old Malthouse, Chidham. “It’s not often a member of The Waterboys plays an acoustic show but thanks to our friends at Grayshott Folk Club we’ve managed to snag one along with fellow Sligo musician Ray Coen. Up close and personal doesn’t get much better than this.” Then on Tuesday, May 14 at 8pm it’s Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman, again at The Old Malthouse, Chidham. “Multiple-award winners they’re venturing out from their Dartmoor home to deliver a show which will delight anyone who loves well-crafted contemporary folk songs with superb musical accompaniment.” Completing the May trio of events, on Friday, May 31 at 8pm it’s The London Astrobeat Orchestra at Westbourne Community Hall. Mark said: “This is such a great venue with a great dance floor and seating to enjoy a stellar line-up of London-based African musicians who recognised the Afro-vibes running through the wonderful music created by the band Talking Heads.” Mark predicts this will be “one of the best shows we’ll ever present!” The three shows also underline the huge diversity of the gigs that WemsFest has always been able to bring to the area. And they sell very well: “The appetite is there and the loyalty is there. People are prepared to try something that maybe they don't know just because WemsFest is putting it on.” What makes all the difference is the great team of volunteers behind it all: “It's always a team effort. We’ve got 20 volunteers who will always go the extra mile to make sure that every show goes really well.” It all means that the pandemic is completely in the past: “We bounced back better than a lot of other places. I think we were lucky. There's always an element of luck in everything you do, and we were perhaps more fortunate than a lot of people but the fact is we don't put all our eggs in one basket.” More than two-thirds of the tickets for Oysterband coming up in December went within seven days of going on sale – which helps Mark plan with confidence: “The pandemic is just a memory now. But it gave us an opportunity to focus on what we wanted to do and how we wanted to do it and which venues we wanted to use.” Steve Wickham & Ray Coen’s WemsFest gig ties in with their appearance at Grayshott Folk Club, Grayshott Village Hall, Headley Road, Grayshott on Friday, May 10 at 7.30pm. Grayshott tickets from Grayshott Post Office (in person only) or from Des on 01428 60709.