HEADLINE CONCERTS
We'll bring you some of the finest musicians on the scene at Wimborne Minster Folk Festival 2025, with something for everyone. Follow READ MORE & BOOK to learn more and to buy tickets.
Eabhal
Friday Evening at the Allendale
Eabhal have made a significant impact on the Scottish music scene with their vibrant and energetic folk music. The band's distinctive West Coast sound and dedication to their craft earned them a prestigious Folk Band of the Year nomination in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2022, amongst multiple other awards and nominations over the past 10 years. READ MORE & BOOK
Eleanor Dunsdon & Gregor Black
Friday Evening at the Allendale &
Saturday Teatime at the Minster
Post-graduates of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Traditional Music course, Eleanor Dunsdon & Gregor Black are a Glasgow-based harp and percussion duo. Blending traditional with contemporary, vocals and electronics, they draw on jazz, folk and classical genres... READ MORE & BOOK
Murphy's Lore Trio
Friday Evening at the Allendale
Murphy’s Lore Trio are multi-instrumentalists Steve, Noeleen and Alex. With two lead vocals - male and female - plus fiddle, 6 and 4 string guitar, mandolin, ‘Bass Stomp’, bodhran and whistle, their dynamic sound, wide-ranging repertoire, plus vocal and instrumental harmony arrangements, give them something quite unique amongst Dorset folk bands. READ MORE & BOOK
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The Gerry Colvin Band
Saturday Lunchtime at the Allendale
His be-suited on-stage performance combines Frank Sinatra, Lee Evans and Man in Black. Genius? Madcap? Maverick? Yes, all of these things…and a lot, lot more. A stellar musical CV includes co-writing with Alison Moyet, being a John Peel favourite with his 80's band Terry and Gerry (recently reformed), winning best band (with his band Colvinquarmby) at Fairport’s Cropredy Festival as well as the Hancock Award for best live folk act. READ MORE & BOOK
Photo of Gerry Colvin credit: Kevin Smith
Nastee Chapel
Saturday Lunchtime at the Allendale
Innovative, eccentric and life-affirming are words from Nastee Chapel audiences. This UK acoustic duo perform original music and folk songs, fusing genres and influences to create a musical melting pot you’ve never heard before.
Virtuoso musicianship meets crowd-pleasing tunes and storytelling. An old time feel that is timeless and heart-grabbing in its relevance today. READ MORE & BOOK
John Ralph
Saturday Lunchtime at the Allendale
John’s songs and tunes reflect the diversity of music influences from a lifetime of playing in Folk and Irish Country and rock bands.
Songs of social comment, love songs, comedy songs, chorus songs and traditional songs and tunes from the UK and Australia, all played with a contemporary feel but with roots firmly in the tradition. READ MORE & BOOK
Ian W Brown
Saturday Teatime at the Minster
Ian W Brown was inspired by Oxfordshire's 1970s folk scene, but fate led him to pig farming. At the dawn of the 21st century, he left farming for showbiz, managing artists, producing films, and co-writing hits like Sandi Thom’s "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker." Ian’s songs feature in Fisherman’s Friends films and Wild Rose (2019).
Eleanor Dunsdon & Gregor Black
Friday Evening at the Allendale &
Saturday Teatime at the Minster
Post-graduates of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Traditional Music course, Eleanor Dunsdon & Gregor Black are a Glasgow-based harp and percussion duo. Blending traditional with contemporary, vocals and electronics, they draw on jazz, folk and classical genres... READ MORE & BOOK
Sophie Wright
Saturday Teatime at the Minster
Sophie Wright, a native of Purbeck, is best known for her knowledge and repertoire of the Dorset-collected songs and as the creator of works by Time & Tide and Wyvern that combine local stories and folk song into powerful, atmospheric productions - including To Win The Day, Words Take Wing and The King's Shilling. READ MORE & BOOK
Paul Walker & Karen Pfeiffer
Saturday Evening at the Minster
With their unique onstage chemistry and widely praised harmonies, the Anglo-German duo Paul Walker & Karen Pfeiffer charmingly present innovative acoustic folk & beyond by combining their own beautifully written songs with imaginatively arranged traditional and contemporary folk favourites. Paul’s vocal and guitar style blended with Karen’s voice, clear yet powerful, leaves audiences mesmerised. The duo have been touring their show, signifying Paul's Staffordshire heritage and Karen's German ‘humour’, around the world. READ MORE & BOOK
Painted Sky
Saturday Evening at the Minster
Painted Sky have only recently emerged onto the UK folk scene but have already made a lasting impression with their progressive acoustic sound. Siblings George (guitar/vocal) and Holly Brandon (fiddle/vocal) have been making music together for as long as they can remember. Both have worked on independent projects, with Holly perhaps best known as part of transatlantic folk band, The Magpies. However, the siblings have always been drawn back to each other’s playing, tight-knit instrumentals and harmonies. READ MORE & BOOK
Craig Joiner
Saturday Evening at the Minster
Although Craig has forged a career and won repute in the rock arena, folk music has always been his true muse and calling. Whether recalling a love lost, celebrating the calming beauty of nature or relating the epic tale of a struggle at sea, Craig’s songs are informed by experience, observation, vivid imagination and a desire to take his music “deeper into folk”.
Jigfoot
Saturday Evening Ceilidh at the Allendale
Jigfoot play music for dancing. They approach traditional dance tunes with energy, inventiveness and, above all, swing. This is music that defies you to stay still, whether it’s at a dance or in a concert performance. Their repertoire is mainly, although not exclusively, from southern English sources, especially their home county of Hampshire. READ MORE & BOOK
The Salts
Sunday Lunchtime at the Allendale
The Salts started out with shanty intent and now, 21st century folk fires a respectful broadside at the traditional. The Salts are a co-operative of seasoned musicians, creating what is fast becoming one of the most exciting and energetic folk concepts of recent times. With their own unique sound that mixes well written original compositions alongside classic traditional tunes, it's a guaranteed blast. READ MORE & BOOK
Chris Ricketts
Sunday Lunchtime at the Allendale
Folk singer-songwriter and shanty performer Chris Ricketts is celebrated for his fusion of traditional sea shanties and original works. A semi-finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards, Chris began his career performing on cruise ships, an experience that shaped his distinctive musical style.
Antoine & Owena
Sunday Lunchtime at the Allendale
Inspired by traditional and contemporary folk music, Antoine & Owena craft an original blend of folk that resonates with listeners’ hearts and feet. The enchanting interpretive folk violin of Owena Archer merges seamlessly with Antoine Architeuthis's pulsating guitar and bouzouki rhythms.