Band directory

Profiles of British bluegrass and old-time bands and musicians. Click a band name to view photos, video, gig dates and buy merchandise. For profiles of visiting bands playing in the UK please view the calendar.

UK bands

A Band Like Alice One of the most popular bands on the bluegrass circuit, A Band Like Alice play traditional, exciting bluegrass led by the amazing tenor vocals of Gary Payne....more

New Essex Bluegrass Band Britain's most traditional bluegrass band, drawing on the works of Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and similar for inspiration. Led by Paul Brewer, they are regulars at...more

Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys This Somerset band play their own interpretation of bluegrass music - mandolin, guitar, dobro, banjo and bass, laced with superb four part vocal harmonies over ...more

Baker's Fabulous Boys Hailing from Helsby, Cheshire (the capital of British bluegrass) this band put on an amazing, entertaining show with unique arrangements of traditional songs an...more

Down County Boys The DCBs have been performing in various line-ups since the 1960s and are still going strong. Well established on both the country and bluegrass circuits in Bri...more

Monroe's Revenge Fabulous bluegrass act from south-east England, playing traditional and contemporary songs and fast-paced, virtuoso instrumentals with a rootsy, edgy energy....more

Longway Great live 4-piece band from Scotland. Straight-up bluegrass music combining powerful vocals and a characteristic "bounce" to their act....more

Buffalo Gals Britain's most popular old-time band. Firmly rooted in traditional American music, with an authentic sound driven by fiddle, banjo, percussive step dance, and s...more

Southern Tenant Folk Union Edinburgh based band whose self-penned material spans bluegrass, old-time, gospel and celtic folk....more

The Carrivick Sisters Multi-instrumentalists Charlotte and Laura Carrivick make up this band, playing many self-penned songs and tunes, as well as a few traditional numbers. The twin...more

The Coal Porters An "alt-bluegrass" acoustic act with attitude. Their live show is polished yet passionate and second to none, having earned them the monicker "the bluegrass Cla...more

The Scoville Units The Scoville Units put a new twist on traditional songs and tunes, and feature some of the best talent from British bluegrass and folk, with Leon Hunt on banjo,...more

The Toy Hearts A family band from Birmingham. They have built up an enviable reputation and loyal following by consistently delivering exciting and energetic performances of t...more

Chill Until Blue With a philosophy to play music that is dynamic, accessible, fun and eclectic, Chill Until Blue create a progressive sound whilst maintaining a respect for the ...more

Doghouse Central Manic band from the north-west featuring John Dowling on banjo, the amazing Russ Williams on bass, and Ian Reddy on guitar....more

Down Trodden String Band An old-time string band based in Derbyshire, the Down Trodden String Band perform at concerts, festivals and ceilidhs....more

Jaywalkers Jaywalkers are Michael Giverin on mandolin and guitar and Jay Bradberry on fiddle, guitar and vocals. They are well-known as two of the best young musicians on ...more

The Kentucky Cow Tippers Hailing from the back alleys and hills of sunny Gateshead, the Kentucky Cow Tippers are a young, energetic 5-piece string band, with a penchant for twangy instr...more

The Leon Hunt n-Tet Playing high energy traditional bluegrass, the n-Tet is Leon Hunt on banjo, Ben Somers and bass and vocals, Jason Titley on guitar and Joe Hymas on mandolin....more

Amy Harrison and The Secondhand Stringband Brighton-based bluegrass and country music band. United by their love for the music, they perform traditional and contemporary numbers, brought to life by the s...more

Blueflint Deborah Arnott and Clare-Louise Neilson are a female banjo duet based in Scotland....more

Broadoak Bluegrass Band A hard-driving band that features both traditional and modern material. They play concerts, festivals, clubs and barn dances and have even performed at the US E...more

Chris Moreton Chris is one of the scene's most well-known figures and is a superb guitarist, mandolinist and banjo player. ...more

Flats and Sharps Flats and Sharps are a young four-piece bluegrass band from Penzance, Cornwall. They started to make a name for themselves while busking in Penzance. They play ...more

Papa Truck South Bucks-based bluegrass band, writing and playing original songs and some old classics with an upbeat, modern style....more

Rabbi John Rabbi John fused the sounds of bluegrass, old-time and more to create their own "new-timey sound". Band members were Jason Titley on guitar and mandolin, Paul B...more

Stompin' Dave Allen Stompin' Dave performs American roots music on guitar, five-string banjo, fiddle, harmonica, vocals and tap dancing. His highly energetic stage show has wowed a...more

The Old Grey Dogs A duo based in Corby, Northants, playing a cross section of trad and newgrass and have been on the bluegrass scene for many years, mostly with the well known ba...more

The Slowdown Boys Derbyshire based band, delivering a mixture of bluegrass, old-time and country music....more

Contraband Southampton based Contraband play an interesting mix of bluegrass and other acoustic roots music. They have been on the bluegrass circuit for a while and are no...more

Cousin Pearl A four-piece band playing bluegrass, western swing and country music, based in the 'Capital of Bluegrass' in Helsby, north west England. Over the years Cousin P...more

John Dowling An incredible player of the 5-string, John was crowned Banjo World Champion at the 2002 Winfield festival. He plays with several acts including Doghouse Central...more

Kate Lissauer Originally from Maryland but now living in England, Kate is well-respected on the old-time and bluegrass circuits as a superb fiddler, banjo player and singer. ...more

Leon Hunt Leon is Britain's most well-known and talented 5-string banjo player. He has recorded with a host of the world's finest musicians from all genres including blue...more

Mardi Grass Mardi Grass is a bluegrass band based in the Surrey/Berks/Hants area. Delivering a high-energy driving sound, excellent harmonies and a solid mix of traditi...more

The Barker Band Young, upcoming "nu-grass" band from London, led by brothers Sam and Jake Barker....more

The Biggin Hillbillies Kent based bluegrass band that has been playing for over a decade. Whilst their mainstream is bluegrass music, their varied repertoire includes country and folk...more

The Britannia Bluegrass Band A four piece band playing a variety of styles within the bluegrass idiom. Their set ranges from traditional songs in the Monroe mould, through more modern blueg...more

The Duffy Brothers Classic bluegrass, gospel and fiddle tunes mixed with a large dollop of comedy....more

The Hog Ranch Bristol-based four piece bluegrass band, harmonising around a single mic and playing a mix of bluegrass and acoustic Americana....more

The KittyHawks The band's repertoire is rooted in traditional old-time, some songs are contemporary and some are plucked from other musical styles and given an old-time twist....more

Them Harvey Boys Them Harvey Boys are "a good time band with Folk, Irish, Bluegrass and Rock sensibilities" from the east of England, with Steve McNally on banjo, Ian Harvey on ...more

Wood Wire and Words Family trio, describing themselves as "a bit country, a bit bluesy, and a bit folky."...more

Deep River Band In constant demand for festivals worldwide, this band is one of the country's best exponents of "dynamic and sizzling" bluegrass....more

Ghost Town Showdown One of the new generation of modern bluegrass bands, Ghost Town Showdown hail from the Home Counties and blend traditional bluegrass with their own contemporary...more

Goldrush This Scottish band was formed in 1989 and has released several CDs and supported many top American acts. Their sound shows a respect for the roots of the music,...more

Grassroots Based in south-east England, this band is still going strong more than 30 years after forming. They've played numerous concerts and festivals both in the UK and...more

Grinch Mountain South-east based bluegrass band featuring Ian Tofte on banjo, Phil Alexander on guitar, Pat Longley on fiddle and Richard Eyres on bass....more

Shake The Roots Another band from the fertile bluegrass plains of Cheshire. They perform covers and original material, playing an eclectic mix of music including bluegrass, fol...more

Southern County A Somerset based acoustic band blending bluegrass, folk, and country sounds....more

The Crocker Brothers A band that captures the authentic brother duet sound and pathos of early country music. They perform their own original songs, plus classics from the likes of ...more

The Dirty Beggars Bluegrass quintet The Dirty Beggars hail from the depths of Central Scotland and have been making waves on the UK music scene with performances at the Edinburgh...more

The Dude Coopers The Dude Coopers bluegrass band comprises of Howard Burton (banjo), Mark Jones (guitar), Charlie Ogunremi (mandolin) and Richard Eyres (dog house bass). All the...more

The Jolenes London-based all female bluegrass band playing a blend of bluegrass, old-time and rockabilly with "harmonies and hairdos evoking a bygone era of vintage glamour...more

The Knotty Pine String Band Based in Omagh, N. Ireland, the Knotty Pine String Band have been together since 1994 playing bluegrass and American roots music to audiences across Ireland and...more

The Rip-Roaring Success Featuring Lucy Williams on bass, Nicky Terry on fiddle and Russ Williams on guitar, this north-west band mixes western swing, bluegrass and old-time....more

The Wagon Tales London based bluegrass outfit inspired by the likes of Flatt and Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Steve Earle and Ricky Skaggs....more

Coastline Bluegrass Band Formed in 2005 when two ex members of the Rainy City Bluegrass Band (Tom Degney and sister-in-law Glynis Degney) came to live in North Wales and got together wi...more

Daily Planet Led by Leon Hunt, Daily Planet deliver a progressive mixture of bluegrass, folk and jazz. With several CDs and international tours to their name, they are one o...more

Dixie Hicks The Dixie Hicks are a North Wales 5-piece band playing foot stomping bluegrass....more

High Weald Ridge The members of High Weald Ridge all live in the Weald of Kent - hence the band name - and they play a range of bluegrass material, from old-timey through to new...more

Home Territory A band consisting of some of the most popular musicians in British bluegrass including Gary and Sheryl Payne, Richard Holland, Lennie Harvey and Emily Smith. Th...more

Howard Burton Howard has played bluegrass banjo and sung with many British bands over the years and currently plays with the Dude Coopers. He has a wealth of experience and p...more

Kidnap Alice A smokin' new band from Hackney, east London, mixing up bluegrass, old time, blues and folk. With soulful vocals and tight arrangements from a classic acoustic ...more

North Drive North Drive is a band from Winchester, Hampshire playing bluegrass influenced by roots and folk music. Two of its members are writing original material, and thi...more

Salmagundi Acoustic duo comprised of Guy Rogers and Dan Norton featuring vocals, mandolin, banjo, guitar and octave mandolin. They play music drawn from a wide variety of ...more

Smokey Mountain Echoes Smokey Mountain Echoes are Tony Coles (vocals and guitar), Gill Sands (vocals and banjo), Mike Smith (vocals and fiddle) and Nick Sands (double bass). They play...more

So Last Century Stringband So Last Century Stringband are an old-time three-piece from East Sussex, playing the early country music of the American southern mountains with enthusiasm and ...more

Something Spooked The Horses A seven piece band (guitar, bass, percussion, dobro, mandolin, fiddle, vocals), combining the sounds of old-time, bluegrass and roots music. Based in Northumber...more

The Morris Boys Veteran British band led by brothers Dave and Glyn Morris. This south-west band are mainstays of the festival scene in England and Wales, and have been invited ...more

The Mounthoolies The Mounthoolies play a wide ranging mix of Americana from traditional dance tunes and ballads, through the music of early country music pioneers like the Carte...more

The Slippery Hill Boys The Slippery Hill Boys are the perfect band for any hoedown, hog roast, Wild West party or wedding barn dance. From cool laid back blues to blisteringly fast bl...more

The Southdown Ramblers The Southdown Ramblers have lead the way for bluegrass music in Sussex and the south since their formation in 2003, and have built up a healthy following of fri...more

Old Yeller Dog One of the UK's premier old time string bands who play foot stomping, traditional Appalachian dance music. They are available to perform in Hampshire, Surrey, B...more

The Late Risers Cambridge blues 'n' mountain music band that play a rousing mixture of up-tempo banjo picking, wailing harmonica, original songs and classic covers....more

The Potboilers Newgrass band hailing from South Wales....more

Dapper McDans Scottish band who play a laid-back acoustic mixture of bluegrass, old time and traditional Celtic....more

The Heavenly Thrillbillies A north-east based 3 piece featuring banjo, double bass and guitar. They perform songs from a wide range of artists, both traditional and contemporary....more

The Levee Strollers The Levee Strollers are a young and exciting bluegrass band from Glasgow. They have an original sound based around their catchy choruses and foot stomping style...more

The Tom Travis Bluegrass Incident This band plays a mixture of traditional and self-penned material. The leader is Tom Travis who ran the Edale Bluegrass Festival for many years....more

Appalachia Appalachia combine blues, bluegrass, and American roots music, based on tight 4 part harmonies and strong, rhythmic arrangements to provide a real foot-stomping...more

Bill Smarme and the Bizness Comedy arrangements of roots, rockabilly, and country numbers. It's entertainment and it's all in the best possible taste!!...more

Mike Green and Dave Tricker Mike (guitar, vocals) and Dave (mandolin, guitar, vocals) have been playing together since 1996 including 7 years with their bluegrass band Street Legal. They ...more

New Deal String Band Long running old-time string band featuring Tom Paley, his son Ben and Joe Locker....more

Jason Titley One of Britain's best flatpickers, former member of Daily Planet and currently playing with Rabbi John....more

Keith Pearson's Coup De Grass 4-piece playing gigs in the South East with banjo, bass, geetar, and unusually...harmonica. All with 3-part harmonies....more

Highly Strung Featuring John Les and Gill Williams, Highly Strung travel to festivals all over the country singing and playing and giving workshops on banjo and guitar....more

Hayley Moyses and The Bluegrass Forum Formed in late 2006, this Norwich-based band plays a good mix of progressive, contemporary bluegrass and traditional fiddle tunes and songs....more

Union Central A five piece band based in North Yorkshire originally formed with the specific aim of performing and bringing to the attention of UK audiences the music of Al...more

Roots and Galoots Based in south Wales, this band's material includes lively traditional bluegrass music and a wide range of songs featuring close 3-part harmonies....more