Ragged Bear Festival
26th October 2024
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Featured Acts
Ragged Bear Festival is proud to present a fantastic line up for 2024 with some of the most exciting bands on the festival scene today accompanied by food traders and traditional dancing.
Merry Hell
Merry Hell is a band founded on the ever evolving Folk tradition – music made by the people and shared by the people. Though our hearts and souls are tuned to the songs which came before us, we bring you new words and music forged from our own experiences, from the lows and the loves of our lives.
Our art is energy and our hope is unity. Our pleasure is to please: let the audience be the acid test and let the music speak for itself...
Greenman Rising
This is music that doesn't stand on ceremony; you won't find cute arrangements and cool sophisticated posturing.
What you will get is the hardcore tradition reimaged for modern audiences. Driving dance tunes, songs about love, war, murder and betrayal. The soldier who rebels against an invasion and the sailor cheated when he comes on shore. Beautiful ballads and full on musical madness that'll get you dancing the night away.
3 Daft Monkeys
With Celtic and eastern influences, the 3 Daft Monkeys’ dynamic style of world folk music reflects the global village in which we now live. Their infectious dancing rhythms lead you through a musical journey of the senses and emotions, and will leave you breathless, enthralled and exhilarated.
The band’s diversity is reflected in the acts for whom they have been invited as special guests, including touring across the UK and Europe with the Levellers, and opening for bands such as Hawkwind, Bellowhead, Show of Hands and Dreadzone, as well as headlining their own national tours.
Not one to be missed!
Blackbeard's Tea Party
“Hold on to your tri-corn hats and be prepared to stamp your wooden legs – Blackbeard’s Tea Party are in town. Sea-shanties will be given a bombastic rock edge, and folk instrumentals will become late-night floor-fillers when this raucous bunch of reprobates hit the stage. They have dirt under their fingernails and a twinkle in their eyes, and you can expect fantastic musicianship, playful choreography and an unstoppable urge to move your body.
Drums, electric guitars, fiddle, melodeon and 4-part vocal harmonies combine to create music that is drenched in tradition, but filtered through a kaleidoscope of modern rock and pop.
Established as the go-to band for late-night folkin’ shenanigans, Blackbeard’s Tea Party have played memorable sets at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival, Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, The Rainforest World Music Festival in Borneo and many more. Their latest album ‘Kick the Curb’ was released in September 2022. ”
Ragged Bear Favourites, Blackbeard's Tea Party are back.
The Lagan
The Lagan are a riotous band with their roots in punk rock with a heavy trad folk influence!
Starting in 2008 as a means to get together to play some songs and sink some jars, it quickly evolved into something bigger.
The band has since released a self funded full length album and an EP on Banquet Records, went on to tour around the UK and Europe, played on some of the finest stages with some of the finest bands in the world, and continues to go from strength to strength!
Full 2024 Lineup
Ragged Bear is excited to present the full line up for 2024, we've been holding onto to this for too long. We hope you are as excited for this years line up as we are.
Festival Activities
It's more than just music.
Hungry Bear
Ragged Bear will have dedicated food stalls to power your dancing.
In 2023, Jonny Stewart, all around great bloke and chicken maestro brought the goods.
Announcement incoming for our 2024 guest...
Ragged Bear Dances
Erstwhile Border Morris are a mixed side with a modern twist but still keeping the tradition alive. They started the side because of a passion for Morris dancing and folk tradition in general.
Some members are new to Morris and those that have experience support and help them but all show raw enthusiastic and keen to learn. The name Erstwhile means from a ‘time before’ which we think is appropriate and original. Erstwhile's style is ethereal and earthly.
We are thrilled to have Erstwhile back with us in 2024.
