a taste of last summer
the LINE-Up so far
friday headliners
dub pistols
The UK-based Dub Pistols are best known for their high-energy, genre-bending blend of dub, reggae, ska, hip-hop, and big beat.
Founded by Barry Ashworth in 1996, they are celebrated for their explosive live festival performances, their annual Mucky Weekenderfestival, and their iconic contributions to classic 2000s video game and film soundtracks.
They fuse punk rock attitudes with massive dancefloor-friendly breakbeats, earning their reputation as "party-rockers extraordinaire".
Antonio forcione
Antonio Forcione is an artist in every sense of the word, hailed as one of the most charismatic and unconventional guitarists in today’s musical world. With multiple international awards and 21 albums released, he continues to captivate audiences, earning him the title “Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar.”
His music transcends genres, blending jazz, Spanish, soul, African, Brazilian, and improvised elements with ferocious virtuosity, passion, and humour. He has supported music legends such as Phil Collins, Bobby McFerrin and Van Morrison.
Over the years Antonio has released 20 albums of largely original material and has performed in festivals and theatres from as far as Australia and Indonesia to the USA, Africa, and all over Europe, especially in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the UK. He has performed at numerous charity events and his festival appearances include Womad, Glastonbury, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Koln, Verona, Granada and Hong Kong Arts Festival, amongst others.
the zawose queens
There is spirit and fire in the music of The Zawose Queens. There's the vibrations of the ancestors, coming through on traditional instruments — soaring chizeze fiddle, buzzing illimba thumb piano, ngoma drums that chatter and thunder — and voices that go deep, high and out there. There's the connection to nature, to ceremony and ritual, in their dance-inspired fusion, their blend of the organic, harmonic and modern-day electronic. There are lyrics that tell, in their native kigogo, of the passion for music, the wonders of life. Of pride in environment, in tradition. In their East African roots.
Pendo and Leah Zawose showcase the fluid polyrhythms and rapturous polyphonic singing of the Gogo (aka Wagogo) people of the arid, hilly Dodoma region of central Tanzania. The most famous exponent of this musical tradition is the late, great Dr Hukwe Zawose (Pendo’s father and Leah’s grandfather).
Maisha, the debut album by The Zawose Queens, marks the first time that women from this famous musical family take their place as lead vocalists and performers.
iain ballamy
quartet / IBQT
Leading this premier league jazz quartet, Iain Ballamy is listed between Chet Baker and Count Basie in Geoffrey Smiths BBC publication ‘100 Jazz Greats’, Ballamy has a rare and beautiful sound on the tenor saxophone, both captivating and instantly recognisable.
Since emerging in the early 80’s with Loose Tubes, Django Bates and Bill Bruford’s Earthworks, he has established himself as a player and composer of note on the world’s jazz stages and recently as a contemporary classical soloist with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and BBC Philharmonic Orchestras.
His remarkable new quartet features world-class pianist Gareth Williams, the fine and highly regarded double bassist Nick Pini and Mark Whitlam, a uniquely versatile and gifted drummer.
Ballamy’s concert repertoire covers a wide range from his past and present original works plus and unexpected re-workings of some classic songs from the jazz legends that inspired his musical journey.
kanekt
Kanekt, a group of talented musicians from diverse backgrounds, brings together the distinctive sound of the sitar with clarinet, violin, guitar and percussion.
With influences from jazz, Eastern European, Celtic and Indian classical music, Kanekt was formed by Devon-based sitar player, Ricky Romain. He is joined by Shaftesbury’s own Karen Wimhurst on clarinet, violinist Sudhi Salooja who has Welsh and Indian roots, Brazilian percussionist Caio Mamberti and John Robertson, with past collaborations including Grace Jones, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart and Morcheeba, on electric bass guitar.
Lauren
collier band
Talented, emerging Scottish musician Lauren Collier is making a name for her virtuosity on the fiddle and captivating vocals. Lauren released her highly-anticipated debut album Uddevalla in December 2023. The album takes listeners on a musical journey from Haiti, through Sweden and India, and onto Indonesia and Greece, all the while offering a unique blend of traditional and electronic music that is incredibly diverse, yet wholly cohesive.
With her band of well-known faces, this fresh and captivating music is well worth seeing live.
James
emmanuel
Nigerian-born, Edinburgh-based, James Emmanuel channels resilience, joy, and deep emotional connection through the timeless language of soul music. His journey began in the embrace of gospel as the son of a preacher. From church choirs to the vibrant open mics and jam sessions of Edinburgh, he honed his craft. His voice—rich, expressive, and unmistakably his own—stands at the heart of his artistry, echoing the spirit of classic soul icons like Teddy Pendergrass and Marvin Gaye. James’ journey from Nigeria to Scotland is one of rekindled passion and self-discovery, shaped by faith, fatherhood, and a relentless drive to turn adversity into art.
ahmed eid
Ahmed Eid is coming to Semley for the first time. One of the mostinteresting Palestinian artists of his generation, his music tells stories of origin, resistance, hope, and freedom. We will see a first glimpse of his recently released first studio album “min ghazzeh labaghdad, min haifa la beirut” in a live show with groovy, organical melodies and eclectic songs that echo across global stages and get under our skin, remaining in our memories for a long time to come.
The 2026 tour will be collecting donations for the Palestine Music Space in Ramallah. This space creates a place where young talents can learn, record, experiment, and create a new sense of rockstardom together free of charge.
quimantu
Since Mauricio Venegas-Astorga formed his Anglo-Chilean band Quimantu in 1981 they have been the ambassadors of Chilean and Latin American music in the UK and Europe, creating a unique blend through their exceptional use of the hundreds of traditional folk styles of that vibrant continent, which they skilfully incorporate with contemporary influences, from Western Classical music, to Celtic, African and Indian styles to name just a few.
Currently based in London, Quimantu have performed regular concerts in various notable venues including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and Purcell Room and the Barbican Hall. With a very strong commitment to the power of music to connect people and build bridges between communities, rural touring has regularly been a part of Quimantu’s agenda.
Emily Burridge
with Martyn barker
Emily is a virtuoso cellist, composer and producer and soundscape artist.
She has seven albums published, has worked with luminaries as a session musician and composer and arranger as well as performing at international festivals both as a soloist and in ensembles including: Montreux jazz festival, Glastonbury, Edinburgh, Cop 26 and Earth Summit Brazil.
We are delighted to welcome her back to the festival and very excited to introduce her collaboration with Martyn Barker, acclaimed world-class drummer, composer and producer and multi instrumentalist.
Martyn has years of experience working with actors in theatre, co-writing for film, performing with artists internationally and as a member of his own band Shriekback.
He has toured and co-composed with Billy Bragg, toured globally with Marianne Faithful and performed with Robert Plant at the very first Womad festival in the Middle East.
Emily and Martyn crossed musical paths playing in a band on tour in Germany. On returning and collaborating it quickly became evident there was a creative spark which culminated in the album release “Water & Stone” published through Lift Music .
At Semley they will perform some of these works as well as new compositions born out of extraordinary choices of instruments combined with Emily’s looping cello antics.
Iain Ballamy & Dan Messore
This pairing of musicians brings together a unique meeting of minds, with sounds of folk, Jazz, and Americana merged with their own personal take on contemporary jazz.
Led by subtle and sophisticated sounds and textures, the pair display a strong interactive lyricism in a set thats filled with uplifting expression captivating the listener.
supernormal
Supernormal is a 5-piece originals band based around Bristol/Bath, with the pianist hailing from Semley.
Funk adjacent delivering lots of fun and a big sound
supernormal
Supernormal is a 5-piece originals band based around Bristol/Bath, with the pianist hailing from Semley.
Funk adjacent delivering lots of fun and a big sound
tor band
Step into the rich and evocative world of Tor, a band that unites some of the finest musicians in the genre. Tor is led by Tim O'Dowd and Dominic Henderson on duelling uilleann pipes, flutes and whistles, backed up by Alex Korom-Percy on fiddle and guitar.
The core trio is joined at Semley Music Festival by multi-instrumentalist Louis Bingham on guitar and bouzouki, and Sam Lifton driving the rhythm on percussion. Together, they craft a vibrant soundscape that honours traditional roots whilst infusing it with their own interpretations and compositions. Their high-energy sets get everyone up and dancing.
DJ vinyl groove
Ellis Feltham (aka DJ Vinyl Groove) is a seasoned DJ with a passion for feel good, rare groove funk soul & disco. He plays using vinyl only from the 70s & 80s.
Listeners can expect to be uplifted & recognise lots of hooks, breaks & samples which have been used widely in modern day releases.
friday evening
who's on & when
from 7.00pm
supernormal
Dj set
Dub pistols
saturday
who's on & when
from noon
Jamma de Samba drumming
Emily Burridge+Martyn Barker
Iain Ballamy Quartet
Lauren Collier Band
Antonio Forcione
The Zawose Queens
James Emmanuel
DJ Vinyl Groove
sunday
who's on & when
from 11.30am
Emily Burridge accompanying Julia Desch - poet
Iain Ballamy & Dan Messore
Kanekt
Quimantu
Ahmed Eid
Tor Band - for family ceilidh