Martin Harley is a supremely talented acoustic roots and blues guitarist, singer and songwriter with a burgeoning global reputation. Renowned for his prowess as a slide guitarist, Martin is almost unique in the UK in his playing lap slide. During year-round worldwide touring he’s absorbed a plethora of diverse influences, honing his craft into the classic song-writing style he possesses today. In the US, Martin has headlined Music City Roots in Nashville and toured coast to coast with ZZ Ward, Delta Rae and opened for Iron and Wine, Bruce Hornsby, Five for Fighting, World Party, Beth Hart, Joe Bonamassa amongst many others.

The spirit of the Old West comes to Presteigne on Saturday June 21st, when the Clint Bradley Band roll into town. An all-acoustic instrumental line-up lends an authenticity to the famous Gunfighter Ballads of Marty Robbins and Sons Of The Pioneers. Support act for the evening will be Canadian singer-songwriter Chuck Micallef

Ray Cooper, a.k.a. Chopper, is a story based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist living in Sweden. Previously with Oysterband, Ray decided to go solo in 2013. Since that time he has written, recorded and released 5 solo albums and completed over 40 tours in Europe, Canada, and the UK. On stage Ray sings and plays cello, guitar, mandolin, piano and harmonica. Former bands included Amazorblades, 3 Mustaphas 3 and OK Jive as well as many session recordings with producers such as Steve Lillywhite, Martin Rushent, Joe Jackson, Phil Chevron, Edwin Starr and Pete Bellotte, before eventually hooking up with Oysterband with whom he toured in 27 countries, recorded 19 albums, and won many awards. Ray's music straddles folk, americana, world, rock and the singer-songwriter tradition, drawing on his wide experience in all these areas, from playing ceilidh music or rocking out on festival stages with Oysterband, to playing Swedish folk music in the local Sörmland tradition where he lives. Ray's fifth solo album Even For A Shadow, released in May 2024, was nominated for album of the year in the Folk and Singer-songwriter category for the German music critics prize. Preis Der Schallplatten Kritik. https://linktr.ee/RayCooper

In 2015, Benji Kirkpatrick presented his Bendrix project; an exploration into the songwriting of Jimi Hendrix. Known for his pioneering and influential guitar work, Hendrix's skill as a songwriter was often overlooked and the project (an hilarious amalgamation of respective names) aimed to peel away the layers of guitar, psychedelia and the era to uncover the lyricism of Hendrix in a stripped back setting. 10 years on, in 2025, Benji reprises the project marking 55 years since the death of the ground breaking musician. Being his first real musical icon, Hendrix has been a big influence on Benji's work, albeit in a somewhat subtle way as Benji is known for his exploits on the UK folk scene! The full album, Hendrix Songs, released with the original project will be performed live, with a little reworking here and there and a generous helping of newly worked up material from the guitarist's catalogue. Songs like The Wind Cries Mary, May This Be Love and Angel reveal Hendrix as a sensitive writer, which balances out his reputation as an axe wielding showman. Some of the songs are a real challenge to bring into a solo acoustic setting but the journey of doing that is very rewarding and the material stands up to this kind of reinterpretation. - BK. As well as solo, Benji performs with Bellowhead and Seth Lakeman; was a member of Steeleye Span and Faustus and has worked with a plethora of musicians across the wider folk, roots and acoustic scene. A fine tribute to Hendrix and a fine album from Benji Kirkpatrick - Irish Post. A rare chance to hear the songs stripped back to their atmospheric essentials Sunday Times. The Wind Cries Mary and May This Be Love sound like lyrical folk songs A well performed set. - The Guardian.

We are proud to announce the birth of a new two act Americana show featuring the undeniable talents of Home Of The Free and Chuck Micallef. Home Of The Free is a collaboration between Dave Luke and Alex Valentine, two Londoners who relocated to Presteigne (nicknamed home of the free) in Mid-Wales. Lush harmonies and virtuoso guitar playing combine to create a unique blend of Country, Contemporary Folk and Americana. Dave Luke served his musical apprenticeship in award-winning London-based Country Rock band The Coyotes. Since relocating to Mid-Wales in the 1990s he has toured Europe extensively in a variety of bands and played at legendary USA institutions such as the Grand Ole Opry, The Ryman Auditorium and Kerrville Folk Festival. Alex was born and grew up in Camden, now living off-grid in a small wooden house surrounded by an ancient oak woodland. To date he has made eight albums on the Struck Dumb Records label. First discovered by Bob Harris on GLR he has since been featured by Johnnie Walker, Jonathan Ross and Dermot OLeary on BBC Radio 2 and on 6 Music. Chuck Micallef paid his dues in the Coffee Houses of his native Toronto, an experience that provided him with a first-hand education in the craft of the Singer-Songwriter. In the early 1980s he recorded a clutch of 45s of his own songs, produced by Ron Dann and engineered by Bob Federer, which scored in both the Canadian and U.S.A. national charts. His 30 year tenure in the U.K. has yielded a live recording in 1996, the acclaimed 2007 album The Moon, The Stars & The Sun, and an enthusiastic involvement with the British roots music community, having organised two Community Music Festivals, Festival in the Forest Barton under Needwood 1996-2001 and One Day In May Newcastle-under-Lyme 2009-2010.