Ragged Bear Festival
Venue: Queens Hall/Crew Rock Bar
Town: Nuneaton
Date: 4th - 25th October
Website: https://www.raggedbear.com/
Ragged Bear, with it's 9th festival, certainly gave us one to remember in 2025. This is probably the most party festival all indoors, and based around the Queens Hall/Crew Rock Bar which is well known for putting on music across a wide range. It's a proper pub, too, with good beer. Every festival has its traditions and one not to be missed is the outstanding Gurkha restaurant just across the road, which is an absolute go to for food.
The Festival starts on the Friday with a free gig in what has been designated the Pirate Stage in the The Crew bar downstairs. It's the only stage that runs on both the Friday and the Saturday, providing a free element to the event. Festival organiser and booker plays host down here on the Friday, handing over to Brian Stone, as master of ceremonies on the Saturday.
Friday kicked off with the Linda Moylan trio, Linda, Ian Monague(guitar) and Rebecca Mileham(fiddle), who would also be appearing with headliners, Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes, with Somerset rebel rousers, Gurt Dog filling in the middle slot.
The Crew on the Friday night can have a bit of a raucous energy and Linda, adapted her set well to the circumstance, slightly lighter on the ballads and more towards drinking songs without compromising what she's about, the songs with an Irish flavour going down particularly well.
Gurt Dog are a veritable punk powerhouse with folk leanings, this is not the music of anarchy this is music with an agenda and it was an agenda the punters at The Crew lapped up and definitely a band I need to check out some more. They entertained to the point it took Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes to find their stride but find it they did to round off an evening of great music.
The music, certainly on Saturday, may start off a little gentler to get you warmed up but there's certainly no lack of quality. Aeryn Mansfield opened with an inspiring set of protest folk, but not of the haranguing kind. An excellent Indian harmonium and whistles player, Aeryn's use of loop stations adds a lot to her music but is never overused. With a great voice and sparkling personality the audience loved her set and it augured well for the rest of the day.
With ten acts of the main stage it seems almost unfair to decide who not to mention but they can't all be fitted in. Every one of them certainly gave a great show. Catching the attention in particular The Kahunas returned from last year, with a lively set of dance beat folk and a combination of fiddle, keys and kick drums accompanying good voices. They play quite homely songs about their lives and times.
Greenman Rising are certainly fixtures, with Steve Bentley working hard all day as festival director as well. They never fail to impress and the introduction of a brass section this year added to the sound. Very much a home town gig for them they immediately got the audience involved with a rousing "Nelson's Blood" and it was all uphill from there. This is not a band you sit down to listen to, but one to get you on your feet and moving, and we did. Again they have so much variety in both instruments and voices that the set is always dynamic and flies past. Gaz Brookfield is another firm favourite and currently riding high his with his latest album "Waiting For Wisdom". He epitomises the fiercely independent artist who has built a following with sheer hard work and a personality that shines out from the stage and audiences love him for it.
Common Culture must get a mention for showing how to grab an opportunity with both hands. Originally scheduled to play the downstairs stage they were moved up when Pons Auleius had mechanical issues leaving them stranded in Newcastle. Common Culture made the most of it. Probably not known to many in the crowd they threw caution to the wind and got plenty of joining in with powerful performances across all the band members. It's already confirmed that they will be back to play and I know many in the crowd are already looking forward to it.
Closing the night on mainstage were two acts it would be hard to better at any festival anywhere. The Magpie Arc are a supergroup but with a sound that is more than the sum of their parts. This was my first chance to see them with Sam Carter involved and that works very well indeed. The main vocals coming from Nancy Kerr and Findlay Napier give a lot of variety to the set and the musicianship is of the very highest quality.
Closing the festival The Men They Couldn't Hang blew me away. Bringing all their 40 years of experience to the stage this was a set of full on Folk Punk and it's clear they are still very much enjoying what they do. So do the audience! Sometimes people will start drifting away during the final set, but not here. We stayed because we were seeing masters at work showing how it should be done. It was a perfect end to a great day.
There's more music downstairs, of course, with more local bands , but no less energy and skill. Swapping between the two stages we couldn't get to see them all but it good to catch a few songs from Ragged Bear regulars Dust And Debris, who opened the stage, and Devil In The Whisky who are so high tempo. Speaking of high tempo Darwin's Rejects are not a band to watch whilst holding your beer because it will go everywhere. It's impossible to watch them and stand still.
Ragged Bear, unlike some festivals, goes from strength to strength and audience numbers seem to increase year on year. The venue, the music and the atmosphere attract the regulars back and capture the newcomers. It deserves to do well, showing that grassroots music still very much has a place. Tickets for 2026 are available and as a way of rounding of the festival year it's going to be very hard to beat.
Tony Birch - Words & Pics, Additional material Neil King
Additional pictures from the festival can be found here We are constantly adding pictures at the moment so please check back
Ragged Bear FestivalRagged Bear, with it's 9th festival, certainly gave us one to remember in 2025. This is probably the most party festival all indoors, and based around the Queens Hall/Crew Rock Bar which is well known for putting on music across a wide range. It's a proper pub, too, with good beer. Every festival has its traditions and one not to be missed is the outstanding Gurkha restaurant just across the road, which is an absolute go to for food.
The Festival starts on the Friday with a free gig in what has been designated the Pirate Stage in the The Crew bar downstairs. It's the only stage that runs on both the Friday and the Saturday, providing a free element to the event. Festival organiser and booker plays host down here on the Friday, handing over to Brian Stone, as master of ceremonies on the Saturday.
Friday kicked off with the Linda Moylan trio, Linda, Ian Monague(guitar) and Rebecca Mileham(fiddle), who would also be appearing with headliners, Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes, with Somerset rebel rousers, Gurt Dog filling in the middle slot.
The Crew on the Friday night can have a bit of a raucous energy and Linda, adapted her set well to the circumstance, slightly lighter on the ballads and more towards drinking songs without compromising what she's about, the songs with an Irish flavour going down particularly well.
Gurt Dog are a veritable punk powerhouse with folk leanings, this is not the music of anarchy this is music with an agenda and it was an agenda the punters at The Crew lapped up and definitely a band I need to check out some more. They entertained to the point it took Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes to find their stride but find it they did to round off an evening of great music.
The music, certainly on Saturday, may start off a little gentler to get you warmed up but there's certainly no lack of quality. Aeryn Mansfield opened with an inspiring set of protest folk, but not of the haranguing kind. An excellent Indian harmonium and whistles player, Aeryn's use of loop stations adds a lot to her music but is never overused. With a great voice and sparkling personality the audience loved her set and it augured well for the rest of the day.
With ten acts of the main stage it seems almost unfair to decide who not to mention but they can't all be fitted in. Every one of them certainly gave a great show. Catching the attention in particular The Kahunas returned from last year, with a lively set of dance beat folk and a combination of fiddle, keys and kick drums accompanying good voices. They play quite homely songs about their lives and times.
Greenman Rising are certainly fixtures, with Steve Bentley working hard all day as festival director as well. They never fail to impress and the introduction of a brass section this year added to the sound. Very much a home town gig for them they immediately got the audience involved with a rousing "Nelson's Blood" and it was all uphill from there. This is not a band you sit down to listen to, but one to get you on your feet and moving, and we did. Again they have so much variety in both instruments and voices that the set is always dynamic and flies past. Gaz Brookfield is another firm favourite and currently riding high his with his latest album "Waiting For Wisdom". He epitomises the fiercely independent artist who has built a following with sheer hard work and a personality that shines out from the stage and audiences love him for it.
Common Culture must get a mention for showing how to grab an opportunity with both hands. Originally scheduled to play the downstairs stage they were moved up when Pons Auleius had mechanical issues leaving them stranded in Newcastle. Common Culture made the most of it. Probably not known to many in the crowd they threw caution to the wind and got plenty of joining in with powerful performances across all the band members. It's already confirmed that they will be back to play and I know many in the crowd are already looking forward to it.
Closing the night on mainstage were two acts it would be hard to better at any festival anywhere. The Magpie Arc are a supergroup but with a sound that is more than the sum of their parts. This was my first chance to see them with Sam Carter involved and that works very well indeed. The main vocals coming from Nancy Kerr and Findlay Napier give a lot of variety to the set and the musicianship is of the very highest quality.
Closing the festival The Men They Couldn't Hang blew me away. Bringing all their 40 years of experience to the stage this was a set of full on Folk Punk and it's clear they are still very much enjoying what they do. So do the audience! Sometimes people will start drifting away during the final set, but not here. We stayed because we were seeing masters at work showing how it should be done. It was a perfect end to a great day.
There's more music downstairs, of course, with more local bands , but no less energy and skill. Swapping between the two stages we couldn't get to see them all but it good to catch a few songs from Ragged Bear regulars Dust And Debris, who opened the stage, and Devil In The Whisky who are so high tempo. Speaking of high tempo Darwin's Rejects are not a band to watch whilst holding your beer because it will go everywhere. It's impossible to watch them and stand still.
Ragged Bear, unlike some festivals, goes from strength to strength and audience numbers seem to increase year on year. The venue, the music and the atmosphere attract the regulars back and capture the newcomers. It deserves to do well, showing that grassroots music still very much has a place. Tickets for 2026 are available and as a way of rounding of the festival year it's going to be very hard to beat.
Tony Birch - Words & Pics, Additional material Neil King
Additional pictures from the festival can be found here We are constantly adding pictures at the moment so please check back
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