Shared roots as music of Newfoundland will be heard at Wemsfest

There are plenty of shared roots between us all which we will enjoy in their music at gigs including for Wemsfest on Saturday, January 24 at Chidham Village Hall, Chidham Lane, Chidham, PO18 8TL, doors 19:30; tickets: £20; contact: 01243 370501 or [email protected]

Rum Ragged takes a bold approach to the folk music of their home, the eastern Canadian island of Newfoundland. Boasting bouzouki, fiddle, bodhran, banjo, guitar and button accordion, they are champions of Canada’s East Coast music tradition, but with their reverence for their roots goes a creative, contemporary edge. They celebrate the long legacy of the Atlantic folk tradition, and inevitably storytelling is right at the heart of it all.

Mark Manning and the band are looking forward to returning to the UK: “We were over in the UK in 2024 in June and July. We did a touring circuit that got us to see some really beautiful places, and then we were back again last summer. We did Canada Day in Trafalgar Square and that really was something else. There were all sorts of things from different parts of Canada and it was great to see people from all over London and from all over the world experiencing those different parts of Canada – and that's really what the band is about.

“Myself and Aaron started the band back in 2014. We recorded in 2016 and we've been together with this line-up now for about eight years. And it is a lot of fun.

“The music is unique but it is familiar to a lot of people. You can see the tradition and you can hear the elements of traditions from England and France and Ireland and so on. You will recognise things. There are sounds that will be familiar – and tunes and particular accents and moments. When we had our first trip to England, it was wild to see that there were people there that looked like the people back home!”

There is a real connection with Devon and Dorset in particular: “And it is so interesting to explore. We do write our own music as well as playing some of the music from some of the great writers in the province but it all stems from the traditional music.

“But the way we do it is that we bring it forward with a modern touch and with a more contemporary sound. It helps us reach out to more listeners. It's about finding a new way to approach the music so that people will listen to it again.

“When we were growing up we were surrounded by this music in our families and in our communities. We were very lucky to be from a unique place in a unique place, and when we were growing up, we had this sense that everybody knew it. But then we got to the city and we realised that they didn't. But it's all about making connections with people.”

And at its heart is storytelling which is the thing which drew Mark to it in the first place: “It is music that tells you about where you are from. We are learning something new from it all the time. It gives us a chance to learn about ourselves a bit more, and it allows us to connect with people.”