American Museum & Gardens launches Americana Fest in July

The American Museum & Gardens launches Americana Fest, a new 3-day festival of American culture, from 1-3 July 2022. Taking place throughout the spectacular hill-top estate on the edge of Bath, the festival will host performances from some of the biggest names in comedy and the UK’s Americana music scene.

Coinciding with celebrations for Independence Day in the US, the weekend programme includes an all-American comedy bill, with headliner Reginald D Hunter, and a top line up of Americana music, encompassing folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, with headliners Ethan Johns’ Black Eyed Dogs and The Magic Numbers.

There will be four stages – The Main Stage, The Amphitheatre, The Stone Circle Stage, and The Homegrown Stage. The festival will also offer a variety of entertaining family activities, including a scavenger hunt through the grounds, games, workshops, vintage cars, and American food trucks and bars.

Executive Chair of the American Museum & Gardens, Gareth Thomas says “We are extremely pleased to announce our new Americana Fest over the Independence Day weekend. More than 30 exciting Americana musicians and bands will join a line up of American comedians, to bring the very best entertainment to Bath over three days from 1 July. We hope and believe Americana Fest will become a highlight in the city’s cultural calendar.”

Reginald D Hunter’s brutally honest yet thoughtful sets have led to TV appearances on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, QI and Have I Got News For You? He has also filmed two series of the BBC2’s hugely popular Reginald D Hunter’s Songs Of The South & Reginald D Hunter’s Songs of The Border, documenting Reginald’s epic road trip through 150 years of American popular song. 

Ethan Johns will be performing with this band Black Eyed Dogs. Ethan is regarded as Godfather of the Americana landscape, having worked as a producer, engineer, mixer, and occasionally touring musician for artists such as Crosby Stills and Nash, Ray LaMontagne, Kings of Leon, Joe Cocker, Tom Jones, Emmylou Harris, Paul McCartney and more recently, Laura Marling. He also won the Brit Award in 2012 for Best Producer.

The Magic Numbers are well-known for their unique harmonies, melodic hooks, songwriting craftsmanship and timeless sound. They have released five successful albums and many of their singles have graced the Top 20 charts including Forever Lost, Love's A Game, Take A Chance, Love Me Like You, resulting in over a million album sales worldwide, setting the band to be double platinum sellers. The Magic Numbers recently released their fifth studio album Outsiders, and Michele Stodart is set to release a new album this year.

The music line up will also include:

Beth Rowley: In 2008, Beth Rowley’s album, Little Dreamer, sold over 100,000 copies and earned her a Brit Award nomination. Over the last 20 years, Beth has supported Jools Holland and Burt Bacharach and performed alongside Adele, Jamie Cullum and David Arnold. Her most recent album, Gota Fría, is a heady mix of Blues and Americana that has received my high praise.

Declan O'Rourke, who has been praised by songwriting figures such as John Prine and Paul Weller has seen his work covered by an array of world-class artists, including Christy Moore, Camille O’Sullivan, Eddi Reader, and Josh Groban. Paul Weller, produced Declan’s most recent album, Arrivals.

Robert Vincent & Band: Robert is one of the most acclaimed new voices on the Americana music scene. He has performed alongside artists such as Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, James Blunt, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Beth Neilson Chapman and Paul Carrack. Vincent’s 2020 release, In This Town You’re Owned, charted at number 2 in the UK Americana Charts and American Songwriter Magazine named it in its top 20 albums (every genre) in 2020.

And, Fellow Pynins, an award winning contemporary folk duo with a keen and bucolic sense of vocal harmony and song craft. With wielding claw-hammer banjo, Irish bouzouki, mandolin, and acoustic guitar, the duo sing predominantly original music as well as reworked traditional ballads gathered from their travels.

The music has been curated by Matt Owens, founder member of Noah and the Whale, and founder of The 7 Hills Festival.

Matt says “I’m delighted to have teamed up with the American Museum & Gardens to curate the music line up for the first ever Americana Fest. Americana is becoming an increasingly popular genre of music in the UK, and we want Bath to be at the forefront of this. It is also very important that we showcase the talented musicians right on our doorstep.”

The festival production is being provided by JudgeDay whose clients include Peter Gabriel, Birdy, Kate Bush, Robert Plant and the Thin Lizzy estate, together with regular events including Soho House Festival, Cornbury, Greenbelt and the international WOMAD Festivals.

The comedy line-up has been curated by award-winning comedian Jarred Christmas and Somerset based Pop-Up Comedy. More names will be announced in due course.

Tickets go live to American Museum & Gardens Members on 16 March at 6pm, with general release on 20 March at 10am. Tickets are priced at £45 plus booking for the Friday evening, and £60 plus booking for day tickets on either the Saturday or the Sunday. Concessions, weekend and family tickets are also available, with a limited number of VIP tickets on sale.

Sign up here for more information about Americana Fest at the American Museum & Gardens.