Old Baby Mackerel are a British bluegrass band from Bristol, England. Formed in 2016 by banjo player Sam Garrard, the group perform bluegrass music using banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and double bass.[1][2]
History
editOld Baby Mackerel were formed in Bristol in 2016. According to British Bluegrass News, the band developed from a Bristol bluegrass session started by founding member Sam Garrard, who used the session to meet and play with musicians who shared an interest in bluegrass music. The magazine described the band's early history as "meandering", noting that the group spent much of its early period outside the UK bluegrass scene before later settling into a more defined line-up and appearing at more UK bluegrass events.[2]
A 2023 profile in Bluegrass Today reported that Old Baby Mackerel began their career in 2016, built a following on the UK festival circuit, and went on to tour in the United Kingdom, Thailand, Germany, Portugal, Italy and Austria. The article described the band's music as high-energy bluegrass rooted in traditional material, with influences from folk, blues, jazz and gospel.[1]
In its Summer 2024 issue, British Bluegrass News featured Old Baby Mackerel on the cover and published a multi-page article on the group. The article named the line-up at that time as Abbey Thomas on mandolin, Rory Francis on acoustic guitar, Sadie Capps on double bass and Sam Garrard on banjo.[2]
Style and performances
editOld Baby Mackerel's repertoire includes bluegrass standards, contemporary covers and original material. British Bluegrass News described the band's set as containing "refined bluegrass standards", contemporary covers and originals, and noted the group's use of audience interaction and humour during performances.[2]
The band have appeared at UK festivals including Glastonbury, Shambala, Boomtown, Priddy, Purbeck and Swanage, as well as bluegrass festivals in Switzerland, Northern Ireland, East Anglia, Cornwall and Gower. British Bluegrass News also reported that they had performed alongside international bluegrass artists including Jeff Scroggins & Colorado, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley and The Lonesome Ace Stringband.[2]
The band have also performed internationally, including in Thailand and at Pflasterspektakel in Austria. In 2024, they worked with a rural touring scheme to bring bluegrass to village halls in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.[2]
Old Baby Mackerel were also announced for The British Country Music Festival 2026 at Winter Gardens Blackpool, where the festival listed them as closing the event with a headline set in the Empress Ballroom.[3]
Reception
editIn a 2023 profile for Bluegrass Today, Lee Zimmerman wrote that Old Baby Mackerel had "quickly found a loyal following on the UK festival circuit".[1]
In a 2023 review of Malmesbury Folk and Roots Festival, FATEA Magazine wrote that Old Baby Mackerel gave "a foot stomping Bluegrass session".[4]
In 2024, the editor of British Bluegrass News described Old Baby Mackerel as "currently making waves on the festival circuit".[2]
In a 2026 review for Newbury Today, Brian Harrington described Old Baby Mackerel as "instrumentally excellent" and wrote that their presentation was "wonderfully humorous and relaxed".[5]
In 2026, Joachim Eiermann reviewed the opening night of the International Bühler Bluegrass Festival for Badische Neueste Nachrichten. The review described Old Baby Mackerel's set as an electrifying mixture of original songs, stomps and protest-song classics, and characterised the festival opening as "nach Maß".[6]
References
edit- 1 2 3 Zimmerman, Lee (23 March 2023). "Bluegrass Beyond Borders: Old Baby Mackerel from England". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Introducing... Old Baby Mackerel". British Bluegrass News. No. 106. British Bluegrass Music Association. Summer 2024. pp. 4–8.
- ↑ "Old Baby Mackerel". The British Country Music Festival. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ "Malmesbury Folk And Roots Festival". FATEA Magazine. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ Harrington, Brian (2026). "What a fantastic night of bluegrass at Ace Space". Newbury Today. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ Eiermann, Joachim (2026). "Bluegrass in der Bühler Werkstatt: Ein Auftakt nach Maß und viel Schweiß". Badische Neueste Nachrichten (in German). Retrieved 4 June 2026.
External links
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