Mad Dog Mcrea & Midnight Mango, in association with Exeter Phoenix, are proud to present The Mad Dog Mcrea Weekender 2024

The Mad Dog Mcrea Weekender is back for 2024! You can expect three evenings of fun over the May Day bank holiday weekend, with acts picked from across the musical stratosphere by folk-punk legends Mad Dog Mcrea for their infectious danceability and rebellious spirit.

Friday will see Mad Dog Mcrea open the festival with a special acoustic set, before dub-reggae group The Barefoot Bandit take to the stage later in the night to get you dancing.

On Saturday, Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet will bring everything from big-band swing to Alabama blues-tinged folk to the main stage.

Sunday evening will see a full set from none other than Mad Dog Mcrea themselves.

The full programme will play across two stages with DJs in the bar, drinks on the terrace, and the best in local and fresh musical talent as well as  folk-punk legends like Mad Dog. Rain or shine, this bank holiday weekend you can enjoy the best in folk-punk and beyond at Exeter Phoenix’s Mad Dog Mcrea Weekender.

Tickets are available online from www.maddogmcrea.co.uk or www.exeterphoenix.org.uk, in person from the Exeter Phoenix Box Office or via the phone: 01392 667080.
Prices: Weekend £54 | Day £18
Door times: Friday 6.30pm | Saturday 6pm | Sunday 6pm

Please note this is an indoor festival with no camping available at the venue. Local campsites accessible by public transport or taxi can be found on the event page, or Exeter has a range of hotels and BnBs to suit all budgets.

Line-up

The Barefoot Bandit - Friday 3rd May – Main Stage Headliner
The Barefoot Bandit are a heavy-weight ensemble based in the South-West, UK. The band mixes various musical styles, incorporating elements of reggae, punk rock, dub and world music. Building a strong and loyal fan base, TBB have spread their sounds far and wide. Packed out shows at prestigious venues have seen The Barefoot Bandit become a must watch act on the UK touring and festival circuit. The group released their much-anticipated debut album at the end of 2022 to much acclaim, with their cover of Groove Armarda’s “By the River” getting multiple plays on BBC6. The 16 date “Hello Welcome” tour supports this release in 2023, ahead of UK and international festival dates. Past festival highlights include appearances at Glastonbury Festival, Boardmasters, Boomtown Fair, and more including headline slots and main stage displays at some of the UK’s favourite music festivals.

Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet - Saturday 4 th May – Main Stage Headliner
Still residing as BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year, Ríoghnach Connolly’s taste for musical adventure is eclectic. Along with her companion players, Honeyfeet, they collectively drive a broad terrain of musical textures from esoteric protest songs to foot-tapping and floor-thumping dance rhythms. Ríoghnach (pronounced ree-oh-nah) and the Honeyfeet ensemble are equally proficient in headlining festival stages as they are stripping back to sublime obscure jazz on theatre stages. Deadpan wit courses through Connolly’s veins. Known for her broad, smiling on-stage banter, she often describes the delight of her multi-cultural voyage of discovery while pushing aside life’s banality in favour of mischievous energy and creative joy. Traditional and folk are fundamental in Connolly’s musical canon. Coming from a long line of singers on both sides of her family, she channels the music of her grandparents and can draw from a breadth of styles and folk traditions across the world. In her voice, you can hear equal parts Sean-nós Caoineamh, west African griot ululation and American deep-south resonance.

Mad Dog Mcrea - Sunday 5 th May – Main Stage Headliner
Mad Dog Mcrea blend a unique mixture of folk rock, pop, gypsy jazz, bluegrass and ‘shake your ass’ music. From self-penned songs of adventure, drinking, love and life, to traditional songs of gypsies, fairies, legless pirates and black flies – Mad Dog never fail to capture their audience with their infectious songs. In constant demand and having played just about every festival, Mad Dog Mcrea are, in every sense of the word, a live band. Matched with the unshakable dedication of their massive and “loyal-to-the-hilt", fan base, the band are more than just a very popular, festival act – with five albums under their belts, they are serious and acclaimed recording artists too. The famous purple happy bus is fired up and ready for action, and there’s room for you – jump aboard!

Exeter Phoenix is a vibrant, world-class multi-artform venue in the heart of Exeter´s city centre. Each year hundreds of events and artistic activities spanning many disciplines take place there. Exeter Phoenix is also Exeter´s creative hub, supporting the development of artists and creative producers of many practices through networking, commissions and other creative opportunities and activities. Exeter Phoenix is home to Studio 74, Exeter’s independent solar-powered cinema.