Programme
Monday to Sunday, room by room
Four rooms run at once from Tuesday. You cannot see everything, and the walk between any two of them is under twelve minutes, so plan two and improvise the rest.
Times are stage times, not door times. Doors are listed under the programme.
Monday 31 August
One room only. The Saltings opens the week and the rest of the town is still getting ready.
19:30
Doors
The Saltings
Wristbands exchanged at the quay window until 21:00.
20:00
Cold Kettle
The Saltings
Forty minutes.
21:15
Marram
The Saltings
Ninety minutes, and the only time they play this week.
23:00
Records until one
The Old Bathhouse
Free with any wristband. Nothing on the door.
Tuesday 1 September
The first full day. Talks begin at the Assembly Rooms.
14:00
What the sea took: Brindmouth 1953 to now
Assembly Rooms — talk
An hour with the town archivist, with maps. Seated, 300 places, first come.
16:00
Running a record shop that does not make money
Assembly Rooms — talk
An hour, and honest about the numbers.
18:00
Junie Vail
The Lifeboat Shed
Acoustic, 120 places, no amplification at all.
20:00
Dunes & Wire
The Saltings
21:30
Signal Fires
The Saltings
22:00
Nell Braithe
Assembly Rooms
Seated, and the room is quiet for it.
23:30
Osprey Sound System
The Old Bathhouse
Until two. The late room every night from here.
Wednesday 2 September
Under-18s are admitted to everything before 20:00 with an adult.
11:00
Open rehearsal: Low Tide Orchestra
Assembly Rooms
Free, no wristband, come and go as you like.
14:00
Why coastal towns lose their venues
Assembly Rooms — talk
An hour, with two licensing officers who will take questions.
16:00
Sea swimming in September, sensibly
Assembly Rooms — talk
Forty minutes, then down to the beach for anybody who wants to.
18:30
The Harbour Lights
The Lifeboat Shed
20:00
Palmer Six
The Saltings
21:45
Low Tide Orchestra
The Saltings
Eighteen players. The one to arrive early for.
23:30
Records until two
The Old Bathhouse
Thursday 3 September
The busiest night. The Saltings has been full by 21:00 in each of the last three years.
14:00
Forty years of the Brindmouth lifeboat
Assembly Rooms — talk
An hour with two crew, past and present.
16:00
How this week is paid for
Assembly Rooms — talk
The accounts on a screen, line by line, and questions from the floor.
18:00
Cold Kettle
The Lifeboat Shed
Second and last set of the week.
20:00
Nell Braithe
The Saltings
21:30
Ferris Kade
The Saltings
Ninety minutes.
21:45
Junie Vail
Assembly Rooms
If The Saltings is full, this is where to be.
23:30
Osprey Sound System
The Old Bathhouse
Until two.
Friday 4 September
Trains back to the city stop at 23:10. After that it is the night bus at 01:40 or a bed in Brindmouth.
14:00
Writing about music without being unkind
Assembly Rooms — talk
An hour.
16:00
Sound engineering in a room with a tin roof
The Saltings — talk
Forty minutes, standing, in the room itself. Thirty places.
18:00
Dunes & Wire
The Lifeboat Shed
20:00
Signal Fires
The Saltings
21:30
Marram and Low Tide Orchestra
The Saltings
Together, once, and not repeated anywhere.
22:30
The Harbour Lights
Assembly Rooms
23:30
Records until two
The Old Bathhouse
Saturday 5 September
The last ticketed night. All four rooms run and the front is closed to cars from 18:00.
12:00
Saltmarsh Brass Band along the front
The quay
Free, outdoors, moving. Starts at the lifeboat station.
14:00
Volunteering: what four shifts is really like
Assembly Rooms — talk
Forty minutes, and the place to ask before you sign up for next year.
17:00
Palmer Six
The Lifeboat Shed
19:00
Junie Vail
The Saltings
20:30
Ferris Kade
Assembly Rooms
Seated, second set of the week, different material.
21:30
Osprey Sound System
The Saltings
Two hours, the full rig.
23:45
Everything ends at the Bathhouse
The Old Bathhouse
Until three, the one late licence of the week.
Sunday 6 September — free on the Green
No ticket, no wristband, no bag search. Bring a chair. Dogs on leads.
12:00
The Green opens
The Green
Six food stalls, two bars, water points and toilets by the bandstand.
12:30
Brindmouth school choirs
The Green
13:30
The Harbour Lights
The Green
15:00
Cold Kettle
The Green
16:30
Nell Braithe
The Green
18:00
Low Tide Orchestra
The Green
19:15
Saltmarsh Brass Band
The Green
Forty-five minutes, and then the week is over.
20:00
Close
The Green
Sound off at eight sharp. It is a residential square and that is the deal.
Doors and curfews
When each room opens and when it has to stop
Doors are an hour before the first stage time unless it says otherwise. Curfews are conditions of the licence and are not negotiable.
- The Saltings — quay warehouse, 800 standing
- Doors 19:00, curfew 23:00
- Assembly Rooms — seated, 300
- Doors 13:30 for talks, 19:30 for music, curfew 23:30
- The Old Bathhouse — 200 standing
- Doors 22:30, curfew 02:00 (03:00 on Saturday)
- The Lifeboat Shed — 120 seated
- Doors 17:30, curfew 20:00
- The Green — Sunday only, outdoors
- 12:00 to 20:00
- MondayOnly The Saltings and the Old Bathhouse open. The Assembly Rooms and the Lifeboat Shed are dark.
- WednesdayThe Assembly Rooms open at 10:30 for the free open rehearsal.
- SaturdayThe front is closed to cars from 18:00 and the Bathhouse runs until three.
Re-entry is allowed at every venue except the Old Bathhouse after 01:00. Last entry everywhere is thirty minutes before the curfew.
Before you plan
Questions we get every year
Can I get into every room with a week wristband?
Yes, but not at every moment. Rooms fill and then close until somebody leaves. The Saltings has been full by 21:00 on the Thursday and Friday for three years running. Arrive by 20:00 for those two, or take the second choice, which is usually excellent and usually half empty.
Do stage times change?
Rarely, and when they do it is by ten or fifteen minutes. Changes go on the boards at each door and on the programme page, never by email.
Are the talks ticketed separately?
No. They are included with any wristband or day ticket, and 00 on the door without one. They are not sold in advance and nobody is turned away until the 300 seats are gone.
Is it suitable for children?
Under-18s with an adult are admitted to everything before 20:00 and to the whole of the Sunday. Under-12s go free everywhere. The Old Bathhouse is over-18s at all times.
What about wheelchair access?
The Saltings, the Assembly Rooms and the Green are step-free with accessible toilets and a raised viewing platform. The Lifeboat Shed has two steps at the door and a ramp kept behind it: tell the door staff. The Old Bathhouse has fourteen steps down and no lift, and we are honest that this will not change.
How loud is it, really?
The Saltings and the Old Bathhouse are loud enough to need ear protection. Free plugs are in a bowl at every door and better ones are 00 at the box office.