"I’ve attended several of Peter’s workshops and seen him perform numerous times. He’s really rather excellent and makes learning/playing such fun. I’d heartily recommend anyone to grab the chance to see him at a festival or workshop!" Christine M

"I’ve been on several of Peter’s fun workshops and concerts. He is not only a really nice friendly guy but also a superb teacher, his lessons always well structured and supported with take home materials, and if you haven’t heard Peter playing live in concert then you really must if you can. I’m sure he must be one of the top performers in the world. No exaggeration. Oh and no I’m not his dad or his agent. Just a really good friend and that friendship began with the ukulele"
David B

"I met Peter last year at the ukulele retreat in the Forest of Dean and immediately felt I could learn and improve my playing from his workshop and teaching. One soon realises how much more a uke can give. His energy and enthusiasm are infectious and his style of playing legendary"
Cherylene D-B.

"In my humble opinion, after seeing you in action in Florida where I live and in Italy at a ukefest, your talent, teaching skills and sense of humour is the perfect combination that would be a big hit at any venue. You rock!!!!"
Audrey M.

2UKES - Friday 31st July 2026 at 14.30

2Ukes are a Shrewkfest institution, having supported us from the very start in 2018 and will be opening the show with their fantastic fun playing outlook.  You will find them fun and friendly. 

They have been performing for 10 years and have a lot of followers on YouTube and face book .

They play Oscar Schmidt ukuleles most of the time and have written a number of great songs .

They are in their fifties , although act 20 ha haa and are from the Midlands .

Ever since figuring out the Crazy Frog Theme on piano at the age of 12, Marc Gallagher has always seen the quirky side of music.

With an upbringing of Queen and NOW CDs, Marc’s songwriting style was shaped by the sensibilities of 2000’s pop. Spending the next 10 years picking up anything that made noise, Marc grew proficient on 10 instruments before primarily selecting the ukulele as his weapon of choice.

Marc has plied his trade around bars, weddings and parties with one of the most diverse repertoires around. With countless shows under his belt, Marc has entertained audiences of all kinds with over 900 covers in his back pocket.

His 2016 debut album “Hello Cruel World” saw the song Baseball Game earn video play in SXSW in Austin, Texas. Marc also achieved BBC Radio Airplay after gaining attention for a streak of 100 gigs in 3 months with no days off.

2017 saw the release of “Songs From A Shit Summer”, a deeply personal concept album which played like a sonic journal over a tough time in Marc’s life. Stripped back to the bare bones of just uke and voice, Marc’s painful stories sold out on CD within the first month. This album also bagged Marc the Red Sails Songwriting Award in Northern Ireland.

2018 brought an evolution in the form of “Level Up”, with full band accompaniment and a mature set of diverse songs. Dancing between pop, folk and some soft rock elements, it was described as “an album to smile to” and compared “night and day” to the previous year’s outing.

2019’s “Songs From a Happy Winter” offers a direct rebuttal to its 2017 shittier summery counterpart. Taking influence from Brad Paisely, Paul Simon and Annenmaykantereit, his latest album reflects Marc at his most refined, with songs flirting between pop ballads and German rock. Playing every instrument-save for drums-Marc demonstrates his varied musicianship through his powerful arrangements.

Instrumental covers have gained notoriety, with well-received ukulele solo performances of “Stairway To Heaven”, “Hotel California” or even the “Wallace & Gromit Theme”. These renditions have wowed audiences throughout Europe, with one cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” going viral and achieving over 40,000 views.

As of 2019 Marc maintains an online presence with weekly cover videos in often impressive locations. He also performs frequent collaboration videos with stalwarts of the Manchester music scene, and the ukulele music circuit earning wide public acclaim.

Marc’s musical accolades have seen him perform his energetic brand of Pop-Folk at festivals and tours in Ireland, Germany, Austria and even the USA. Through a tireless work ethic, Marc has been putting in the miles on his travels, the engine isn’t stopping anytime soon and we are very pleased to welcome him back to Shrewkfest 2026 !

‘A clearly talented songwriter brimming with diversity who is worthy of comparison to Paul Weller!'-Uke Planet

'very dope man'-EatMyUke (internationally acclaimed ukulele player)

"The ukulele is in good hands"-Craig Charles

"Cool cover"-Charlene Soraia 

'Liked your tweet'-Right Said Fred

Wigan’s own ‘Northern girl’, AD Cooke is a singer, musician, performer, songwriter and vocal coach.
She started playing guitar and piano at the age of eight.
AD has spent years training and studying the voice and works as a vocal coach teaching modern singing techniques, she regularly holds workshops for voice, performance and songwriting.

During her career she has performed with The Drifters, Big Country, Edwin Star, Dr. Feelgood, The Sweet, The Grumbleweeds, The Real Thing, and many famous comedians including Peter Kay, Frank Carson, Stan Boardman, Bernard Manning and Billy Pierce, to name but a few.

AD’s songs are about life, love, fun and happy times, with a bit of humour and cynicism thrown in for good measure!

She has released three original music albums ‘Northern Girl’ and ‘Flying’ and 'Daddle De Dah'
Her music is available on amazon, itunes, cd baby and spotify.

She regularly performs at music and ukulele festivals in and around the UK.

 For more info visit www.adcooke.co.uk

Not Quite Dead Yet started in 2015 when 3 old punks from the West Midlands discovered they had ukuleles that they never played. It started out as a bit of fun to entertain ourselves but has now escalated somewhat!

In the beginning we were playing just Punk songs, but now we just play songs we like. We started practicing in a conservatory but we outgrew that pretty quickly so ended up in the local pub. We were joined by friends with a guitar, a bass and some drums and even someone with far too many strings!
There are now eleven of us in the band - no-one is actually sure how many, because if you turn up with a uke, you’re in!
Punk and Ska are probably our main influences, but as more people joined, more ideas for songs came too.

Not Quite Dead Yet have been described as “a tin of Punk Rock sardines spilling onto the stage” or possibly “A marmite hand-grenade!”

Our main aim is still to entertain ourselves – fortunately people seem to like us too!
Our motto is “This is not a Band it’s a Support Group!”

Embrace the chaos!!

HULLABALOO - Saturday 1st August 2026 at 13.30

Hullabaloo Ruff House Rhythm (Hullabaloo for short) formed at the end of 2019, bringing together several musical friends who were looking for a different sound.

With immaculate timing, they had formed just before the Covid struck, so their first two definite festival gigs were cancelled, and nothing else appeared until their debut public performance - at an allotment! - in September 2021.
But that gave plenty of time for (totally legal, socially distanced) practice, and the development of their own unique style.

The inventors of boogalele, Hullabaloo are a uke-based band with added instruments. They are named after their washboard.
They are much sought after, so are also known as 'Band on the Run'.

Booked as support to The Who at Leeds Festival, they turned up at the wrong venue and lost 4-0 to Leeds City under-12s.

Famously rejected a booking at the first Glastonbury, seen as “a gig for no-hopers”.

The boogalele style puts boogie, ragtime, dixie, rock and some rap through a New Orleans wringer.

Influences:

Tuba Skinny, Dr. John, East River String Band, Leon Redbone.

Musical ambition: to play ‘Baby Shark/Birdie Song/Boogalele Mash’.

So who are they and what do they play?

led by Rob “Don’t blame me” Bennett, Chris, Dan, Lisa and Dick, play various instruments and all sing.
Recently they have been augmented on some numbers by Pat and Les on their accordions.

The music is perhaps best described as Blues/Americana/New Orleans Jazz; some familiar numbers, but also many more obscure songs that you’ve probably never heard before but will still enjoy.

Foot tapping is compulsory; dancing is optional!

Matthew has supported Shrewkfest from the very start when as a relatively unknown performer he appeared on our 'second stage' which was in the Village Hall in Habberley.
After this performance we were told by many people who saw him that he should be on the main stage so we invited him back the following year where he took the place by storm and has been a stalwart of Shrewkfest ever since!

Timeless humour and unmatched virtuosity make for this awe-inspiring show; a class act, now popular across the UK.

Matthew’s fantastic musical comedy set is always a highlight for an audience, no matter the occasion.

He gets the audience singing, laughing, and dancing along whilst they watch in awe.

This is not a traditional covers performance; more, a fine selection of the best forgotten, obscure, absurd, hilarious or feel-good British gems of years gone by.

Website: www.matthewquilliamukulele.wordpress.com

Email: matthew@quilliam.com

Facebook: Matthew Quilliam Ukulele

YouTube: Matthew Quilliam

Instagram: @quilliammatthew

F'Uke Fighters are an East Midlands based, gigging five-piece rock band consisting of bass, drums, ukuleles and bouzoukis.
They formed during 2020 and completed their current line-up in 2022 of Tricia, Pete, Chris, Tony and Graham.
They play their own arrangements of hard-hitting, high-energy songs by Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, etc, plus a few ‘softer’ songs from the likes of Tom Petty and Radiohead and one or two of our own.
They have music videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fukefighters.
and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/403271011544128.

They play regularly around Loughborough/Leicester area and love to take part in festivals and events across the UK.  

Tricia: Vocals + Uke:

I started playing bass guitar in 2004 then discovered the joy of the ukulele around 2014 inspired by a chance demonstration in a bar in Fuerteventura!
I joined the Great Central Strummers in Loughborough a couple of years later, also play in Union State Hands and Gravel Pit Lane.
During lockdown we all collaborated on many music videos broadcast by the Cask Bah in Loughborough as an online open mic.

Pete: Vocals + Uke and Bouzouki

Played guitar since I was 16.
Joined an acoustic folk group called Patches, that became an electric covers band.
We played a summer season once alongside Bradley Walsh.

Bought my first ukulele and bouzouki in 2009 and co-founded the six-piece band called The Toots, who went on to play support for Steve Earl and The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
Moved to the East Midlands in 2021 and joined F’uke Fighters.

Chris: Drums

Started playing drums at 13... still do.
Also plays guitar and sings a bit.

Tony: Bass

I play bass guitar with the F’uke Fighters, Union State Hands and This Silver Field.
I most enjoy writing melodic bass lines that seek to compliment the original compositions of Graham and others.
I came to music late (mid-life crisis?) and derive enormous satisfaction from helping to create original material, along with the thrill of live performance

Graham: Lead Uke and Bouzouki

I play ukulele with the F’uke Fighters and guitar with Union State Hands and this Silver Field.
I like to compose, arrange and record music, some of which I have posted on soundcloud under the name Blind DeLacey.
I like all styles of music but mostly rock and blues and I have written over 300 original songs, some of which we play in F’uke Fighters.

The Ukumaniacs are a fun filled ukulele band from the South Wales valleys.

With ukuleles, a bass uke, kazoos and of course some Welsh singing, the Ukumanics play a wide range of music including crowd pleasers, jam strum alongs, parody and comedy songs, chart toppers and even some Welsh numbers.

We love music and we love performing but more than anything, we love having fun!