Join us this Summer Solstice for Sounds by the Castle and celebrate light, renewal and the start of summer at Sandy Hill Arts!
Live music | DJ | food | bar
Expect an intimate small-scale festival vibe with live music, tasty food and great company – everyone is welcome!
Follow the sounds over the railway to find us. Explore the magical site, take in the natural landscape and watch the sunset over the castle ruins in the distance.
Tune into an incredible lineup of local and regional emerging talent with sounds exploring the realms of indie, folk, electronic and beyond.
We Broke Free – From 4:30 – 9:30 PM
Molly Dunne – 5 PM
The Daisy Chains – 5:30 PM
Bel Maude – 6:30 PM
South Street – 7:30 PM
Design Fault – 8:30 PM
The event will open with solstice storytelling and poetry from Molly Dunne: Molly Dunne is the Third Bard of Caer Dur/Dorchester (2024-25), she is a poet, storyteller, and creative producer whose work explores hidden voices, immersive fantasy, and feminist retellings of folklore and history. Passionate about reconnecting people to the oral tradition of storytelling, she bridges the past and present, bringing long-overlooked narratives to light.
Live music
The Daisy Chains: The Daisy Chains are an indie folk band based in Bournemouth, whose music is inspired by the magic of nature and fairytales. Their whimsical tunes will whisk you away!
Bel Maude: Born and raised in Poole, Bel Maude is an artist, songwriter, producer and pianist making ‘music to float to’. Her dreamy alt-pop sound is a product of her passion for electronic music combined with classical piano training and pop songwriting, drawing comparisons to Imogen Heap, Billie Eilish and Caroline Polachek. With her first release of 2025 landing her BBC Introducing Solent’s ‘Artist of the Week’, Maude is set for several more independent releases this year, showcasing her burgeoning trademark style as a producer and artist.
South Street: South Street are a three piece rock band based in Bournemouth, writing fresh, original tunes in genres such as rock, mod rock, soft rock and ska.
Design Fault: Emerging from Bournemouth in 2024, art-rock trio Design Fault have crafted a distinctive sound with qualities that draw from the vigour of noise-rock, unpredictability of jazz fusion and hypnotic groove of afrobeat and krautrock. This unique sound paired with their relentless energy on stage make for performances even a fish wouldn’t forget.
DJ
We Broke Free: Music curators and good time dictators, We Broke Free are Adam and Tor, a DJ couple living on the South Coast of England. They’ll be supplying bespoke and energetic sets throughout the event. Dance into golden hour with a curated mix that’s sure to turn the marquee into a dancefloor!
As well as DJs, We Broke Free are an independent events and promotions company. As event partners, they have helped bring the best up and coming music to Sounds by the Castle, showcasing and providing a platform for local acts.
Food
Ra-Ra’s Tatties: Jacket potatoes and filling (vegan/veggie/gf options available.)
Bar
Sandy Hill Arts: A selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks will be available to purchase.
We hope to see you there!
About the Event:
Sounds by the Castle is a new outdoor music event from Nyah Boston-Shears (@neee.nor on Instagram), an up-and-coming creative events producer, in partnership with Sandy Hill Arts and We Broke Free, advocating for rural music venues and supporting emerging talent with roots across Dorset, BCP and the South West.
Sounds by the Castle at Sandy Hill Arts is a CREATE! 2025 project supported by b-side, Arts by the Sea Festival, Activate Performing Arts and Bridport Arts Centre.
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