Book now for the UK Slide Guitar Festival 2026, November 13, 14, 15, 2026 - Folkestone, Kent. This will be a great weekend event for everyone involved. If you love slide guitar you will learn a lot, make new friends and have a great time!
The numbers are limited and that makes an intimate and friendly environment that is really good for teaching, learning and sharing knowledge. Phillip and Michael have a lot of experience playing and teaching slide in all its forms. The event is open to players of all levels and everyone is in the classes together. This way we all get to be part of everyone’s learning experience and nobody is left out. If a student needs some extra tuition, there will be someone there to spend time with you. We have run our classes in this way for a long time and it really works.
The classes will be relaxed and informal. While we are all there to learn and share our knowledge, this is not school!
The whole event is held in a very nice hotel on the seafront with excellent facilities, and there will be a concert at a venue in Folkestone on Saturday 14th. The feedback from last year's inaugural festival was fantastic so don't miss out!
Here's a little more detail for those who love the small print:
No electric guitars are allowed in the classes, only acoustic and resonator guitars.
Phillip Henry (that's me) is a BBC Folk Award winning slide guitarist who has spent the last 20+ years travelling the world, collecting tunes, stories, and instruments.
Phillip brings together world music influences from Indian classical music to the blues, with instruments ranging from mellow Weissenborn depths and spectacular Dobro flourishes, to the sounds of the rare Indian Chaturangui (a 22 string guitar from the sub-continent acquired while he studied under slide master Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya). Here is a fusion of global styles deeply infused with Henry's British folk roots, and brought together with a considered beauty all his own.
Phillip Henry is an in-demand performer known for collaborations with fellow musicians such as Peter Knight (Steeleye Span), Steve Knightley (Show of Hands), and Hannah Martin (Edgelarks). Recently Phil has been touring the UK with the Gigspanner band. His many musical travels have led to the evolution of a unique instrumental style that has wowed audiences around the world.
Phil is also an in-demand slide guitar tutor. His popular Slide Success online slide guitar courses are providing a route into slide guitar playing for students from all over the world. He has given masterclasses at music festivals from Vancouver Island to the Blue Mountains of Australia. He is passionate about sharing the joy of slide and is looking forward to bringing it to Folkestone for our second Slide Festival weekend.
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Michael Messer is a virtuoso slide guitarist, singer, songwriter and roots & blues innovator.
Throughout his 45 year career his music has remained individual and contemporary. Michael’s reputation as an innovator of the blues and master of slide guitar is well known. Being British with an international reputation for blues slide guitar is a rarity in itself, but Messer's obsessive appetite for knowledge of his art is virtually unrivalled. His stunning slide guitar playing and superb vocals ooze authenticity and integrity. His use of turntables in the Second Mind Band marked him as one of the trailblazers of the noughties blues sound and his blues-Indian trio, Michael Messer's Mitra, once again broke new ground by playing an exhilarating and accessible fusion of rural blues and Indian classical music.
Johnny Cash was a fan of Michael Messer's music and wrote the liner notes for his 1993 album "Rhythm Oil", a rare honour shared only with Bob Dylan on the Nashville Skyline album. Rhythm Oil was awarded Import Album of the Year by the Austin Texas music press. Messer's "King Guitar" album reached number one in the US Living Blues chart. "Second Mind" won Best International Guitar Album of the Year and the American magazine 'Spirit' listed Messer as one of the greatest slide guitarists ever, alongside Duane Allman and Ry Cooder. Michael's current project is with renowned songwriter and musician, Chaz Jankel. Their highly rated album "Mostly We Drive" released in 2024 received numerous rave reviews and featured on radio shows across the world. Michael has released ten albums, produced albums for other artists, toured worldwide, recorded numerous live radio/TV sessions and even appeared in his own 'Blues' episode of BBC TV show “Zingzillas”. Michael also has a successful line of guitar products, including MM Resonator Guitars and MM Newtone Resonator Guitar Strings.
Michael is an experienced tutor with 25+ years teaching slide guitar and running his own weekend tuition events.
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The cost of attending this event including single occupancy double hotel room for two nights, including breakfast, Friday night buffet, Sunday snack lunch, all classes, Saturday concert is £595.00. There are other options such as sea view rooms and double occupancy, and they can be discussed one to one by email.
For information and to book a place contact info@michaelmesser.co.uk or philliphenrybookings@hotmail.com
I'd love to see you there!