Previously Appearing at Wickham was...
Fern Barnes and the Homeway Boys
The band was formed in a 300-year-old mill worker’s cottage in Eling, Southampton near the New Forest National Park in England.
Soon after, their sound caught the attention of Black Star Records in Lyndhurst, where the band debuted & now they partner to record their first ever live album, which will be pressed to vinyl from a live in store gig in May 2025 and is affectionally being called ‘Liberty’.
Over the course of a year, Fern & the band gathered at Homeway Cottage, writing & rehearsing their music, before adopting the name ‘Fern Barnes and the Homeway Boys’—a tribute to the place that birthed their sound.
Fern Barnes’ journey is one of transformation. Having spent years living on the road in a van after selling practically everything, touring the UK with Daughters of Davis. She now finds herself laying down roots in a community she truly loves. The shift to this grounded life celebrates the richness of local connections—working with fellow musicians, supporting small businesses, and collaborating. Barnes later secured a sponsorship deal with Burrow & Hide from Lyndhurst to collaborate in the bands folk aesthetics which again celebrates Fern & the boy’s love for their local community, a partnership that complements their deep ties to the local community.
Throughout her journey, Fern has poured everything into her music, now hear her individual sound as she releases her first album soley penned & crafted by her own hand.
In the band’s live set, you’ll hear Fern’s heartbreak and healing as she sings & plays acoustic guitar. Her music tells stories of struggle, love, & the tension between an old soul and a world that feels out of place. You’ll hear Kyle’s driving double bass, Neil’s lilting lead guitar and Dave’s heartfelt drumming, accompanying lyrics that reflect society’s challenges. You’ll see a snapshot of society at odds with a soul born in the wrong era but very much standing in solidarity with a generation that knows what true struggle is. It is in that human experience we listen to this talented bands latest work, Liberty.
