Big Weekend 2025 - Artists

Deux Familles

Friday 10:00 – 12:00 Main Hall

Sunday 12:00 – 1:30 Main Hall

Dirk and Amelia Powell are a daughter/father duo with strong roots in the bayous of Louisiana and the mountains of Kentucky. Amelia’s grandfather Dewey Balfa was known as a premier Cajun fiddler and cultural ambassador. She grew up experiencing the deep center of that tradition while simultaneously exploring the old-time music of her Appalachian heritage with her father, Dirk, who learned banjo, fiddle, and guitar from his own grandfather, J.C. Hay. Amelia is known for her hard-driving guitar playing and soulful vocals. Dirk has been regarded as a “musician’s musician” for the last several decades. His solo recordings, with a focus on exploring the emotional depth of tradition, have proven very influential on younger generations. He’s been a frequent part of Transatlantic Sessions and toured with artists such as Joan Baez, Eric Clapton, Loretta Lynn, Levon Helm, and Rhiannon Giddens. Together, they perform music of their heritage, write and craft original songs, and bring audiences the kind of soulful connection that comes from family playing together with trust, humour, and love.

Teaming up with Amelia and Dirk are 3 familiar faces on the UK and European Cajun scene, fabulous and highly respected musicians, here and across the pond, mother, father and son combo, the amazing Jock Tyldesley, Vera van Heeringen and Lucas Tyldesley!!

Jock and Vera have been playing Cajun and old time music together for 25 years, in The Flatville Aces and with touring Louisiana legends such as Eddie Lejeune, Sheryl Cormier and Courtney Granger.

Vera, a super talented multi instrumentalist comes from a bluegrass and country music background and has released three critically acclaimed albums of her own material.

Jock picked up his childhood fiddle again at 19 years old, transfixed by the fiddling of The Balfa Brothers, Dennis McGee, Tommy Jarrell and James Bryan. He went on to be a mainstay of the European Cajun and old time scene.

Lucas Tyldesley grew up just down the hall from Jock and Vera and has been playing drums since before he could walk, and piano since he was 7.

Together they present a truly mouth watering all star family band
The Deux Familles Cajun Band!!

Big Weekend 2025 Lineup

Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra

Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra have been gleefully trampling over genre boundaries for over a decade now, chucking Rockabilly, Blues, Country, Swing, Soul and more into their musical gumbo, but always sounding mostly just like themselves.

The Weatherall Tothill Trio

Tony Weatherall is one of the pioneers on the uk cajun scene, starting with The Crayfish Five way back in the 1980's. He went on to play with The Companions Of The Rosy Hours, LeRue, The Hackney Ramblers and has been a long time member of The Boat Band

Koray Broussard and Ruben Moreno

Koray Broussard is an LA Opelousas native is a third generation Zydeco musician; his father John, uncle Jeffrey and grandfather Delton are all noted players in Southern Louisiana and beyond!