Bands - be careful

John Lawless reported yesterday on Bluegrass Today that several US bluegrass acts have received approaches by e-mail, claiming to be acting for the UK's Didmarton Bluegrass Festival, and offering them a place on the programme. Any band that accepted the offer would then be asked for money to cover the costs of work permits for their members. It has since been reported that a similar scam has been tried, using the name of the Battlefield Bluegrass Festival, also in the UK.

The Didmarton organisers have posted a warning on their website, adding that the name of a non-bluegrass festival in Britain is being similarly misused. It may be less likely that whoever's doing this would approach bands in Ireland, but it's not impossible; so please exercise due care if your band receives an approach of this kind.