Anstruther, Fife
The small seaside village of Anstruther, 50 miles north of Edinburgh and not far from St Andrews, the "home of golf", is an unlikely port of cool on the east coast of Fife. But since Kenny Anderson launched Fence Records in 1995 and provided a focal point for the younger generation to update local folk and ceilidh traditions, it's spawned a host of artists that have gained national acclaim including King Creosote (Kenny himself), James Yorkston, Lone Pigeon (Gordon from the Beta Band) and the Pictish Trail.
Fence is now more a collective, and runs several festivals including Away Game, which was held on the Isle of Eigg last year, and HaarFest (fencerecords.com, tickets from £65), which takes place 11-14 August in Anstruther. Local accommodation includes the Craw's Nest Hotel (crawsnesthotel.co.uk, doubles from £88 B&B), which happens to be owned by Radio One DJ Edith Bowman's parents.
The Band Room, North Yorkshire
When Low Mill's village hall (thebandroom.co.uk, tickets from £12.50) is not hosting jumble sales and sewing groups, it doubles up as one of the country's most unlikely music venues. Seating just 100 people, this tiny wooden hall in a remote hamlet in the middle of the North Yorkshire Moors punches well above its weight, attracting an impressive list of visiting musicians from far and wide. The Handsome Family called it "the greatest small venue on Earth" and it is slowly building a name for itself as an intimate and unforgettable venue for contemporary Americana, alt country, folk and roots.
Nettlebed folk club, Oxfordshire
In an age of corporate-sponsored mega-festivals, it's a joy to find that one of folk music's hottest venues is a tiny, not-for-profit bar-room in Oxfordshire (nettlebedfolkclub.co.uk, tickets from £11.50) that struggles to squeeze in 200 people. On Monday evenings, the Nettlebed Folk Club's volunteers open up the village hall and welcome some of the superstars of folk on to their stage. Over the years Steeleye Span, Lindisfarne and Fairport Convention have all popped in but even when the headline acts are less familiar this is a hotbed of foot-stomping, instrument swapping and real ale drinking.
Frome, Somerset
This sleepy market town in deepest Somerset has long been a magnet for musicians and artists, resulting in a thriving cultural scene and boho flavour. Danny Goffey of Supergrass and his wife – the fashion designer Pearl Lowe – Irish folk singer Cara Dillon and street artists Boswell and VJ Ultra all call Frome home and can often be spotted at local events, including the Frome Festival (fromefestival.co.uk), a 10-day party of live music, theatre and art studio open days that takes place every July. Hip hangouts include Babington House (babingtonhouse.co.uk, doubles from £215 room only), the country offshoot of Soho House, and the Archangel (archangelfrome.com, from £120 B&B for a double), a boutique hotel, restaurant and live music venue, with an imaginative events programme of vintage tea parties (21 August, tickets £10), cocktail-making workshops and Beatles tribute bands. For contemporary art head to Black Swan Arts on Bridge Street (blackswan.org.uk).
Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
The Art Gene collective (artgene.co.uk) is putting Barrow on the map, literally. Their recent piece GoogleBarrow is a Google-Earth-based installation, highlighting Barrow's hidden attributes by placing 3D models of secret or obscure landmarks around the town. Watch out for the Islands of Barrow project, which will involve artworks positioned along the nearby coastline and Walney and Roa islands, linked by walking and cycling tours.
Barrow's relatively isolated position at the end of a peninsula has made the local council committed to funding a vibrant arts scene. Abbey Road is the creative hub of the town, with Art Gene and the Barracudas Carnival Band based at the beautiful old Nan Tait Centre. The £1.5m restoration of the neighbouring Cooke's building will be completed this month, providing a home to the cutting-edge Ashton Group Theatre Factory (ashtongroup.co.uk) and the town's Signal Films – watch out for events there from January 2012.
Southport, Merseyside
It's said to be the inspiration for Morrissey's Every Day is Like Sunday, but Southport has had something of a facelift since the mournful one declared it "silent and grey", and is home to a thriving street art scene. Recently Ben Eine, the artist whose work David Cameron presented to Barack Obama, went to town on the walls of the seaside resort as part of the annual UpNorth festival of street art. The artists' network Southport Contemporary Arts (southportcontemporaryarts.com) has other events planned for the coming months, including the Big Draw on 15-16 and 22-23 October, in which members of the public contribute to a pop-up exhibition. Stay at the super stylish Vincent Hotel (thevincenthotel.com, doubles from £93 B&B), with its zinc and granite facade and art deco styling.
Compiled by Luke Bainbridge, Caroline Christie, Ashleigh Arnott and Joanne O'Connor
