Saturday. Show of Hands are undeniably one of the strongest current forces in acoustic music – England’s finest and most popular roots duo and something of a “people’s band”. “Formidable operators in the roots arena. A class act” The Independent Show of Hands have unequivocally become one of the leading forces in British folk.Continue Reading
Thursday. Jon Boden has become the ‘stand out performer of his generation’ (The Guardian) of traditional folk artists, but one whose repertoire extends far beyond the boundaries of the genre. The Remnant Kings band features the talents of former Bellowhead band-mates Sam Sweney and Paul Sartin, plus Leveret’s Rob Harbron and Ben Nicholls and RichardContinue Reading
Saturday. A Highlight of 2016 – great to have them back! Korrontzi folk band (Mungia, Basque Country, 2004) were formed by trikitixa player Agus Barandiaran. His purpose was to give Basque Country folk music and Basque ancestral and traditional sounds a contemporary aspect but always within the scope of a music based on the trikitixaContinue Reading
Gordie MacKeeman exemplifies the term natural showman. An ace fiddle player nicknamed “crazy legs” for his frenetic loose-limbed step- dancing, he just loves to perform. Combine that exuberance and onstage dynamism with the stellar musicianship of his multi-instrumentalist comrades His Rhythm Boys, and you have an unstoppable roots music force. That potent combination has madeContinue Reading
Granny’s Attic – Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne (Melodeon, Concertina, Vocals), George Sansome (Guitar, Vocals) and Lewis Wood (Fiddle, Mandolin, Vocals) – are a folk trio who play the tradition with verve, energy and their own inimitable style. These three young men are all exceptional musicians, fine singers and play a range of English, Irish and Scottish traditionalContinue Reading
For over a decade, the Acadian trio Vishtèn has dazzled audiences with its fiery blend of traditional French songs and original instrumentals that fuse Celtic and Acadian genres with a modern rock sensibility and indie-folk influences. Lauded as “traditional but fiercely up-to-the- moment” (Penguin Eggs), this band from Canada’s east coast has been recognized asContinue Reading
Three times nominated in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and double winners of the Spiral Earth Awards Megson draw heavily on their Teesside heritage to create a truly unique brand of folk music. The husband & wife duo bring an infectious mix of heavenly vocals, lush harmonies and driving rhythmic guitars. Comprising Debs HannaContinue Reading
A former electrician, who decided to change profession after seeing Christy Moore perform on Irish TV, Dublin-born traditional singer and bouzouki player Daoirí (pronounced ‘Derry’) Farrell is being described by some of the biggest names in Irish folk music as one of most important singers to come out of Ireland in recent years, and hasContinue Reading
Formed originally in 1978 by Ralph Jordan and James Patterson (Silas) and Mick Ryan and Jon Burge, CROWS were a popular fixture on the club and festival circuit until the mid 1980s. In that time they underwent a couple of personnel changes the first of which saw Dave Bordewey replacing Jon. In 2016, Mick, DaveContinue Reading
Gnoss are a dynamic four-piece of fiddle, flute, guitar and percussion, that tackle energetic tune sets and driving folk song with a ‘maturity of ability many of a greater age will envy’ (Living Tradition). All current students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Graham Rorie, Aidan Moodie, Connor Sinclair and Craig Baxter have been tippedContinue Reading