Acts

Following the release of their new album ‘Parlour Ballads’ (Hudson Records) – released Sept ’24 - Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings return to the live arena with their unique brand of post-apocalyptic folk played in a traditional style vs. traditional folk played with post-apocalyptic swagger.

Boden’s Waitsian parlour ballads and Napoleonic power-pop, will be performed alongside the band’s fifteen-year back-catalogue of traditional and original songs and tunes. The band combines a deep understanding of traditional music with musical audacity and theatrical brio, and feature the enormous talents of Sam Sweeney (Bellowhead), Rob Harbron (Leveret), Ben Nicholls (Seth Lakeman Band), Sally Hawkins (Bellowhead) and the vocals and pedal-steel guitar of cult singer-songwriter M.G. Boulter.

Seth was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2005 for 'Kitty Jay'. Multiple albums, tours and high-profile collaborations later, the acclaimed folk artist released his latest studio album The Granite Way in February on his own label, Honour Oak Records. It’s a collection of songs recorded alongside a group of longtime collaborators of Seth’s, staying true to his roots and referring to ancient stories that inspired early West Country storytelling.

Seth Lakeman: ‘Each song feels strongly connected through history to the moors and the sea. I had written the stories and songs beforehand and had the melodic tunes ready for us all to explore when we recorded in the room, and the musical interplay between this lineup really displays their appetite for sounds and subjects within the folk tradition.’

In recent years Seth was asked to record on Van Morrison’s album ‘Moving On Skiffle’ and he collaborated with Public Service Broadcasting. Seth has also previously worked, and toured extensively, with Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) with his band the Sensational Space Shifters.

In addition to creating their own records, Charley and Hattie lend their distinctive vocal sound to live performances and recordings by the likes of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Avett Brothers, Glen Hansard, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, Nathalie Maines (of the Dixie Chicks), Damien Rice, Elvis Costello and Rick Rubin.

Baskery are Greta, Stella and Sunniva Bondesson, a trio of sisters from Stockholm, Sweden.

Since the start in 2008 they’ve released four fullenght albums and successfully toured the world. The band’s motto, to go where the music takes them, has created an organic growth and their energetic and diverse live shows have made them an attractive and sought after live band. They’ve been handpicked as support act for Gary Clark Jr , Robbie Williams , Seth Lakeman, Lukas Nelson and Brandi Carlile and have made appearances at festivals like Glastonbury (UK) (Avalon Stage 2009 and 2022), Shrewsbury Folk Festival (UK), Solfest (UK), Shambala (UK), Bonnaroo (US), Newport Folk Festival (US), SXSW (US), Calgary Folk Festival (CAN), Winnipeg Folk Festival (CAN), Woodford Folk Festival ( AUS), Piece and Love (SE), Storsjöyran (SE), Colours of Ostrawa , (CZ), and Toender (DK).

In february 2022 the band teamed up with producer Sean Lakeman (The Levellers, Billy Bragg, Imelda May) in a timeless Devon hideaway studio, far from any distractions, to record their 5th album. The collaboration between producer and band was mutually inspiring and the result is a diverse sound landscape, where each song has been granted its own, uniqe outfit and where the red thread lies within the musicianship and the vocal harmonies.

TRADarrr is still reimagining folk rock after 10 years together, introducing the tints, tones and textures of a whole panoply of musical genres, with precision percussion, searingly tasteful guitars, melodic basses and fiery fiddles.

Featuring PJ Wright, Guy Fletcher, Marion Fleetwood, Mark Stevens, Gregg Cave, Gemma Shirley and Brendan O'Neill, TRADarrr brings together some of the leading lights in contemporary folk rock.

The band mine a rich seam of traditional songs in their search for material, but it is the flair and imagination going into the arrangements that set them apart. It’s one thing to have the inspiration but it takes a group of musicians with the exceptional skill set found in TRADarrr to master this impressive array of instruments and bring their inspirations to fruition.'

Many of the songs and tunes they perform are familiar classics. Many are simply gems from the tradition that band members have always wanted to perform - could there be a better reason for singing a song?

“Hold on to your tri-corn hats and be prepared to stamp your wooden legs – Blackbeard’s Tea Party are in town. Sea-shanties will be given a bombastic rock edge, and folk instrumentals will become late-night floor-fillers when this raucous bunch of reprobates hit the stage. They have dirt under their fingernails and a twinkle in their eyes, and you can expect fantastic musicianship, playful choreography and an unstoppable urge to move your body.

Drums, electric guitars, fiddle, melodeon and 4-part vocal harmonies combine to create music that is drenched in tradition, but filtered through a kaleidoscope of modern rock and pop.

Established as the go-to band for late-night folkin’ shenanigans, Blackbeard’s Tea Party have played memorable sets at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival, Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, The Rainforest World Music Festival in Borneo and many more. Their new album ‘We Are People’ was released in 2024, with a new tour being planned for Spring 2026.

Blackbeard’s Tea Party are also available to book as a Ceilidh band for both public and private events, in addition to their live set.

Katie Spencer

Raised in the East Yorkshire flatlands on the fringes of Hull, Katie Spencer’s landscape has always been that of open skies and widening rivers. Industry still shapes the city here. The people, as with the land, are moulded by tides and stark horizons. Stand in the same place for long enough and you can watch the sun rise over the North Sea and then sink into crop fields, glowing auburn in late-summer sun. It is this sense of space and movement that flows through Katie Spencer’s music.

The songwriting, and most notably her guitar playing stems from a time when the steel-stringed instrument was truly finding its voice. Artists like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and perhaps most evidently Michael Chapman, flow into her sound, carrying with them the warmth and idealism of the early 70’s folk and songwriter movements.

Katie Spencer’s widely celebrated new album, The Edge of the Land (2022), follows her debut release, Weather Beaten (2019) which was praised for its unique song-craft, spell-binding musicianship and crystal sonic clarity, as she brought together fans of music from all backgrounds and walks of life. Delicate and un-rushed, the ten songs on The Edge of the Land drift by like ships on the horizon, yet intimacy and introspection still remain.

The inclusivity found in her recorded works is most apparent when on stage, with a personal connection and humour that allows the listener time to appreciate the emotion of the music. Her historical gig list is extensive, taking in the world-renowned Celtic Connections and Cambridge Folk Festival, whilst performances with Danny Thompson and Alan Thomson have left audiences in awe of her confidence and craftsmanship.

As live music has returned to our world, we can expect to see Katie Spencer where she belongs once more, eyes closed, in the moment, performing.

NICK HARPER

Nick Harper is a guitar player’s guitar player. Innovative and original, covering the full spectrum of expression from delicate virtuosity to monstrous raw power. A songwriter of great depth from soul-wrenching love songs to venomous raps and rants, peppered with humour and the wordplay of a poet.

Nick is a mainstay of the British live circuit, with 30 years of constant touring, whilst appearing worldwide from the Royal Albert Hall to Mount Everest. A veteran of the festival show, including multiple appearances at Glastonbury, Beautiful Days and the Ed Fringe. He has an illustrious pedigree and an eventful story up to now, but shows no signs of letting up on his prolific, eclectic output and gripping, emotional live shows.

2024 saw Nick’s 14th studio album, ‘Earth Day Blue’, reach the top 40 of the official record store chart. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studio 2 [The Beatles room] with legendary producer John Leckie at the helm and Grammy winning mix engineer Tchad Blake applying sonic excellence in the mix. Complete with an ensemble of friends providing backing vocals, taught and conducted by Harper in the moment, it is a record with the electricity of immediacy, coupled with a celebratory, inclusive feel.

Louise is singer and songwriter of the highest quality with parallels for many of Joan Baez and Julie Felix. Her arrangements of traditional and original material suit her “pure and soaring voice” (David Jones, Folk Northwest Magazine). She sings with an ease and a quality that is “unrivalled on the current Folk Scene” (John Owen, Hungry Horse Folk Club). Her original songs are quite something too and she collaborated with John McCusker for Evie’s Lullaby (his music, her lyrics).

In January 2023, she won the Great British Folk Festival’s Introducing Stage Audience Vote. It’s the sort of reception she gets wherever she plays. In March she was invited to perform with McCusker, McGoldrick and Doyle at The Waterside, Sale and The Crescent, York. As a duo with her Dad Chris, she released an album of 12 songs - ‘Things That Matter’. His intricate guitar work and smooth vocal sits easily with her voice and piano. Together they come across as as relaxed duo who enjoy performing live and are regularly asked back..

Contemporary folk/acoustic duo Gilmore & Roberts combine award-winning songwriting with astounding musicianship and their trademark harmonies to create a powerful wall of sound. Nominated three times at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Katriona Gilmore (fiddle, mandolin) and Jamie Roberts (guitar) met while studying at Leeds College of Music and released their debut album in 2008. Since then, the duo have toured Canada and mainland Europe, played some of the UK's biggest acoustic festivals, toured with folk rock legends Fairport Convention, and won countless accolades for their genre-spanning work. 2015 saw the release of their fourth album, 'Conflict Tourism', which appeared on several end-of-year Best Album lists and received national airplay on both BBC Radio 2 & BBC 6music.

Recent post-graduates of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Traditional Music course, Eleanor Dunsdon & Gregor Black are a Glasgow-based harp and percussion duo. Blending traditional with contemporary, vocals and electronics, they draw on jazz, folk and classical genres to create a sound that challenges perceptions of the harp and pushes the boundaries of the traditional music scene. Danny Kyle award-winners at Celtic Connections 2024, the duo have appeared as FATEA Magazine’s featured artists at Southport’s Love Folk Festival, performed at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival and will showcase at Purbeck Valley Folk Festival this summer. They were recently chosen as UKHA Emerging Artists and released their debut EP, 'Let No Man' in April 2024. Their music has featured on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Ulster, FATEA’s Showcase Sessions and Celtic Music Radio.

DUNCAN McFARLANE BAND have gone from strength to strength since forming in 2001, ostensibly for a one-off pub gig as part of Otley Festival, the original ‘scratch band’ blew the place apart. The packed house loved it and further bookings were offered. They felt compelled to continue and have never looked back, with increasing main stage festival appearances over the years at such as Beverley, Ely, Sidmouth, Shrewsbury (dMb have now played those last two twice!) Two decades and many five-star albums later, still centred on Duncan’s acoustic & electric guitar work, the powerhouse rhythm section of Nick Pepper (drums) and Martin Ward (bass guitar) are elevated to yet greater heights by Anne Brivonese’s fiddle, Steve Fairholme’s melodeon and Steve Foster’s electric guitar. Their heady blend of traditional folk and Duncan’s Trad-infused compositions, with driving rhythm and vibrant energy, has gone down a storm with festival audiences across the UK – don’t miss ‘em!

Hailing from Oxfordshire, Restless Oceans taps into an eclectic blend of influences including Americana, folk, indie, rock, and pop. The band fuses mandolin, violin, bass, cajon and guitars together with warming harmonies and poignant lyrics to create an incredible sound and memorable show that always connects with audiences. The sound has been likened to Fleet Foxes, Fleetwood Mac and First Aid Kit, amongst others. Restless Oceans recently supported Sam Kelly, Rusty Shackle, India Electric Co. and Afro Celt Sound System. The band is looking forward to a busy 2025 that will see the release of a new EP, nationwide shows and a busy summer of festival appearances.