Music / Previews
Bristol’s Month in Folk & Roots – July
Even with the heaving festival monolith that is Glastonbury sucking the life out of the live music scene, July is full of folk-ish treats. You just have look carefully to find them.
It’s incredible how quickly time flashes by. This year Downend Folk and Roots is ten years old and, to celebrate, they’re throwing a party. From July 19 to 21 they take over Christ Church in Downend for their own bijou festival. There’s a ceilidh with The Molecatchers on Friday and then a whole day of folk favourites on the Saturday.
is needed now More than ever
Katie Grace Harris headlines a family friendly show at 12:30 before Road Not Taken, Janice Burns & Jon Doran and the always brilliant Jim Moray play the afternoon set.
The day culminates with Lady Maisery headlining, supported by Gavin Osborn and Bryony Griffiths & Alice Jones. Sunday will see Bright Season – the first band that played at Downend, ten years ago – and Heartwood Chorus bringing a fantastic weekend to a close.
For a bit of Americana, Bedminster is the only place to be in July. John Murry is a singer-songwriter from Tupelo, Mississippi and a regular collaborator with Chuck Prophet. His music is beautifully dark and he plays on July 26.
The following day, however, is the gig that’s worth stopping time for. Gary Louris is a member of The Jayhawks, one of the finest alt-country bands of all time (or just one of the finest bands ever), and he’s playing solo on July 27. With a back catalogue that is absolutely peer-less, his own albums are just incredible too. Gig of the month, and no mistake.
Bristol folk act Eleven Magpies play the New Room on July 18 – photo: Eleven Magpies
Things are nicely folky at the Wesleyan Chapel this month. The Bristol Folk Singers celebrate their tenth anniversary on July 11. They promise English folk song in gorgeous four-part harmonies.
One of Bristol’s greatest folk(ish) bands play on July 18. Eleven Magpies feature members of Three Cane Whale, Jow and Yesterday’s Camel as well as superb theatrical musical director Ian Ross (Wise Children, Kneehigh). They simply make the most beautiful plucked and bowed music imaginable. It is, at once, theatrical and lovely, astonishingly beautiful, grief laden and uplifting.
They are so good live and, in this room filled with candlelight, they will be heart-stopping
Bridge Farm (BS16 1BQ)
Bristol Tree Craft open their new space at Bridge Farm with Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith on July 4. Jimmy & Sid are regularly spotted around Bristol in many and varied musical outings but it is when they play together that wonderful things happen. Both great folk singers, fine instrumentalists and the owners of a strong political consciousness, they will sit perfectly in this lovely, peaceful setting.
View this post on Instagram
British-Brazilian, jazzy-folk singer Liana Flores does one of those nifty live and signing things on July 9. Her latest album, I Wish for the Rain, is a delightfully hazy thing, full of heartbreak and 2am jazz bar vibes with a bit of Joni Mitchell mixed in for good measure.
As usual, The Folk House comes up with some interesting stuff this month.
Threaded are a three-piece that fuse folk with classical music and nature-filled soundscapes. They play on July 4.
Club Debris and Cri Du Canard bring their raucous, French influenced folk on July 19. This will be music for riotous dancing, serious whirling and a delightfully good time. If you fancy something a bit out-of-the-ordinary but utterly brilliant, I suspect that this might be the one.
Slack Bird combine Appalachian banjo with dark, Finnish drone folk to produce something seriously interesting. They play on July 4 with support from Boom Boom Raccoon and Molly Samson.
Ham Farm, Emersons Green (BS16 7AT)
This will be the fourth Ham Farm Festival, set in a stunning half acre private garden on the outskirts of Bristol. It runs from July 25 to 28.
There are plenty of interesting looking events but it’s the Friday double-header that is deliciously folky. The Furrow Collective are an award-winning English/Scottish four-piece, full of spine-tingling harmonies. Made up of Alasdair Roberts, Emily Portman, Rachel Newton and Lucy Farrell, they don’t need much introduction to folkies. World class folk music tucked away in Emerson’s Green? Who could ask for more?
Last but definitely not least is the best festival that Somerset has to offer. With not an overblown rock band in sight, without a single backing track or blandly formulaic pop star to be seen, Priddy Folk Festival spreads its magic on the second weekend of July (12-14).
There’s so much brilliant stuff to see but a few highlights will be Sam Sweeney Band, Filkin’s Ensemble, Breabach, the Stolen From God project, The Haar, Granny’s Attic, Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell as well as Bristol’s very own party starters Sheelanagig and the utterly brilliant Ushti Baba.
It’s always the best weekend of the summer and this year’s line-up is just so good.
Main photo: The Molecatchers
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
