Music / Folk & Roots
Bristol’s month in folk & roots – May 2024
An immeasurable number of folk songs begin with the words “As I walked out one May morning.”
So it’s possibly no surprise that Bristol, in May, is stuffed with incredible folk and roots music. Two festivals, an exciting season of gigs, at least one bona fide legend and a wealth of fantastic musicians. It’s hard to ask for more.
Bristol’s Lady Nade appears at Bristol Folk Festival on May 5 – photo: Arthur Rene Walwin
is needed now More than ever
Over the last few years the Folk Festival has become a highlight of Bristol’s cultural calendar.
This year it’s packed with amazing artists, beginning with The Breath at Bristol Cathedral and Hedera at The Folk House on Friday, May 3. Saturday includes Ireland’s Ranagri and Chicago’s Rachel Baiman at St George’s in the afternoon, then Bellowhead alumni Spiers & Boden in the evening, as well as a ceilidh hosted by Bristol’s emerging ‘mini folk supergroup’ Tarren at the Folk House.
Sunday gets very ‘Bristol’ indeed. Lady Nade headlines the afternoon session at St George’s with her american-tinged folk, with top support coming from the Heather Ferrier Trio and Chris Fox. Hometown festie-favourites Sheelanagig round things off in fine style, with 15-piece folk-beast Filkin’s Ensemble, and local vocal trio Hands of the Heron in support.
There’ll be loads of surprises over the weekend too. It’s sure to be brilliant.
This year’s Outlandish Nights series of shows looks very good indeed.
On May 3, harmonica genius Will Pound and guitarist Jenn Butterworth are supported by performance and puppetry artist Branwen. The UK/Egypt folk fusion of Tamsin Elliott and Tarak Elizardy follows on May 10, then Suntou Susso and Burd Ellen on May 17 and fiddler Mikey Kenny and The Weaving bringing raw harmonies and the fiery dance rhythms of Western Ireland on the final Friday of the month, May 24.
Now that the Beacon is well and truly open their folk and roots offering really steps up throughout May.
Darius Rucker first found fame in Hootie & The Blowfish and, these days, is an absolute Country legend. His show on May 1 is close to sold out. Actor and singer-songwriter Johnny Flynn (best known for The Detectorists theme) and nature writer Robert MacFarlane have made a couple of albums together and they promote the latest one, The Moon Also Rises, on May 9. Expect poetry, story, landscape, history, nature and myth from them both.
Fearsome Scottish dance-folk monster, Talisk, play on May 10 and Lady Maisery bring their gorgeous harmonies to the Lantern Hall on May 15. For something a little more roots-y, The Handsome Family are back in Bristol on May 20. Jon Boden is also back, just a few days after his Folk Festival performance, on May 24.
Finally, one of the greatest folk musicians of all time appears on May 26. Richard Thompson has a fantastic new album out at the end of May and a career that takes in some of the best-loved songs ever committed to vinyl. As if that wasn’t enough, Jim Moray supports.
Folk fusion band Good Habits are appearing at Downend Folk Club – photo: Bob Zuur
For the second month in a row, Bristol’s premier folk venue has so much music that’s not to be missed.
Sam Carter, appearing on May 12, has been likened to Richard Thompson and called “the finest English-style finger-picking guitarist of his generation” by Jon Boden. He has a new album out soon and is always so good live.
Harpist Rachel Newton, here on the May 17, is a member of the Furrow Collective, was on the Spell Songs album and has previously won Musician of the Year at the BBC Folk Awards. Two-times Grammy-nominated Americana legend Kim Richey, playing on May 19, is a wonderful storyteller with an incredible voice. Australian travelling troubadour Maddi O’Brien plays on May 22. The Black Feathers, here on May 26, are one of the finest UK Americana acts around and worth seeing simply for Sian Chandler’s superb voice. Bringing the month to a close are Kathryn Williams and Withered hand on May 31. Their new album, Willson Williams, is a blast of fuzzy, sunshiney folk-pop and is just brilliant. This one might just be the highlight of the entire month.
The Jam Jar
Still, unbelievably, under threat, Jam Jar have their usual eclectic mix of seriously interesting things on this month. Expect groovy Balkan brilliance from Raka on May 2, Roots-y Rock & Roll from The Buffalo Skinners on May 9 and the launch of Memorial’s indie-folk album, Redsetter, on May 22.
And if none of these work out you could just go and buy loads of very cool Jam Jar merch from their website.
The third Friday of the month sees yet another great folk act playing at Christ Church, Downend. This month it’s the joyous folk duo Good Habits. Cello, accordion, lovely harmonies, vivid storytelling and the odd, perfect cover version are all guaranteed last time it was a fantastic folkified version of Stones Roses’ She Bangs the Drums.
There’s a ton of folk around this month, but SWX fly the flag for something a bit more rootsy. With more than a hint of Laurel Canyon breezy-ness, The Staves bring their gorgeous harmonies to the venue on May 22; and 49 Winchester get a bit more sticky-floor-barroom rock-and-roll on May 29. Both gigs are set to be absolutely brilliant.
Other things and other places
In all honesty, you could avoid all the above venues and still see some of the most interesting and exciting folk-ish music around.
Katherine Priddy brings her lovely new album, The Pendulum Swing, to Strange Brew on May 1. To the surprise of noone – because she’s incredible – the gig is sold out. The Fleece have Scottish indie folkers Elephant Sessions supported by Ellie Gowers on May 2. Daisy Rickman’s latest album, Howl, is a glorious psych-folk nugget and she plays the brilliant The Song Has No Ending night at The Cube on the May 4. Think Incredible String Band and Pentangle and you won’t go too far wrong. There’s a whole load of interesting support acts too, making it a bargain of a night out.
Emily Barker will be playing live and signing copies of her new album, Fragile As Humans, at Rough Trade on the 8th. Steve Wickham, violin player with The Waterboys, plays The Louisiana on May 9, alongside Ray Coen from No Crows while, on the same day, there’s a Sea Shanty flash-mob musical with the brilliant Old Time Sailors at Thekla. Leeds based folkie Chris Brain plays St George’s as part of their Rising Folk series on May 10 and the brilliant Hurray for the Riff Raff are at Trinity on May 16. And at The New Room, Wesley Stace (aka John Wesley Harding) will be proving that he’s the best UK singer-songwriter you’ve never heard of on May 14 and The Melrose Quartet will demonstrate they’re the folk quartet everyone really should have heard of on May 23.
Finally, an honourable mention for the Real Ale & Sea Shanty festival at the Freemason’s Hall, Park Street, on May 11-12. There’ll be shanty crews from all over the West Country and the real ales are handpicked by Sam Gregory from The Bank Tavern.
Main photo: Filkin’s Ensemble
Read next:
- Bristol’s month in World Music – May 2024
- Bristol’s month in jazz – May 2024
- Review: Eliza Carthy, Bristol Folk House – ‘Electrifying’
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