History

Here we have listed some of the recent performers that we have promoted at North Shropshire Folk which demonstrates that we have many of the best musicians in the folk world at our gigs.

Ranagri is an award winning indie folk band with a unique blend of instruments that includes guitar, flutes, whistles,harp, piano, hammered dulcimer, bouzouki, bodhrán, orchestral percussion and voices. 'They create a sound that is both mesmerising and unforgettable' KLOF MAG.

Ranagri have recorded five studio albums to date, with their latest release, Tradition II receiving critical acclaim upon its release in July 2022. Folk Radio UK placed the album in their top 10 albums of 2022, cementing the band's status as one of the most exciting and innovative folk bands in the UK today.
Ranagri has established themselves as a standout act, drawing in crowds from around the world with their captivating live performances and exceptional musicianship. They have performed at some of the most prestigious venues & festivals across the UK and Europe, including Cambridge Folk Festival, Bloom festival (Dublin), Montelago festival (Italy),Towersey Festival, a headline slot at Costa Festival Ibiza 2023, Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Union Chapel, SHREWSBURY folk festival in 2024, Kings Place London along with regular tours of Scotland and Europe.

The Haar introduces the formidable singing talent of All-Ireland Scór na nÓg winner Molly Donnery combined with three of the most exciting instrumentalists on the folk and traditional music circuit: Cormac Byrne

(BBC Folk Award/Show of Hands/Seth Lakeman), Adam Summerhayes, and Murray Grainger (both of the FATEA award-winning Ciderhouse Rebellion).

This is music that is not afraid to transcend borders, whilst recognisably born of the traditional music that all members have grown up with. The Haar pushes the boundaries to create a unique and compelling sound.

The origins of the band go back to a chance meeting between Adam, Cormac and Molly at a session at the Craiceann Bodhrán Festival. This resulted in an improvised performance recorded by the shipwreck of the Plassey on the west coast of Ireland. It was to become typical of the unique live reactive composition that characterises their music. With the addition of master accordionist Grainger, they entered the studio at the end of 2019 to record their first album.

Their self-titled debut, released in June 2020, is a collection of traditional Irish songs tackling love, poverty and oppression. It was heralded as a splendid balance of swirling instrumental magic and beautifully sung narratives by Folk Radio UK and garnered attention from Mike Harding who described it as absolutely amazing.

Ainsley is one of the UK’s most distinctive and versatile singers, known for her remarkable voice, storytelling,

and emotive style. Hailing from the West Coast of Scotland, Ainsley has built a career celebrated for its authenticity, merging traditional Scottish folk with a modern touch.

Sam Kelly is a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winning singer, song-writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Sam's debut EP - entitled Your Way Home was released in March 2013, which swiftly created a buzz of interest in the folk scene for Sam's music. He followed this up with the release of the widely acclaimed Spokes EP.

Toby Shaer is an up and coming folk musician from Leigh on Sea, Essex. He is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer who has worked and shared stages with some of the finest musicians in the folk/country music scenes.

Gnoss’ signature sound is a rich tapestry of acoustic layers; outstanding musicianship, deep traditional roots and contemporary compositional flair combine to create songs and tunes brimming with character.

Triple Scots Trad Music Awards nominees, the band have built an invested following through their forward-thinking take on traditional music and the unique warmth of their live shows. This has been proven through three consecutive sell-out appearances at Glasgow’s world-famous Celtic Connections festival.

Following his appearances on the massively popular TV series “Victorian Farm”, John Kirkpatrick presents a programme of traditional songs to take us through a year in the countryside, reflecting the highs and lows of each season, and giving an authentic voice to the old way of life. Although agricultural working conditions in the later nineteenth century were as bad as any in the country, the songs that have been handed down from this time choose to embody hope and optimism, and a great delight in the processes of nature - songs designed to keep the spirits high and buoyant, rather than dwell on the gloomier side of a life that most of us today would find quite impossible. So here we have The Victorian Farmer’s Year In Song – songs about farmers, and songs sung by farmers; songs about the work on the farm, and songs to make that work easier; songs celebrating particular days in the country calendar, and songs celebrating the daily miracle of life, death, and renewal. And the world we are shown here is not a romantic pastoral idyll viewed through rose-tinted spectacles – this is a world full of sweat and muck, a world with dirt under the finger nails, a world full of snorting, and grunting, and heaving.

Following a chance meeting at Whitby Folk Festival in 1993, Chris Sherburn (Concertina) and Denny Bartley (Vocals and Guitar) have been bringing their unique sound to audiences across Europe and America, creating one of folk music’s most enduring partnerships. Their obvious rapport made them one of the busiest acts on the folk scene, both as a duo and with their well-loved band, Last Night’s Fun. Their soul-stirring songs, exhilarating tunes and quick-witted banter ensures that no two concerts are ever the same.

In 2016, Chris and Denny joined forces with Emily Sanders (fiddle/viola and vocals) and have since become a well-established trio, for the first time blending vocal harmonies, and strings to underpin Chris and Denny’s unique sound, as well as providing a female vocal for some songs, and bringing a repertoire of English folk songs to complement the bands more Celtic roots.

Emily was a founder member of the acclaimed trio Isambarde. She has also toured with Merrymouth (Simon Fowler, Lead Singer of Ocean Colour Scene) and regularly appears with Pete Morton and Chris Parkinson.

They sound like that moment, on Christmas eve, when the kids have gone to bed, the presents are under the tree, the fire’s just dying down, there’s pine, cinnamon and nectarine in the air, there’s excitement, anticipation and giddiness. Everything is just about to burst. Whatever that feeling is, A Winter Union is that!
Hannah Sanders has a voice that is both snowflake perfect and icicle pure. When she starts Ding Dong Merrily on High a visible chill ripples around the room, and then Rhiannon and Gilmore join in the harmonies and that Christmas Eve feeling washes over everyone.
The three voices twist and twirl together again and again – like Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe weaving around an old tree trunk – making Joni Mitchell’s River even more beautiful than ever. Jade Rhiannon,

ve musicians at the top of their game, honed from years of performance. With talent in great measure, they showcase their creativity & technical brilliance in every song. Intriguingly crafted classics and soul searching ballads shine with five-part harmonies and instrumental virtuosity, all introduced with dry wit and audacious humour. A unique band ….. to see them is a must.

Mick Doonan was a founder member of the legendary 70s folk-rock band Hedgehog Pie and comes from the famous Tyneside dynasty. John Doonan Snr, was an All-Ireland flute champion. Michael also fronts The Mighty Doonan’s folk-rock band. In The Hunch he provides vocals as well as flutes and pipes. Bob Thomas fronted another highly respected folk-rock outfit, Kitsyke Will, and has since lent his wonderful soul-inflected vocal style to The Solicitors, as well as singing, playing percussion and harmonica with The Hunch. Alongside these two are the stunning acoustic guitarist/vocalist Chris Hanks and keyboards/accordionist/vocalist Tony Bacon, both alumni of West Yorkshire’s thriving roots scene. Marcus Frost is the latest addition to the line up; with extensive experience in the local blues/rock scene, Marcus brings his unique style of percussion and vocals. A collective ready wit & easy rapport with audiences of all sizes ensures that any gig involving The Hunch goes with a swing - tasteful, exciting, assured, soulful, enjoyable and lasting in the memory.

From deep roots in their hometown’s vibrant music, song and dance scene, to smashing concert appearances in the UK and abroad, Sheffield-based Melrose Quartet have attracted a reputation for making music that truly connects with people. All four are internationally renowned singers, instrumentalists, writer/composers and teachers and in 2017 they were proud to be named the new patrons of Whitby Folk week.

The Melrose Quartet perform a diverse repertoire – carousing chorus songs, lively dance tunes, ancient stories and modern pieces written in celebration of everything from weddings & birthdays to issues that affect all of our 21st century lives. This is music for everybody.

The Paperboys

May 2024, November 2017, November 2014, April 2009, October, 2005, 2003, and 2002

The Paperboys are a fantastic band from Vancouver in Canada. We are delighted to welcome them back to Whitchurch for a sixth time after a long absence.

The Paperboys are a globe-touring sextet that, in a single set, can be counted on to stomp through Celtic reels, traditional Mexican folk, fiddle tunes, New Orleans brass band music, classic pop songcraft, bluegrass, and even a philosophical waltz or two, before bringing it all home with a Latino/West African singalong?

The heart of The Paperboys is a trio of gifted songwriters and musicians: Founder Tom Landa, a fedora-hatted vocalist/guitarist/bandleader who immigrated from Mexico to Canada in his teens; Kalissa Landa, a lifelong fiddler/vocalist with a preternatural command of melody; and Spirit of the West’s flautist/guitarist/vocalist Geoffrey Kelly, already a Canadian musical icon when he hopped on the Paperboys bus in 1997.

Tarren is an ambassador for new-folk; music that is fresh and dynamic, rooted in the English tradition. Original and traditionalmaterial is expertly arranged by this trio of musicians who are creating music that moves and excites people. By incorporating modular hooks and minimalist forms, Tarren is leading folk music to a new place, while keeping the pulse of traditional dance at its heart.

Tarren is made up of Bristol-based artists Sid Goldsmith (Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith, Awake Arise), Alex Garden (The Drystones, Harriet Riley & Alex Garden) and Danny Pedler (Pedler // Russell). They combine cittern and concertina, fiddle, and accordion to create their music.

Tarren’s debut album REVEL was released in 2022 to high acclaim and was compared with the work of Faustus and Lau’s legendary debut album Lightweights and Gentlemen.

The Jeremiahs is an Irish folk band that comprises four musicians who have come together with the common goal of writing, composing and performing folk songs and music. They have travelled extensively, bringing their music far and wide and are heralded as a live band not to be missed. With a wonderful mixture of newly composed songs and tunes in the folk genre and a well selected catalogue of older folk songs, they are sure to rouse all the emotions.

Hailing from County Dublin is singer Joe Gibney on vocals. On fiddle and vocals is New York born Matt Mancuso . On flute from County Clare is Conor Crimmins and on Guitar is Dublin born James Ryan.
“Great songs, poignant, emotional vocals, masterful guitar and fiddle/flute conversations that work like fine embroidery – no wonder critics love them. You will too!”

We were delighted for the return of Megson to North Shropshire Folk. Four times nominated in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and double winners of the Spiral Earth Awards Megson, aka Stu & Debbie Hanna, 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 Hanna (Vocals, Whistle, Piano Accordion) and Stu Hanna (Guitar, Mandola, Banjo) Megson have gained fame on the British folk scene, not only for their arresting & intelligent song writing, but for their exquisite musicianship and northern humour. As Roots Magazine puts it ‘if you don’t like the music here then you have a problem’

2019 saw the release of their much anticipated new studio album CONTRADICSHUN gaining them even more critical acclaim including FOLK ALBUM OF THE WEEK from THE SUNDAY TIMES, “One of the albums of the year” ★★★★ from ROCK ‘N’ REEL while legendary folk broadcaster MIKE HARDING said “Megson have brought out a constant stream of absolutely stunning albums over the years and this is no exception. A cracker of an album.”

The Wilderness Yet combines the acclaimed talents of folksinger Rosie Hodgson, traditional fiddler Rowan Piggott, and guitarist-flautist Philippe Barnes. Independently, they have earned audiences’ esteem as consummate musicians; together, they weave an eclectic tapestry of traditional and original songs and tunes; from a cappella three-part harmonies to luscious instrumental arrangements. Their eponymous debut album was released in 2020 to critical acclaim, closely followed by a short EP of commissioned covers called John O Dreams. Lockdown saw them record a winter album / show called Turn The Year Round, featuring secular re-writes of classic carols and carefully arranged seasonal favourites. Their new studio album, What Holds The World Together, was released on 21st July 2022

Since emerging in 2016, Hannah & Ben have been defying all conventions of style, genre and compartmentalisation. A touch of ‘Americana’, yet quintessentially English. Traditional, yet contemporary, with their individual writing style. Playful and instinctive, they make music with such panache and natural chemistry it makes perfect sense.
Hannah Sanders has an alluring mystique and a voice of disarming purity that massages your senses. Ben Savage is a singular guitarist with a sound as distinctive as it is innovative. Together their harmonies and unique stage presence shimmer with an infectious enthusiasm and joy for the connection music offers.
Hannah & Ben released new album "Ink of the Rosy Morning" on Topic Records in April 2022 to critical acclaim. MOJO declared it "as heartwarming as it is beguiling" and the record peaked at number 3 in the Official UK Folk Album Charts.

Scotland’s Paul McKenna has long been ranked among our finest younger

singers and songwriters, armedwith a powerful yet intensely emotive voice and passionate social conscience, often expressed through his songs, a combination that’s brought frequent comparisons to the great Dick Gaughan. The Paul McKenna Bands newest release Breathe (2019) showcases Pauls development as a songwriter and includes two co-writes with acclaimed Canadian songwriter Dave Gunning and another with one of Australia’s most respected songwriters, Liz Stringer. Produced by Mike Vass, this new release expands on the bands trademark sound with added instrumentation to enhance and focus on the original material.
Paul was a featured artist at the world renowned Transatlantic Sessions in 2019. Alongside Cara Dillon, Tim O’Brien, Molly Tuttle and the multi-talented house band he performed a string of shows across the UK.
Paul and his band – comprising Robbie Greig (fiddle), Conal McDonagh (pipes/whistles), Conor Markey (banjo/bouzouki/guitars) and Ewan Baird (percussion) – draw on both Scottish and Irish roots, in a dynamic, full-bodied array of original and traditional material, along with songs by like-minded authors.

We are delighted to welcome Daoiri back to Whitchurch for his 3rd visit to North Shropshire Folk,

After a promising debut album, ‘The First Turn’, back in 2009, Daoirí spent several years studyin

g traditional music and performance at respected colleges across Ireland. While at the University of Limerick, Fintan Vallely introduced him to the singing of the late Liam Weldon, an encounter that was to prove formative to his sound and his approach to folk song.

Daoirí had cut his teeth as a singer in Dublin’s famous Góilin Singers Club and at other sessions across the city, many of which he still visits regularly. Following his studies he quickly found work accompanying artists including Christy Moore, as well as a list of names that sounds like a who’s who of folk music: Dónal Lunny, Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill, Alan Doherty, Danú, Dervish, Julie Fowlis, Arty McGlynn, The John Carty Big Band, Kíla, Sean Keane, Gerry O’Connor (Banjo), Gerry O’Connor (Fiddle), Lankum and more. In 2013 he won the All Ireland Champion Singer award at the Fleadh in Co. Derry, and in 2015 won the

prestigious Danny Kyle Award at Celtic Connections in Glasgow with the line-up FourWinds.

Daoirí finally stepped into the limelight in his own right, launching his own solo live career at Celtic Connections, in January 2016. In May the same year he was invited to fly to Manchester to do a live session on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe just a week before his first UK tour. His name was suddenly everywhere and festival and show dates started to stream in from across the world.

His long-awaiting follow-up album to ‘The First Turn’, ‘True Born Irishman’ was released in October 2016. The following spring his won two BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards – Best Traditional Track and Best Newcomer – and performed with a six piece line-up at the awards ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

He has since performed in Australia, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, The Czech Republic, USA, Portugal and more and played festivals including Cambridge Folk Festival, Milwaukee Irish Festival, Vancouver Island Folk Festival, the National Folk Festival of Australia and many more. In 2018 he toured the UK with Transatlantic Sessions and recorded his next album with Dónal Lunny in the producer’s chair.

Exciting acoustic 3-piece band Atlas Bridge bring together the tuneful talents of Uilleann Piper & Multi-instrumentalist Becky Taylor, with sensitive, honest vocals and melodic 5-string banjo from Madeline Andrew underpinned with inventive and energetic accompaniments by Steve Lacey who also adds a song or two to the mix.

Expect engaging, high energy, lively tune sets interspersed with thought-provoking songs. With a multitude of different instruments between them and a fresh approach to more familiar material as well as vocal variety, there is plenty of interest here!

In an unmissable collaboration, five of the English folk scene’s most inventive artists bring you Awake Arise – A

Christmas Show For Our Times; celebrating the riches of our varied winter traditions and reflecting upon the hope and resilience in music and song that can bring joy to us all in the darkest season.

Award-winning trio Lady Maisery (Hannah James, Rowan Rheingans and Hazel Askew) have produced ‘some of the most exquisite, thrilling vocal harmony work in the English folk scene’ (The Guardian), for nearly a decade.

The beguiling musical partnership of Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith complete the powerful line-up, bringing the outstanding vocals, sensitive instrumentation and powerful social conscience that has won them widespread critical acclaim.

Featuring traditional songs, folk carols, spoken word and newly written music to galvanise and brighten this darkest season, Awake Arise is a warm gift to the wintertime from five of the most engaging and celebrated performers on the English folk scene.

True to the reputations of both acts as out-spoken voices on the folk scene, this collection is also a rallying cry to embrace the power of collective endeavour as a vital support during times of hardship and loneliness. In this most uncertain of winters, Awake Arise is more than just a great night out; these are essential songs which remind us who we are and why we matter to each other.

We welcome the return of Calan who played for us in 2018.
CALAN are a multi award-winning Welsh folk band comprising of five virtuoso musicians formed after they met at a folk music course in Sweden. They won international acclaim at the world-renowned Inter-Celtic Festival in Lorient, France, where they would eventually become the first Welsh ensemble to win the coveted International Band Trophy. In April 2019, they were voted Best Band at the inaugural Wales Folk Awards.
Calan are: Bethan Rhiannon (accordion, vocals, clog dancing); Patrick Rimes (fiddle, Welsh bagpipes); Angharad Jenkins (fiddle); Sam Humphreys (guitar); and Shelley Musker-Turner (harp). Since they were formed the band has played to audiences numbering from 40 at a garden fete to 26,000 at Fairport Convention’s Cropredy Festival in Oxfordshire, but perhaps the most visible was their televised performance from a packed Royal Albert Hall alongside Sir Bryn Terfel and Sting.

Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith are one of the most celebrated duos to have emerged onto the British folk and acoustic scene in recent years. Their combination of outstanding vocal work, sensitive instrumentation, and a powerful social conscience has brought them widespread critical acclaim. The songs themselves are always given centre stage but they are brought to life with stunning musical arrangements and vocals. There is an integrity that shines through their performances and a common thread of political struggle, resistance, and justice. To be a great folk singer, you have to be a great storyteller, as Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith are clearly aware. The duo are both fine singers and multi-instrumentalists

Winner of 'Best Group' in both the Live Ireland awards and the Tradition In Review awards, The Outside Track are one of the top Celtic acts in the world. They were 'Best Live Act' nominees in the MG Alba Scots Traditional Music Awards, and won the German Radio Critics Prize, for their album Flash Company. Live Ireland called them, 'Among the top bands in the world - stunning on every cut!'.

The Outside Track’s marriage of Celtic music, song and dance has been rapturously received around the world. Hailing from Scotland, Ireland, and Cape Breton, its five members are united by a love of traditional music and a commitment to creating new music on this as a foundation. They blend fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, whistle, step-dance and vocals with breathtaking vitality. Their blend of boundless energy and unmistakable joie de vivre has won them a large following around the globe.

BBC Folk Awards Best Musician nominee Dan Walsh combines ‘virtuoso playing and winning songwriting’ Describing what Dan does is no easy task but at the heart of it is British, Irish and American folk music delivered with a healthy dose of funky grooves – all performed with his unique and dazzling take on clawhammer style banjo helping to challenge all preconceptions about the instrument. Add to all that poignant songs, astonishing musical departures and lively humour and the result is a truly memorable live show which has wowed audiences across the world from intimate seated rooms to huge dancing crowds in festival fields.

Dan is one of the UK’s leading lights in melodic clawhammer banjo. Clawhammer banjo refers to playing with the back of the index or middle finger nail in a downstroke movement while the thumb concentrates principally on the 5th string which is a drone string but also picks other strings using a technique called drop thumbing. The hand assumes a claw like shape while the movement comes primarily from the elbow. The style is a very old one used primarily in American Old Time music though players like Ken Perlman, Michael J Miles and others have experimented with other genres using the technique. The good thing about the style is it can cover lead, chords and percussion all in one so it makes a great solo style.

Dan has recorded five albums to much critical acclaim and he is an in demand performer with a hectic touring schedule in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and throughout Europe. He has also released two banjo tablature books. This unique and eclectic musician has stunned audiences across the world.