Glen Hansard has announced a solo acoustic UK tour for April 2024 set to include two shows at Union Chapel in London. Tickets are on sale from 10am on Friday December 8th 2023

Justin Hayward, the voice of The Moody Blues, has announced The Blue World Tour for March 2024. Justin is, once again, joined by guitarist Mike Dawes, Julie Ragins and Karmen Gould. I was lucky enough to catch the quartet on their last UK tour and thoroughly enjoyed the evening despite being a relative newbie to Justin’s work beyond the obvious hits. Please read on for more about Justin, the tour and ticketing details (Updated December 8th 2023).

Alex Ellis, aka Our Man In The Field, released his excellent second album ‘Gold On The Horizon’ in November 2023 to universal acclaim. RGM was lucky enough to get along to a launch show at London’s Slaughtered Lamb to coincide with the release and left highly impressed by a superb set of songs delivered beautifully by Alex and his band with unhurried, understated grace. I’m pleased to report that OMITF will be playing selected shows in January, commencing at London’s Green Note on the 14th, before embarking on a longer run of dates in February. Full tour details follow:

To mark the occasion of the reissue of three albums on vinyl for the first time, as well as 24-page CD book packaging, The Unthanks will perform a pair of one-of-a-kind concerts (two-of-a-kind?) in Gateshead on September 9th and the Barbican in London the following day. Tickets for both shows go on sale at 10 AM on Friday, April 7th, for an event no fan of the duo will want to miss. Full details of the various ticketing possibilities follow, including more about the albums, special guests etc.

The Long Road Festival returns to Stanford Hall in Leicestershire for an event that is now an essential part of the UK summer for fans of all things Country, Roots and Americana. The first set of artists announced for August 25-27th is an impressive mix of big names, rising stars and a wide range of talented newcomers. Jon Pardi making his UK debut is a coup, while Blackberry Smoke are guaranteed to rock late into the Leicestershire night. Scratching the surface of the initial batch of artists, you will find Breland, Margo Price, Tenille Townes and Nickel Creek, highlighting the sheer range and variety of music waiting to be discovered. Tier 4 Tickets are on sale from Friday, March 3rd, so please read on for more about the festival, the artists and ticketing links.

The 2023 edition of the Cambridge Folk Festival features a typically eclectic range of artists. If you’ve a pre-conceived idea of what constitutes “folk”, then Cambridge in late July will surely open your eyes and ears to a wide range of sounds from all parts of the globe. From stalwarts of the festival such as Kate Rusby and Eliza Carthy to progressive rap collective Arrested Development. Not convinced? How about Hollywood actor turned highly impressive singer/songwriter Kiefer Sutherland or the more home-spun silver screen success of Fisherman’s Friends. More info about the festival and the artists follows, including ticketing details:

There are plenty of Americana/roots festivals to choose from, but Maverick Festival, returning for its sixteenth year at Easton Farm Park, Suffolk, can justifiably live up to its claim of “Getting it right since 2008”. This year’s offering is shaping up nicely with Tom Russell, Laura Cantrell, Suzie Ungerleider and The Hoth Brothers among the early announcements, alongside such returning favourites as Rich Hall, Carter Sampson, Amelia White and Jon Langford.

No stranger to the UK, Chastity Brown makes a welcome return to our shores for a run of shows commencing at The Water Rats in London on May 23rd. Speaking from personal experience, I can say that Chastity is fantastic live, one of those rare artists with a story to tell and the ability to communicate that story to everyone in the room. Chastity released her sixth (by my count) album ‘Sing To The Walls’ in 2022. More about Chastity Brown and those dates follow: 

We recently caught up for a chat with Jerry Leger (Baker's Dozen Interview) as the Canadian singer and songwriter had just released an EP of cover tunes. As it turns out, Jerry was keeping busy, as prior to a UK tour which kicks off in High Wycombe on May 8th, he has another EP, this time of self-penned material set for release on April 28th entitled ‘The Time Flew By’. This EP consists of cuts that he couldn’t squeeze onto previous albums for reasons such as the flow and the overall feel of the record, which is a pretty refreshing approach when many artists seem obsessed with single tracks. You can check out the video for the title track from the EP below, where you will also find the tour schedule.

Gareth Dunlop will continue to promote his excellent 2022 album ‘Animal’ with two upcoming tours and a London headline show. The tours are as the special guest of two very different artists, which reinforces the high regard in which Gareth is held as a songwriter and producer. First up, he’ll be playing shows with English singer-songwriter Lucy Spraggan in May before joining blues/Americana legend Bonnie Raitt for her UK ‘Just Like That’ dates with a solo headlining set at Pizza Express in London’s Holborn squeezed in along the way. Full tour details and a little more about Gareth Dunlop follow:

Gretchen Peters returns to the UK in May for a final run of shows following her announcement that she will retire from full-scale touring this year. The singer-songwriter has been incredibly well-received by UK audiences over the years, building a considerable fan base the old-fashioned way by touring regularly and releasing quality records. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve been lucky enough to see Gretchen a couple of times over the years, so I’d highly recommend popping along to a show. More about Gretchen and the tour follows:

Country and folk music is all about the story. This is why the songwriters’ circle (a concept that supposedly comes from Canada rather than Nashville) has become such a popular platform for getting to the heart of the music. How did that song come to be, and what inspired it? Four UK based songwriters: Annie Dressner, Lucy Grubb, Dan Wilde and Luke James Williams, will be hitting the road to share their stories in late March at a selection of intimate UK venues. More about the tour and those all-important dates follow:

Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lucy Farrell is well known on the folk scene with a long list of credits that include Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band, Gluepot, Modern Fairies and Carthy, Oates, Farrell & Young. An impressive resume, but on April 21st 2023, Lucy will release ‘We Are Only Sound’ her debut solo album via Hudson Records, recorded in the glorious medieval surrounds of Much Wenlock Abbey, home to Nick Drake’s sister Gabrielle who gifted the recording space – as well as the use of her brother’s instruments – through a mutual friend. Lucy is embarking on a wide-reaching UK tour commencing March 6th at Green Note, London, to support the upcoming record. We’ve more about Lucy, the album and a full list of tour dates, so please read on.

Suzanne Vega will return to the UK later this month for an extensive tour. The dates commence in Bexhill on February 11th and conclude with a London show at the prestigious Royal Festival Hall on March 2nd. Suzanne Vega needs no introduction, with tracks such as Luka, Marlena On The Wall and Tom’s Diner still sounding as fresh in 2023 as they did in the 1980s. A little more about Suzanne and the tour dates follows:

The Long Road might have been forced off the calendar in the last couple of years but 2022 will see the festival return to Stanford Hall in Leicestershire intent on making up for lost time with an initial lineup that bodes well for a fantastic weekend of live music. Early names include Sunday headliners The Cadillac Three, Country legend Marty Stuart, ace songwriter Brandy Clark and an exclusive appearance by LOCASH. Also appearing over the Bank Holiday weekend of 26-28th August 2022 are quite a few acts we’ve featured previously at RGM including Morganway, Gretchen Peters, Lindsay Ell and Whitney Rose. More about the festival, the lineup and those all important ticket details follow:

You’ve got to admire the folks behind the Black Deer Festival. The independent festival endured two cancellations with the 2020 and 2021 festivals victims of the Covid pandemic. Undaunted Black Deer is back for 2022 with a mix of big names, rising stars and cult artists who could well turn out to be your new favourite because Black Deer is that kind of festival. The RGM team were pleased to cover Black Deer in 2019 as we believe it to be a festival against which others should be judged. I know this sounds like high praise but, we had a great time, the people running things were super friendly and the festival seemed to run like clockwork. The other great news is the free ticket initiative for the NHS and key workers has been rolled over to 2022. The Black Deer Festival is set for June 17-19th, 2022 with Van Morrison, Wilco, The Waterboys and Lucinda Williams leading the way. More details about the acts already booked and the festival follow:

To coincide with his June 18th appearance at Black Deer Festival singer/songwriter/guitarist Jack Broadbent has announced a run of UK shows. The seven dates will see Broadbent sharing billing with acclaimed acoustic guitarist Mike Dawes (Justin Hayward Band). Jack is touring in support of his excellent Ride album and will continue to do this via European shows in July opening for Richard Thompson. More about Jack and the tour follows.

Martha Tilston has announced her first UK tour in almost five years with a run of UK shows in February-March 2022. The announcement of the tour coincides with the release of her debut feature film ‘The Tape’ on VOD services (Amazon, Sky, iTunes etc). ‘The Tape’ and its accompanying soundtrack album were very well received on release in late 2021. Tour dates, film trailer and more about Martha Tilston and ‘The Tape’ follow:

Jon Gomm has embarked on an extensive UK/Eire tour in support of his ‘Faintest Idea’ album released in late 2020 via KScope. An album which showcased his incredible percussive fingerstyle acoustic guitar dexterity and his equally impressive skills as a singer and songwriter. With dates stretching into December there’s plenty of opportunity to catch Jon in full flow, which I’m guessing will be guaranteed to send some budding guitarists back to the practice room, while others take up drums. A list of upcoming dates and a little more about Jon Gomm follows:

Tangled Roots is a one-day festival set for September 11th 2021 at Radford Mill Organic Farm, Timsbury, Somerset (just outside Bath). The festival has a nice mix of local and national artists covering a wide range of folk music with a dash of Appalachian, a smattering of Bluegrass and even a little Flamenco to get the blood pumping. Those who like their festival experience to include a night or two under canvas can choose to camp on the Friday and Saturday nights if that’s your thing. Full details follow, including links to the official website for tickets etc.

RGM is pleased to report that while many things have gone to the dogs in recent months some folks are still gnawing on their chew toy and determined to come out fighting. With this in mind, The Maverick Festival will return to Easton Farm Park in Suffolk on the weekend of Sept 3rd - 5th and the first names added to the bill include perennial Maverick favourites Rich Hall and Hank Wangford who will be joined by Ethan Johns and his Blackeyed Dogs, Sara Petite, Shawn Williams and Mary Elaine Jenkins with more names to be added soon.

Two things that go together perfectly are live music and beer. So i’m pleased to report UK duo Broken Bones Matilda are embarking on a virtual tour starting this evening June 19th raising money for #saveourvenues and promoting craft beer manufacturers in the UK who’ve been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. To coincide the duo have a rather cool new single ‘Everafter’ available to stream via Spotify etc. A full list of the dates and loads more about Broken Bones Matilda follows:

Canadian singer-songwriter William Prince recently released his second album ‘Reliever’ and has announced UK dates in support of the record. William has headline shows in March/April 2020 including Omeara in London plus an appearance at Black Deer Festival on June 20th. The Glassnote Records released album is a follow up to his Juno award-winning 2018 debut record. More about William including those all-important dates and a live version of ‘Reliever’ follows:

US Country star Joe Nichols will visit the UK for the first time in September 2019 for a short run of intimate acoustic shows. The singer, best known for hits such as ‘Brokenheartsville’ and ‘Tequila makes her clothes fall off’, has nine albums under his belt in a career that dates back to the early 90s. Nichols’ most recent album ‘Never Gets Old’ and the following ‘Never Gets Old' - Traditional Country Series’ highlight his love of old-school country as he covers Don Williams and Merle Haggard etc. Tickets for the UK tour are on sale April 5th at 10 am. More about Joe Nichols and the tour including ticket links follow:

Regular visits to our shores, top reviews (RGM review from 2017) and good old fashioned hard work is paying off for Kip Moore. A run of May acoustic shows that form part of his ‘Room To Spare’ tour are Sold Out but he’ll be back in September for full band electric shows including The Roundhouse in London. Much more about Kip Moore including those tour dates follows:

Folk-Americana singer-songwriter Danny Schmidt has announced a May 2019 UK tour in support of his widely acclaimed ‘Standard Deviation’ album. The hectic tour includes dates as far afield as Bristol, Edinburgh and Whitstable so he should be coming to a town near you. ‘Standard Deviation’ is Danny’s tenth studio album (ninth as a solo artist) and builds on the success of his 2015 release ‘Owls’. Much more about Danny Schmidt including those tour dates follows:

Acoustic duo Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage will be bringing their single-microphone show to intimate UK venues starting April 4th in Sheffield. The run of dates coincide with the release of ‘Hidden Things’ the first in a trilogy of singles planned for 2019. A full list of dates and the video for ‘Hidden Things’ follows:

Acclaimed guitarist Tommy Emmanuel will return to the UK in March 2019 for a run of dates. Well known for his hugely entertaining live shows, these latest dates follow the release of his Accomplice One album in early 2018. The tour will also feature leading blues guitarist JD Simo, who appears on Accomplice One and with whom Tommy has toured in the USA. Tommy’s thoughts on the upcoming tour and those all important dates follow:

Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit have announced a UK headline tour for October 2018. Klara and Johanna Söderberg aka First Aid Kit will be joined by Watford's finest The Staves on the dates which are in support of their most recent album 'Ruins' which was released earlier this year to widespread acclaim and a top three UK chart position. Full tour dates and more about First Aid Kit follows:

John Oates will visit the UK in October 2018 for a rare run of UK/Eire shows. The dates are in support of his recently released 'Arkansas' album which showed a different side of John Oates the singer and songwriter. John will be touring with members of The Good Road Band and these dates are a very rare opportunity to see John perform live outside of Hall & Oates especially here in the UK. More about John Oates and the tour follows: