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.

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:

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.

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:

The Long Road Festival, which is set for 7th-9th September 2018 in Leicestershire, has announced additional names for the, highly anticipated, inaugural event. Ward Thomas, Luke Winslow-King and Charlie Worsham are among the acts added to an already impressive line-up that features Lee Ann Womack, The Shires, The Wandering Hearts and Billy Bragg. Full details of the line-up, camping/ticket options, location etc follow:

Canadian folk-bluegrass quartet The Dead South will visit the UK in April for a run of dates. The band will be supporting the very welcome UK release of their 'Illusion & Doubt' album due March 23rd via DevilDuck Records on CD & Digital. The buzz about the band has been building since the release of their debut 'Good Company' record in 2015 and many of the upcoming dates are already sold out. Please continue reading for more about the band and those tour dates:

Sierra Hull will return to the UK later this month for a run of shows. The bluegrass singer-songwriter and mandolin virtuoso will be supporting her recent 'Weighted Mind' album which garnered great reviews. The dates include a London show at Bush Hall and a slot at the Maverick Festival. Sierra will be joined by duo partner Ethan Jodziewicz on these dates. Much more about Sierra Hull including the video for 'Black River' follows:

Rackhouse Pilfer the Irish Americana / bluegrass sextet recently completed work on their third album due for release later this year. While we wait for the album to drop the band are taking to the road for an extensive run of UK shows that includes the Country 2 Country festival at the O2 in London. More about the band and those tour dates follows:

Canadian country/folk songwriter Sarah Jane Scouten returns to the UK in November for a run of dates that commence with a show at The Harrison in London on November 11th. Sarah Jane Scouten will perform tracks from her recent 'Railtown Sessions Vol 1' EP and songs from her upcoming album due early next year. Please read on for much more about Sarah Jane Scouten and those tour dates.

Bloodshot Records artist Al Scorch will embark on a UK tour in September with Jess McIntosh on fiddle and vocals. The banjo-wielding singer-songwriter from Chicago is touring in support of his 'Circle Round The Signs' album. Scorch has been dubbed "The finest country-folk-punk-bluegrass banjo player in the country" by The Huffington Post so it should be a great show.

That deaf, dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean....banjo. The HillBenders out of Springfield, Missouri will be visiting the UK to perform Tommy - A Bluegrass Opry a full-length version of the classic rock opera by The Who. Dates include a London show at the Union Chapel. The show has been a hit in the USA with positive reviews in the likes of Rolling Stone.