The Long Road festival has announced the one and only Don McLean will headline the Saturday night of the 2024 festival. The legendary singer/songwriter is at the forefront of a host of new additions to the festival announced today including a first-ever UK show from Paula Cole alongside Ron Pope, Alan Power & the Take Twos, Brooke Eden, Dylan LeBlanc, Gangstagrass, Katie Pruitt, The National Parks, Scott Matthews, Georgia Van Etten, Toby Sebastian, Jess Williamson, The Deep Blue and more joining an already stacked line-up featuring Russell Dickerson, The Red Clay Strays, Randall King, Drew Holcomb, Morganway, American Aquarium, Chapel Hart and many, many more. The full press release follows with all the info you’ll need for a fantastic weekend of great music.

To coincide with the release of his latest album ‘Ship To Shore’, due May 31st via New West Records, highly acclaimed singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson will embark on a full-band UK tour commencing May 25th in Cambridge and concluding on June 8th at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall The UK dates will be followed by a run of solo/with friends shows in the USA with further touring plans stretching into 2025. Full tour dates and much more about ‘Ship To Shore’, including the latest song taken from the album ‘Freeze’ follow:

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

Tom Heyman will bring a slice of San Francisco to the UK in March when the US singer-songwriter visits our shores for a run of dates opening for Dan Stuart of Green On Red fame that will crisscross the country and include two London shows. Tom is promoting his recent ‘24th Street Blues’ release, an album rooted in the sounds and the people that inhabit the city he calls home. Following on from his run of shows with Dan Stuart, Tom will squeeze in a special in-the-round songwriters show with Our Man In The Field and Michele Stodart at London’s Green Note on March 24th. Tom Heyman is a seasoned performer, and ‘24th Street Blues’ is his sixth solo album while still being an in-demand guitarist and pedal steel player with many artists, including Hiss Golden Messenger and Chuck Prophet. Tour dates and much more about Tom Heyman follow:

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:

Australian trio Sons Of The East recently kicked off a European tour in the Faroe Islands with UK dates commencing on July 18th and festival appearances to follow, including The Long Road Festival and Latitude. To coincide with the dates, an excellent new single, ‘Hard To Tell’ is available now, which is sure to please fans of their debut album ‘Palomar Parade’ (40 million streams and counting). More about Sons Of The East, the video for ‘Hard To Tell, and those all-important tour dates follow:

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:

Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nigel Wearne will kick off his UK tour tomorrow, Friday the 13th, in Aldershot alongside acclaimed singer-songwriter Lauren Housley. The duo first met in Montreal, Canada, in 2019 and bonded over a mutual appreciation for John Prine. This chance meeting would lead to the ‘To The Edge’ single, a wonderful minor-key lament ideal for a David Lynch movie. Alongside the tour, Wearne will slip in a solo showcase at UK Americana Music Week on the 25th. The tour dates, video for ‘To The Edge’ and more about Nigel Wearne follow:

Cowboy Junkies will return to the UK in November for a run of shows in support of their recently released album ‘Songs of the Recollection’ via Proper Records. The tour includes stops in Belfast, Dublin and Edinburgh before it reaches its conclusion at the Royal Festival Hall in London. A full list of dates and more about ‘Songs of the Recollection’ 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:

David Gray has commenced the 20th Anniversary tour commemorating the release of his breakthrough 'White Ladder' album. The album was originally self-released by David on his own label in 1998, but wasn’t the massive success it would become until a reissue in May of 2000 on ATO Records (Three million sales and counting in the UK). The album was ubiquitous in the early part of the century as five hit singles propelled it to the top of the charts and, seemingly, a CD into every home in the land. Understandably, the tour has been delayed for obvious reasons but the album continues to be influential with Ed Sheeran and Adele amongst those singing its praises. David will be playing the album in full and the shows will start at 8PM (NO support act, David and his band will play two sets). Please read on for the official press release for the tour, David’s thoughts on the album and those all-important tour dates.

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:

Irish singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke will return to touring in November with a run of UK dates. The original tour plan has been expanded and Declan will now play nine shows with tickets for the dates on sale from today (June 25th). The tour is in support of his recently released ‘Arrivals’ album that received critical praise and appeared on numerous chart lists including at #2 in the Official Irish National Album Chart, #2 in the Official UK Folk Albums Chart and #4 in the Official UK Americana Chart. A full list of dates and more about the album follows:

Lauren Housley enjoyed considerable crossover success earlier this year with the release of her third album ‘Girl From The North’ which made the upper reaches of the official Folk, Americana and Country charts. An impressive achievement off the back of a string of glowing reviews from such as Louder Than War, Maverick Magazine, Americana UK and The Daily Express. Lauren will be touring the UK commencing with a show at London’s Half Moon on November 4th. Supporting Lauren on all dates and playing acoustic guitar in her band will be 2020 UK Americana Award winner Robbie Cavanagh. The shows are a mix of full band and acoustic trio shows so my advice is go twice. Full details and more about Lauren Housley follows:

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.

Folk trio The Magpies are looking to banish those lockdown blues with the announcement of a UK tour for September 2021. To coincide the trio have a new single ‘I Never Will Marry’ which is set to build on the success of their 2020 debut album ‘Tidings’ with more impressive playing and impeccable harmonies as they put a new spin on this traditional tale. Those all-important tour dates, the video for ‘I Never Will Marry’ and much more about The Magpies follows:

Frazey Ford will release her first album in over five years on February 7th, 2020 via Arts & Crafts. The new record ‘U Kin B the Sun’ is the third solo release from The Be Good Tanyas singer-songwriter. In support of the album, Frazey will visit the UK later this year for a run of shows commencing June 1st at London’s Union Chapel. More details about Frazey, the album and ticket links follow:

Amigo The Devil will visit the UK/RoI in Jan/Feb of 2020 as part of an extensive European tour that will stretch into March. With the fantastic ‘Everything Is Fine’ album to draw on, and a reputation for explosive live shows, Amigo is certain to get 2020 off to a great start on the live front. More about Amigo The Devil including a full list of the tour dates follows: