Music / folk
Bristol’s month in Folk and Roots – May 2025
It’s been said before, but May really is the best month of the year for Folk & Roots in Bristol.
It might kick off with all the brilliance of the Folk Festival but there’s so much more as the month unfurls.
The highlight of Bristol’s Folk year is always the Folk Festival and this year is no exception. From Friday to Sunday St George’s is packed with wonderful things. Talisk and Heartwood Chorus (Friday), Katherine Priddy, Martin Simpson and Filkin’s Ensemble (Saturday) as well as Catrin Finch & Aoife Ni Bhriain, Granny’s Attic and The Askew Sisters (Sunday) are the headliners but there’s so much more.
The Goblin Band play the Folk House on the Sunday and then there’s a whole heap of stuff late night at The Architect throughout the weekend – highlights are Razzomo and Gavin Osborn on Friday as well as Amadou Diagne on Saturday. It’s going to be brilliant. As usual.
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Rising star, Holly Clarke, plays at Christ Church on Friday 16. She has a captivating voice and is a singer of old ballads and wonderful stories too. She has performed with the likes of Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, Daoiri Farrell and Queer Folk. She is supported by Lore & Lament.
After all of the excitement of the Folk Festival, there’s still plenty of interesting things at St George’s. Skipinnish are one of the UK’s finest Celtic bands and they are touring to celebrate their 25th anniversary.
They play St George’s on Tuesday.
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The Rheingans Sisters are always fabulous live and their new album, Start Close In, is as good as anything they’ve ever done. Their show on Thursday 15 will be one not to miss. For something a little less “Trad Folk”, Kroke play on Thursday 22. Expect Klezmer, Polish music and a bit of contemporary jazz too.
Local heroes Kit Hawes & Aaron Catlow play just off of Park Street on Saturday 10. They remain, simply, a fantastic duet, and were described by BBC Radio’s Mark Radcliffe as “reminiscent of the late Dave Swarbrick and Martin Carthy” and there’s not much higher praise than that.
There’s a wonderfully eclectic mix of folk-y, roots-y acts at the Louisiana. Starting off Sari Schorr on Friday 6 – her voice is utterly brilliant, effortlessly taking in Rock, Blues and Soul.
Dean Johnson plays the next night, he’s a singer of existential cowboy waltzes and ballads and is building an impressive following based on his live shows. Brogeal are a Falkirk-based five piece that smash together punk and garage rock with Scottish and Irish Folk. They’ve already supported the Mary Wallopers and The Lathums and play on Monday 12.
Amelia Coburn is a little more gentle but no less worthy of your time. Contemporary Folk at its finest and slightly reminiscent of the likes of Katherine Priddy. She plays on Thursday 15. Finally, Jarrod Dickenson returns to the Louisiana on Monday 26. Very simply, he is one of the best Americana singer songwriters around, he’s brilliant company and sings songs that seem to have been around for years.
The Waterboys need no introduction whatsoever but it’s always great to see them. They play the big room at The Beacon on Thursday 22.
In the Lantern on the same night are Flook, celebrating 30 years together. Brian Finnegan and Sarah Allen’s flutes and whistles are always the highlights of a Flook show, but the band are never anything other than bold and brilliant.
Sam Amidon constantly pushes at the edges of Folk music, and embraces both the traditional and the contemporary. Having collaborated with The National and Beth Orton in the past, he’s always fantastic live. He plays The Lantern on Friday 23.
Right at the end of the month, Martin Hayes brings his extraordinary fiddle playing to the Lantern on Friday 30. As a member of The Gloaming, you know how good this is going to be.
Ridiculously infectious Scottish Indie Folk band, Elephant Sessions play on the boat on Saturday 31. Anyone described as “danceable neo-trad” is always going to be good and they really are
These days Folk-Punksters, Skinny Lister are a Bristol band so it’s entirely fitting that they launch their new album, Songs From the Yonder, at Rough Trade on Wednesday 7. They are one of the best live bands around, full of noise-y fun and fantastic songs.
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Catherine MacLellan & Lucy Farrell play at John Wesley’s New Room in Broadmead on Thursday 29. Their songs journal the characters, landscapes and situations that populate their lives and the broader world, unraveling and reweaving the threads of history and tradition with the deftness and surety that has made such notable touring and recording artists, collaborators and festival stage guests.
Grace Petrie is a proper protest singer, angry and political, an activist and a superb lyricist too. She plays at The Trinity on Friday 9 and her shows are always totally incendiary and damn good fun too.
Bristol Tree Craft/Bridge Community Farm
There’s a Beltane (May Day) celebration over at the Bridge Community Farm on Sunday.
All manner of things are promised, including music from Henry Ayling and Rosemary Wylde and dancing from Heaps Morris and The Swanning Folk.
Tamsin Elliot & Tarek Elazhery bring their gorgeous mix of Egyptian Maqam and English folk traditions to the Stories in the Shavings event on Thursday 8.
The Hen & Chicken can always be relied upon to find interesting Roots-y artists and May is no different.
The Anna Howie Band are described as “Americana with a very British twist” and tour in support of their excellent new album, “Good For Roses”. They play on Saturday.
Ryan Boldt of The Deep Dark Woods, Canada’s fine Folk/Roots band, plays in Bedminster on Friday 9.
Conjuring both the Americana of the band as well as the English tradition of Fairport, Boldt is a wonderful artist. There will be more Americana, in the shape of Abigail Lapell & Steph Cameron on Tuesday 13. Both are exceptional singer songwriters.
Finally, Rosemary Wylde celebrates the release of her debut solo single on Friday 23. She is a Blues sister turned Folk troubadour.
There’s yet more fantastic Americana over in Old Market on Thursday 8 as Mia Kelly and Robbie Kavanagh cram onto the tiny stage at To The Moon. Blair Dunlop features too.
The Cube is its usual eclectic and exciting self throughout May.
Mary Hampton and Phil Tyler are two stalwarts of the UK’s Underground Folk scene.
They will play solo sets as well as their first ever set as a duo on Friday 16. For something altogether more experimental, try Pipe Dream on Sunday 18.
All manner of things that are (Uilleann) pipe, experimental Folk and soundscape based will be on offer. It looks suitably brilliant and bonkers. Remorse are described as “almost an English Lankum, gentler but no less intense”and refract Folk music through jazz, ambient, electronic and experimental sounds to wonderful effect. They play on Saturday 24.
The Canteen
Superb Bluegrass band, The Often Herd, play the Canteen on Thursday. It’s free too.
There’s all manner of interesting stuff at The Exchange, including The Exchange Horror Club: The Wicker Man on Sunday and Freak-Folker Dominie Hooper the following day.
Then there’s Folk-y double-header featuring Christof Van Der Ven & Chloe Foy on Tuesday and wonderful fiddle tunes from Gaelynn Lea (featuring a Q&A with Big Jeff) on Tuesday 13. Anti-folk singer-songwriter Jake Martin makes an appearance on Wednesday 14 and, finally, Sorcha – a Bristol-based singer-songwriter who blends experimental acoustic folk with honest, introspective songwriting.on Thursday 29.
Yet another event on Thursday 8 is An Ode to Spring at the Cider Box Tap Room. Billed as a “springtime knees up”, there will be a ceilidh band, a pagan soundsystem and free cheese. What more could you possibly need?
Bristol’s best little venue has a couple of fantastic gigs in the middle of the month. Local Balkan superheroes Opa Rosa are supporting the post-punk/metal/Balkan/Klezmer anarchic good news of Kermesz a l’est on Sunday 11 while Folk experimenters Lunatraktors support Alex Etchart and Vientos on Wednesday 14. It’ll be well worth getting there early for both gigs.
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The regular Garden Sessions are at the Greenbank on Tuesday 6 and 20.
Freemason’s Hall
There’s a Real Ale & Sea Shanty festival at the Freemason’s Hall at the bottom of Park Street on May 10 and 11.
Main photo: Opa Rosa
Read next:
- Review: Hannah Scott, Downend Folk & Roots – ‘It is everything that makes life worth contemplating’
- Folk festival announces 2025 line-up
- Bristol’s month in Folk and Roots – April 2025
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