Riley Baugus represents the very best of old time American banjo and song. His powerful singing voice and his expert musicianship place him squarely in the next generation of the quality American roots tradition.

Riley is a native of the southern Appalachians. The Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina is where his roots lie, and he grew up learning the music and art of storytelling of the region from older musicians in the area. His solo show consists of a focus on banjos, ballads, stories and songs.

He has toured in the UK for many years with Ira Bernstein, as one half of the hugely popular Appalachian Roots project. He has played at Celtic Connections several times with Dirk Powell, and also toured with Tim Eriksen in the States, as part of the Cold Mountain film tour, and as a duo.

Riley has also recorded with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and with Willie Nelson – both T-Bone Burnett projects.

This is an 18+ event

Broadside Hacks

Riley Baugus

Riley Baugus - Black Jack Davy

Gigs

London

Theatreship

Joy of Life International marks the release of Tender Mercies, the debut album from Vogues, with an exclusive launch show at Theatreship, Canary Wharf. Across the record, Vogues moves between slow-burning intensity and soaring pop release, balancing intimacy with a widescreen sense of drama. This will be the first chance to hear the album performed in full.

Support comes from Al Cologne, whose diaristic and visceral songs capture transformation, desire and vulnerability with unflinching honesty.

Joy of Life International

Vogues; Tender Mercies Launch Party

Vogues - Cast Your Eyes

Al Cologne

Vogues

A host of guests board Theatreship to perform on Peter Bellamy's Concertina.

Following the demise of the Young Tradition in 1969 Peter Bellamy turned to working the numerous folk clubs of that era as a solo performer. It was at this time he adopted the Anglo concertina as a cornerstone of his unique musical profile. His concertina style was as individual as the rest of his performance style, never heard before and seldom heard since. The instrument itself bears the marks of this unique style to this day in its various modifications made by Bellamy over the years.

In order to achieve a greater capacity for droning, two leavers know as ‘extra fingers’ have been added to the left hand end of the box, enabling two drone notes to be held without taking up valuable fingers, bringing the total number of notes playable at one time to six on the left end alone. The concertina also has thick leather baffles in each end, contributing significant to its unique sound, by cancelling out many of the treble and higher frequencies, giving a warmer tone.

The history of the instrument is surrounded in almost as much mystique as the performer himself. It is quite possible that when Peter Bellamy acquired the Black Concertina it was already over 100 years old. It bears the stamp of C Jeffries, but as ever nothing is quite as it seems. The action inside the box bears no similarities to other Jeffries concertinas. Therefore it is possibly a very early experimental instrument from that maker, or a later model as they explored manufacturing more of the mechanisms in-house rather than using parts supplied by other makers Crabb and Jones. Alternatively it could even be from a small cottage maker, and stamped as a Jeffries either at the time in deliberate deception or mistakenly later on.

Featuring performances by Mossy Christian, Goblin Band's Sonny Brazil + more to be announced.

Peter Bellamy's Concertina: Legendary Folk Instrument Series

Peter Bellamy - When I Die

Mossy Christian

Critically acclaimed experimental-folk duo Fran & Flora share for the first time brand new material and favourites from their self-produced second album Precious Collection (Hidden Notes Records / Guardian Top 10 Folk Albums of 2024) in one of London’s most intimate venues, The Theatreship.

Described as ‘border-defying’ (Mojo) the duo’s new works continue the dance between “solid folk origins and avant garde play with a surprise at every corner" The Guardian, presenting uniquely reworked Yiddish material and original compositions for cello, violin, electronics, voices and drums to create an intimate and evocative aesthetic.

The duo draws its material directly from archival recordings, recovered manuscripts and study with traditional music masters from the mountains of Maramureș, to Berlin and New York. Far from recreating music from a bygone era, Fran & Flora’s intricately sculpted contemporary and virtuosic sound has been described “beguiling” (The Wire), “avant-garde and deeply traditional” (Songlines Magazine).

Recognised as leading artists in their field, Fran & Flora have mesmerised audiences from London to South Korea, performing to sold out crowds at prestigious festivals and venues including Kings Place (Songlines Encounters), Cafe Oto, Hidden Notes Festival, Between the Lines Festival, Sintra Festival, EFG London Jazz Festival, Smugglers Festival, Shtetl Berlin, Ancienne Belgique (Brussels), Casa Del Popolo and KlezKanada (Montreal). They have been supported by PRS Women Make Music, Help Musicians, BBC Introducing and Arts Council England.

Support from Nina Harries

Nina Harries is a grammy nominated double bassist and vocalist, and has been composing songs for that rare combination for the past 15 years, releasing 2 albums in 2019 and 2022. Trained in Western classical music at the Royal College of Music, Nina then moved into the world of South Asian art through performing for Akram Khan, Anoushka Shankar and Soumik Datta. As a songwriter her work has been likened to Joanna Newsom, Bjork and even to Agnes Obel. Heartrending songs over ethereal and hyponotic riffs give way to slightly unhinged and hilarious moments of stand up, giving the audience what the artist describes as "emotional whiplash".

Fran & Flora + Nina Harries

Fran & Flora - Romanian Fantasies

Fran & Flora

Nina Harries

SUSANNAH STARK’s new album opens with questions that set its reflective tone while drifting on a current of birdsong, rivers and synths. Sung in Gaidhlig and English, her second album for Stroom and Night School, ‘Minor Gestures’, is a dialogue between place, history and the listener. Collaborating with experimental and folk musicians in Glasgow, Stark navigates acoustic textures with fluidity while blending breath, drone and rhythm. The result is a meditative soundscape that celebrates vulnerability and curiosity. From the responsive waters of 'Caochan' to the unanswered queries of 'Ceistean gun freagairtean', this is ritualistic sonic poetry.

https://susannahstarkmusic.bandcamp.com/

Upset The Rhythm

Susannah Stark 

Susannah Stark - Caochan

Susannah Stark

Step aboard Theatre Ship for an intimate night of boundary-pushing folk. Adam Geoffrey Cole, the visionary behind Trappist Afterland, brings his acclaimed blend of spiritual psych-folk, Eastern rhythms and hypnotic instrumentation to London. Joining him are two of the UK’s most celebrated folk voices, The Gentle Good and Henry Parker, whose intricate guitar work and richly woven songs have earned them recognition across the British folk scene. Together, they promise a deeply atmospheric evening of poetic storytelling, haunting melodies and transformative soundscapes.

Folklore (Label)

Trappist Afterland + The Gentle Good + Henry Parker

Trappist Afterland - A Jar On Mystics

Trappist Afterland

The Gentle Good

Henry Parker

“Everything, When Said Slowly is a joy to listen to—a haunting and majestic album” – KLOF

“Steeped in classic singer-songwriter Americana, invoking everyone from vintage Neil Young to Sufjan Stevens. ” – UNCUT

“Having already seen Wexford duo The Ocelots before, there was a strong hunch their Sunday set would be well worth heading to. Apparently plenty of festival goers thought the same too.. The band, share an easy chemistry and vocal range and the two brothers’ brand of upbeat folk Americana has all in attendance swooning. The Ocelots’ set confirms that the group are worth all the hype which they’ve been building over the past couple of years. – Body & Soul Festival Live review - Nialler9

“Pop-infused indie folk with a touch of literature and blarney” – Americana UK

“Blending folk, indie and rock with confidence – a melancholic undercurrent of country-folk adds to its allure” – Songlines Magazine

“Rich in spellbinding harmonies, The Ocelots second album, Everything, When Said Slowly, takes indie-folk in a compelling new direction. Overall, an impressively honest and poignant piece of work.” – Hot Press

"Take a step back, and that deep breath - that is what folk music of a modern variety has fixated on, and few are doing it better than The Ocelots…" Cult Following

“These brothers are young and assisted with only acoustic guitar and banjo, they harmonise beautifully. As well as their own songs they have keen sense of where they come from as they paid tribute to the Mayor of MacDougal Street, Dave Van Ronk. The Ocelots are clearly a band to watch, and you can see them developing quite an audience with younger listeners.” - Americana UK Live review

The Ocelots are twin brothers Ashley and Brandon Watson from Wexford. Building on the folk-rock essence of their debut, the duo release of their highly anticipated second album, Everything, When Said Slowly, 7th February 2025. This album unveils a richer, more expansive sound, masterfully produced by long-time collaborators Cillian and Lorcan Byrne (Ailbhe Reddy, Susan O’Neill). The narrative woven throughout the album explores themes of Irish migration, the perception of time, love, and the simple joys of cycling.

“The title Everything, When Said Slowly is a response from an old Irish man’s perspective on people leaving our hometown of Wexford over the years past. He said it was a very long time since they left, but not much time if you said it fast. I found it wonderful and profound, but also deeply moving and fitting for the album’s sentiment. How time flies or drags depending on what you’re experiencing, especially when it’s time in a place you said goodbye to.”

Blood harmonies are the centre of The Ocelots' sound - imperfections of a voice breaking or a tempo shifting. Recorded live in Orphan Recording Studios, by Gavin Glass (Lisa Hannigan, BellX1, David Keenan, John Grant, Villagers), the band’s performances help form a driven, energetic scrapbook, coloured by flutes, synths, harmonica and harmonium. The twin brothers blend absurdity and sincerity in an array of literature-inspired musings. Open tunings and clawhammer banjo bring country-folk contemplation, but the imagery is very much urban, living outside of the romanticised glaze of wood cabins and cottage-core nostalgia.

“Apart from recording the majority of the album in an intense window of three days, we had a long overdubbing phase back in Leipzig. We were able to be more creative with the final touches. I worked in a bookstore and inside we had this beautiful noisy harmonium. I had a lot of fun with that, and I was in love with the sound. Brandon worked day after day on lead guitar parts, harmonica parts and arrangements for cello lines or extra harmonies. It took way longer than it should have, but it was worth it”.

The Ocelots

The Ocelots - Australia

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