Music / Folk & Roots
Bristol’s month in folk & roots – July 2023
After all of the excitement of Glastonbury and Bristol Sounds, and a massive amount of upcoming Festival stuff, it’s looking as though July is going to be relatively quiet for folk and roots gigs.
Just as well really as the end of the year is always pretty busy, although there are some amazing things coming up.
is needed now More than ever
Tucked away in a corner of the Mendips, just above Cheddar Gorge, is the loveliest little folk festival that you can possibly imagine.
In 1991 the PTA started a fundraiser for the village hall and, over the years, it’s turned into one of the most vibrant and friendly festivals in the folk calendar.
Taking place July 7 to July 9, the festival features brilliant singer, gentleman and raconteur Nick Hart, Irish folk band The Jeremiahs, incredible Scottish singer songwriter Kris Drever, icons of Irish music Dervish, the fabulous fiddle-led Fara and local heroes Tarren and Opa Rosa as well as loads and loads of other amazing stuff.
Priddy is always a massive highlight of the summer and this year’s festival will be no different.
As ever, some of the finest folk and roots around make their way to Downend on the third Friday of the month (July 21).
Owen Spafford and Louis Campbell are one of the most exciting duos on the current folk scene and they will grace the stage at Christ Church this month.
The guitar and violin duo have been nominated for a BBC Young Folk Award, played on BBC Radio 2 and 3 and play with Cosmo Sheldrake (Spafford) and Sam Sweeney (Campbell). Their debut album, You, Golden, is a thing of beauty – a little bit traditional, a little bit modern and very, very lovely indeed.
Minnie Birch is the support and she is an absolutely incredible singer-songwriter.
If your tastes lean towards “roots” rather than “folk” then Laura Cantrell on the July 9 is the highlight of the month. Her debut album, Not The Tremblin’ Kind, is one of the great Americana releases of the last 25 years (it came out in 2000) and was described by John Peel, no less, as “my favourite record of the last ten years, if not my life”.
She is currently touring in support of the Like a Rose: The Anniversary Sessions album which is another masterpiece of female country singing. She has one of the most beautiful, expressive voices that you will ever hear.
The Shackleton Trio play The Folk House on the July 15. Any band that promises mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo and three part harmonies are never going to be bad and The Shackleton Trio are simply superb.
They’ve toured everywhere, have wowed the Cambridge Folk Festival mainstage and have a new album, Mousehold, that is influenced by British, American and Scandinavian Folk traditions.
Also on July 15 are Tinariwen, the Tuareg superheroes who were formed on the borders of Mali and Algeria back in 1979. They mix traditional West African and Arab music with blues, folk and a host of other influences.
The music they make is utterly mesmeric, a very groovy kind of desert blues. They have released nine albums, three of which have been nominated for a Grammy and are not to be missed.
Ashley Campbell is the youngest daughter of Country legend Glen Campbell (“By the Time I Get to Phoenix”, “Wichita Lineman” etc.) and a seriously impressive solo performer in her own right.
She plays The Thunderbolt on July 12 and is a fantastic vocalist and banjo player. Expect a few of her Dad’s tunes, as well as the odd Jimmy Webb cover too.
Other interesting things and places
Static Queen plays a matinee show at St George’s on the July 10, expect lo-fi folk-ishness with influences ranging from Sparklehorse and Jeff Tweedy to Pavement. It’s free, so there’s no excuses.
Similarly, stretching “folk and roots” to the limits will be The White Buffalo at the O2 Academy on July 15 – a brooding, American folk/roots/country artist – think Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and Leonard Cohen.
Willie Mason plays at Strange Brew on July 22 and it promises to be a real treat.
He’s been around for ages – opening for the likes of Rosanne Cash, Evan Dando and Jenny Lewis – and brings a lovely “indie” feel to his Johnny Cash/Bob Dylan influenced Roots music.
I last saw William the Conqueror at The Bristol Folk Festival absolutely years ago and they were just incredible. They’re supporting their soon-to-be-released album, Excuse Me While I Vanish, at Rough Trade on July 30, and are likely to be all kinds of Swamp Blues and Seattle Scuzz.
On July 2, Old Time Sailors play at Thekla. They promise a Flash Mob musical show, designed to throw audiences back on an unforgettable trip to the nineteenth century. And that sounds pretty cool to me.
Main photo: courtesy of The Thunderbolt
Read next:
- Bristol’s month in folk & roots – April 2023
- Bristol’s month in folk & roots – May 2023
- Bristol’s month in folk & roots – June 2023
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