Music / Folk & Roots
Bristol’s month in folk & Roots – September 2023
As the summer holidays slip through our fingers and rain, once again, starts to wash across the Bristol streets, we need things to cheer us up.
We need things to look forward to.
Fortunately there are a whole load of brilliant Folk & Roots gigs in September – everything from Flamenco drenched dance music to Cowpunk, from Egyptian tinged jigs to the best of Americana and country music. September is a feel-good, sunshine-y feast in the Folk world.
is needed now More than ever
On September 15, Downend Folk & Roots return from their holidays with a cast-iron favourite. The Black Feathers have played in this folk-y corner of Bristol a few times but this is the first time since returning from some extensive American touring.
Partly Americana, partly folk, The Black Feathers are simply one of the finest bands around. Sian Chandler’s voice is an extraordinary thing – check their incredible version of Portishead’s Glory Box – and Ray Hughes is her perfect foil. Their new album, Where We are, is released on the same day too so expect a fantastic launch party.
Karine Polwart and Kitty MacFarlane join forces for an evening inspired by the natural world on September 14.
Polwart is a multiple BBC Folk Award winner, is part of the remarkable Spell Songs and The Guardian calls her “One of the finest singer-songwriters in Britain”.
MacFarlane, likewise, has been nominated for BBC Folk Awards and named Female Artist of the Year by Fatea, she sings of rewilding and climate change, the changing face of the natural world and, sometimes, of eels.
This show has already sold out but Karine Polwart is doing a Sing Out Your Song workshop on September 16.
Ron Pope brings a healthy dose of Americana and country music to St George’s on September 27. He’s reckoned to be one of the Nashville Scene’s One’s to Watch and his latest EP, It’s Gonna Be a Long Night, is great.
Thekla has a wonderfully eclectic bunch of Roots-y things in September. Nashville’s Megan Moroney has been called a “2023 Artist to Watch” by Amazon Music, Pandora and Spotify and CMT (Country Music Television) reckons that she’s the Next Woman of Country.
There’s a huge buzz around her in the Country world with CMT saying that she’s a “musical risk-taker with powerhouse pipes”. She plays the boat on September 1.
The next day see’s the wildly entertaining Molotov Jukebox bring their Tropical Gypsy, Flamenco and ska influenced tunes to the dancefloor. They’re going to be amazing – guaranteed to blast away the September blues.
On September 8 another rising star of country music plays at Thekla. Breland has just supported Shania Twain in America, has played The Long Road Festival and C2C too. He’s going to be massive and, as a consequence, this show sold out a while ago.
Actor Damien Lewis plays on September 17, his album is a blues-y roots-y, rock-y affair and, excitingly, he’s supported by the utterly magnificent Kitty Durham (of Kitty, Daisy and Lewis fame). She’s worth seeing all by herself.
The finest small venue in the city has Pronghorn and their total psycho ceilidh madness on September 16.
Incredibly they’ve been around for thirty years but the fearsome banjo/fiddle cowpunk craziness will, undoubtedly, continue apace. They will be something else that will help you to dance away the rain.
Rachel Sermanni plays on September 21; Mojo magazine calls her a “folk noir gem” and she is a wonderful singer-songwriter. She has played with all manner of people, from Ron Sexsmith to John Grant, Karine Polwart to The Staves and has a stack of her own, brilliant, folk-y songs.
One of the highlights of the lovely Priddy Folk Festival this year was Opa Rosa, a Bristol band that bring together Balkan, Klezmer, Greek and Roma traditions.
They were completely infectious, are incredible musicians and chased away the clouds on that wet day in July. They play The Jam Jar on September 22 and are unmissable.
The New Room has long been one of the places in Bristol to find the best in contemporary folk and on September 20 they welcome The Rheingans Sisters.
They are award winning multi-instrumentalists who play traditional folk music with some seriously experimental edges. They’ve played Bristol quite a few times before and are never anything other than incredible.
Over the next few months Leveret, The Rosie Hood Band and Tarren play at The New Room, you can get a season ticket from the website.
Tamsin Elliot and Tarek Elazhary collaborate on September 5, exploring the parallels between the Egyptian and English folk traditions.
Their latest track, Returning Light/Late Frost, is just the most beautiful thing, a collection of jigs that feature Sam Sweeney and Archie Churchill-Moss, and this evening promises to be really special.
Yet another gig that will make you forget all about the rain, the nights drawing in and the resumption of the school run.
Main photo: Ania Shrimpton
Read next:
- Bristol’s month in folk & roots – August 2023
- Bristol’s month in folk & roots – July 2023
- Bristol’s month in folk & roots – June 2023
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