Tradfolk.co: a history
Tradfolk.co was put together to celebrate traditional folk culture now – folk music, folk dance, folk arts and crafts, even folk food (if there is such a thing – we’re still on the lookout for it) as they exist in modern life.
It was built on the back of a blog called Grizzly Folk, which existed for a couple of years between 2017 and 2019. During its absence, we were asked on a number of occasions to restart it, hence Tradfolk.co was born on 26th November 2021.
In the intervening years, founding editor Jon Wilks had also been running The Old Songs Podcast, so Tradfolk.co became its new home.
In September 2024, Jon stepped down as editor and was succeeded by James Merryclough.
Folk Against Fascism
At Tradfolk.co, we’re interested in traditions. Being based in England, we look mainly at English traditions and celebrate the myriad, wonderful things that fall under the banner of folk culture, including the songs, the tunes, the crafts, the arts, the customs and the rituals. We’re absolutely NOT about appropriating Englishness for right-wing causes. Quite the opposite. It’s about inclusivity, not exclusivity.
Why mainly England?
We should say that we have nothing against folk from all of the other corners of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe and the world! It’s just they tend to have other sites and publications devoted to them, whereas English folk culture is often sadly neglected and, if covered at all by the media, unfortunately often done so with a sneer. We think that’s a real shame and want to celebrate the vibrant, living traditional music, dance and customs we have in this country.
Do you have a newsletter to subscribe to?
Yes, of course. Our newsletter goes out weekly on a Friday morning as a weekly digest of folky loveliness.
Click here to subscribe. We promise not to spam you… much.
Will you promote our album/ event/ book/ show?
Quite possibly. While we’re happy to hear about events or albums that you may wish to promote, we’d like to underline the fact that this website is for traditional (mostly English) folk culture and things that are clearly and obviously inspired by it. While we’re sure your singer-songwriter album sounds folkie in the wider sense, if you’re not down with the fol-de-rols, we can’t help you.
Can I support Tradfolk.co financially?
Thanks for asking. You certainly can. We recommend you take a look at our Support Us page.
Can I advertise on Tradfolk.co?
Yes indeed. For more information, head to our Tradfolk advertising page.
Can I write for you?
Absolutely! If you can string a sentence together we’ll consider covering almost anything that fits within our remit. Get in touch with any ideas you have.
We unfortunately can’t offer payment; the site just about breaks even but is not profit-making.