As we step into 2024, the British folk music scene welcomes a fresh wave of album releases that are sure to delight fans and enrich the genre. Among the anticipated offerings are new works from a diverse group of artists, each bringing their unique flavor to the folk tapestry. While we can’t offer many exact dates, here’s what we’ve managed to garner from the rumour mill.
January
Les Cousins: The Soundtrack of Soho’s Legendary Folk and Blues Club
Celebrating the legendary Soho folk and blues club, and all who played there, this 3-disc set is likely to be a real treasure trove, with sleeve notes written by musician, journalist and former club resident, Ian A. Anderson. Look out for a celebratory concert on March 10th at Moth Club in Hackney, with a lineup including Martin Carthy, Bridget St John, Wizz Jones and Anderson himself. Release: Jan 19th, Cherry Red, more info here.
Liz Hanks, Land Remixed
Earlier in 2023, Liz Hanks released Land to critical acclaim, an album deeply inspired by her local area of Meersbrook, Sheffield. Land Remixed features four of Liz’s favorite artists: Haiku Salut, Jason Singh, Richard Norris, and Leafcutter John. Land delves into a blend of minimalism, folk, Indian classical music, and improvisation, all while staying true to her local landscape. The album reflects on the loss of nature in urban settings and forgotten natural worlds, as well as celebrating the remaining green spaces in her beloved Sheffield. Release: Jan 19th, Hudson Records, more info here.
Johnny Campbell, True North
Johnny Campbell‘s True North is a musical journey through northern England’s landscapes and history. This folk album, interlaced with field recordings from the highest points of various counties, features collaborations with Mikey Kenney and The Brothers Gillespie. Each track, unpolished and vibrant, captures a fleeting moment in time, embodying the north’s identity shaped by social history and its landscapes. An extension of Campbell’s lockdown project, the album highlights land access issues and represents a quest for truth and meaning. The lead single, ‘Here’s the Tender Coming’, has already arrived in video format. Release: Jan 26th, self-release, more info here.
February
Tiger Moth, Ostracon
Influential English roots dance band Tiger Moth, known for electrifying the UK festival ceilidh scene in the 1980s, began as a recording band in 1983. Comprising musicians with diverse backgrounds, they initially released a 7” single of “Speed The Plough,” sparking interest for an album. Their unique, improvisational style and global influences led to a fervent demand for their live performances. Their debut LP “Tiger Moth” and the follow-up “Howling Moth” showcased their eclectic approach. The band also explored various collaborations under the name Orchestre Super Moth. After a brief revival from 2004 to 2006, including performances at major festivals, the band concluded its journey. A compilation CD, “Mothballs,” was released, and now, a limited edition release “Ostracon” includes all remaining LP tracks and a bonus live recording from 2004, satisfying long-standing fan requests. Release: Feb 2nd, Ghosts From the Basement, more info here.
Jenny Sturgeon & Boo Hewerdine, Outliers
Jenny and Boo’s album Outliers, written between their homes in Glasgow and Shetland during 2020/21, emerged as a unique creative outlet. Their virtual meet-ups every few weeks opened doors to a new songwriting approach. Recording from home and exchanging melodies and ideas via email, they experimented beyond conventional studio confines. This evolution in music creation inspired the album’s title, Outliers. Release: Feb 2nd, Hudson Records, more info here.
RANT, Spin
Scottish chamber-folk quartet RANT releases their new album, Spin, on February 9. This ambitious album, marking a decade of the band’s journey, reinterprets influential tracks and artists from their formative years. The album blends their resonant Scottish fiddle sound with energetic and evocative reinterpretations – a reflective ‘covers’ album allows RANT to revisit their musical roots. Release: Feb 9th, Make Believe Records, more info here.
Martin Carthy, Martin Carthy (re-release)
The North Star for so many folk musicians, this vinyl reissue of Martin Carthy‘s 1965 debut album brings a classic back to life. Carthy’s influential sound has shaped folk music for decades, and this reissue allows a new generation of listeners to experience his groundbreaking work in its original form. Plus, the first 200 people ordering from Propermusic.com will also receive an album-sized art card, signed by Martin himself. And if that’s not enough for Carthy fans, look out for a huge (and we mean huge) Carthy at the BBC boxset incoming (date to be confirmed). Release (for debut album vinyl): Feb 23rd, Topic Records, more info here.
Maddie Morris, Skin
Maddie Morris, winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Musician award in 2019, is releasing their album Skin on February 23, with the lead single ‘Marsha P Johnson’ coming out on January 19. Known for a vocal style rich in ornamentation and music that challenges perceptions, Maddie’s album is a journey of hope, exploring queer joy, liberation, and vulnerability. Following their successful EP “Upstream,” Maddie collaborated again with producer Pete Ord, recording at The Studio at Sunbeams in Cumbria. The album features notable artists like Archie Churchill-Moss and Belinda O’Hooley, enhancing Maddie’s poignant songwriting and captivating solo voice. Release: Feb 23rd, No Masters, more info here.
Milkweed, TBC
Psychfolk at its most extreme, “slacker-trad” duo, Milkweed, also seem to have done enough to attract the attention of Broadside Hacks supremo, Campbell Baum, on whose label this new album will appear. Release: (tentative) Feb, Broadside Hacks Records.
March
Daisy Rickman, Howl
A singer of Cornish songs, old and new, Daisy Rickman‘s voice leaps through octaves as if they weren’t there. Very much part of the psychfolk world that seems to be burgeoning again at the moment, you’ll hear elements of the Incredible String Band, Nick Drake, Bert Jansch and Anne Briggs, all melded together into the entirely original Daisy Rickman. Her second album, Howl (Cornish for “Sun”) comes out on the Spring equinox. Expect the lead single, ‘Feed the Forest’, on January 20th. Release: March 20th.
Spring
Angeline Morrison, The Sorrow Songs (re-release)
Not even 18 months old yet, Angeline Morrison’s acclaimed masterpiece, The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience, gets a re-release, this time on green vinyl. The Eliza Carthy-produced set has no specific release date yet, but expect it sometime in March. Release: (tentative) March, Topic Records.
Martin Simpson, Skydancers
Martin Simpson‘s new solo album, Skydancers, is set for release in March 2024. This twin release includes a live CD featuring recordings from recent gigs (at which he has generally been on fire) and a studio CD with collaborations from some of Martin’s favorite musicians. More info as and when we get it. Release: (tentative) March, Topic Records.
Goblin Band, TBC
The debut EP from the band that Martin Carthy believes to be the future of folk music follows on from a very successful yule concert at All Hallows-On-The-Wall. All eyes (and ears) will be on this release to see what all the fuss is about. Broadside Hacks seem suitably impressed; the Goblin Band EP is coming out on their own label. Release: (tentative) early Spring, Broadside Hacks Records.
Eliza Carthy, TBC
Her first completely solo album in years, the title is currently under wraps and Carthy says she’s planning to sell it only on the merch desks at shows during her up-coming tour with Jennifer Reid. If it’s even half as good as last year’s Conversations We’ve Had Before (which came second on Tradfolk’s Album of the Year list for 2023), all will be well with the world. Release: (tentative) April.
Mikey Kenney, TBC
Postponed from the original release date last year, we know only that this new album is due in late Spring and that, as with most of Mikey Kenney‘s work, anything could happen. He’s a maverick and no mistake – the ultimate folk troubadour, soaking up influences wherever his trails take him, but always in thrall to his beloved traditional Lancastrian music. Release: (tentative) April/May, Penny Fiddle Records.
Rachel Newton, Sealladh
Rachel Newton’s album, Sealladh, celebrating the opening of the new building at The National Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh, will draw inspiration from Scottish and Gaelic paintings and painters. Release: Spring, Hudson Records.
Ben Nicholls, Duets
It has been just over a year since Ben Nicholls last set sail, but word arrives that he has once again weighed anchor. His new album does what it says on the tin: Duets features Cara Dillon, Seth Lakeman, Jon Boden, Tim Eriksen, Nadine Shah, Fay Hield, Martin Simpson and John Smith. The lead single, ‘The Greenland Whale Fisheries‘ with Kris Drever, was excellent. Release: Spring, Hudson Records.
Summer
Bonfire Radicals, TBC
BonRads’ upcoming EP, set for early summer release, will be preceded by a short tour in May where fans can get early access. This EP is a quirky collection of BonRads favorites, featuring a unique mix of English thrash folk, Greek dances, kavals, muffins, and surprises. The title is still under wraps. Release: June.
M G Boulter, Days of Shaking
M G Boulter’s upcoming album, following the acclaimed 2021 release Clifftown, is titled Days of Shaking. Described by his record label as, “a modern-day book of wonders,” this album promises to be an exciting new chapter in Boulter’s discography. Release: June, Hudson Records.
The Rheingans Sisters, TBC
The Rheingans Sisters, BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners and nominees, are set to release their fifth studio album in 2024, produced by Adam Pietrykowski. Known for blending diverse genres like baroque, trance, and metal with traditional folk, their upcoming album continues their “avant-garde trad” style. Celebrated for their innovative and empathetic songwriting, this release follows their critically acclaimed Receiver, showcasing their unique fusion of electric guitar, synths, and traditional folk instruments, solidifying their status in the British folk scene. Release: late Summer.
Tarren, Outside Time
The tradfolk trio, Tarren, comprising Sid Goldsmith, Alex Garden, and Danny Peddler, have been trailing the recording of their album Outside Time on social media and it is set for a late summer release. Preceding this, singles will tease the album, one launching before their spring tour in April, and another before a substantial album tour in September. Outside Time is rich with new material, showcasing a more personal and open side of Tarren. Release: (tentative) August/September.
Autumn
Live from the Broadside Hacks Folk Club
Hackney seems to be the stomping ground for the young tradfolk generation, with Moth Club being the place to be. Their series of concerts and talk shows in 2023 were notable for a number of things: the quality of the lineups, the innovative event structure (getting the artists to talk as much as they played, much to the delight of the audience), and the astounding demographic – invariably, at least 50% of the regularly-sold out crowds was in their mid-20s. Thankfully, the organisers multitracked all of the shows, and a record is set to come out in the Autumn. Meanwhile, the shows continue (look out for Sam Sweeney and the aforementioned Les Cousins celebration), so we might assume that this is the first in a series of releases. Release: Autumn.
Cynefin, Simli
In the vibrant tapestry of 2024’s folk albums, Simli by Cynefin stands out with its unique exploration of a nearly forgotten Welsh tradition. This album delves into the ancient practice of ‘simli,’ a term from a bygone era when Welsh farmers would spend entire nights milling oats, immersed in sharing poetry, songs, and stories. Cynefin’s Simli is likely to be a soulful blend of traditional Welsh tunes, poetry set to music, and original compositions, offering a poignant reflection on the cultural shifts in rural West Wales. Beyond the realm of folk music, the album paints a broader picture of systemic cultural losses, touching on changes in wildlife, language, and traditional ways of life. Release: Autumn.
Thorpe & Morrison, TBC
This dynamic duo, emerging from Birmingham’s vibrant music scene, collaborates with Alex Garden for their third album, their first fully-produced project. The album, featuring a guest vocal by Michelle Holloway of Bonfire Radicals, is scheduled for an early autumn release, accompanied by a tour across England and Scotland. It showcases a blend of traditional English, Scottish, and Irish songs and tunes, original pieces, and elements of Funk, Americana, and Scandinavian music. Release: Autumn.
Sam Carter, TBC
Fingerpicker extraordinaire, and a superb composer of narrative songs to boot, Home Waters (2020) was the last studio album we had from Sam Carter, although he’s never not busy accompanying all and sundry. Very much looking forward to hearing what the new disc contains. Release: Autumn.
Rachael McShane & The Cartographers, TBC
Rachael McShane & The Cartographers are gearing up for the long-awaited follow-up to their 2018 release, All Is Still. Fans are eager to discover what Rachael has in store next, though details about the new project are still part of the rumor mill with no further information currently available. Release: Summer (rumoured).
Winter
Jackie Oates & John Spiers, unnamed Christmas album
Following in the footsteps of Eliza Carthy & Jon Boden (and countless others before them), 2024 is rumoured to be the year that Jackie Oates & John Spiers put the songs from their recent Christmas tours on record. It’s very much not set in stone, but fingers are firmly crossed that it’ll be out in time to fill next year’s stockings. Release: December (rumoured).
Also rumoured…
Slow Worm Records sound busy, promising an EP of traditional English material arranged for two acoustic guitars by Dave Malkin & Louis Campbell, a UK/Norwegian contemporary folk project, and a new album from Tom Moore & Archie Churchill-Moss. No official dates on any of those yet. Elsewhere, there are albums brewing from Jon Wilks (Summer), Hannah Scott (Autumn), Jim Moray (before the end of the year), Malin Lewis, Laura Wilkie, Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings (all without dates). Holly Harman releases a debut solo album in Autumn. Janice Burns & Jon Doran will also have a winter album (being recorded by Andy Bell) but there are no names or dates confirmed yet. Looks like it’ll be a busy 12 months if you’re in the buying/reviewing game.
Just to add to your list of forthcoming releases Steam Pie records will release Lauford Cripps “Live at BGFM Nantyglo” on Friday 1st March.
You appear to have missed “Outsider” by Findlay Napier due before Easter.
You’ve missed Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage – saw something about them doing another album this year- last one was stunning.