ABOUT THE CAMBRIDGE FOLK SCENE
If you’re new to the Cambridge and wider East Anglia folk scene, looking to explore the local scene or get involved with it, or you’re just curious about what’s going on, we recommend checking out the following clubs, festivals, radio shows, media and artists…
Cambridge Folk Club meets Fridays at The Golden Hinde pub, presenting stunning local talent, and bringing fabulous national and international folk acts to the city
Black Fen Folk Club meets most Sundays at the NCI Club, with an alternative and often inspired trad offering, plus some great singaround nights
Also in Cambridge, Cambridge Junction’s New Routes series brings national and international folk acts to a fantastic venue tailor made for concert-style folk gigs; Storey's Field Centre is an award winning concert space that stages some great folk and roots music; the Portland Arms is an evergreen supporter of live music of all stripes
In East Anglia more widely, there are some fantastic places to see folk music, with special mention for Ely Folk Club, Hitchin Folk Club, Bury St Edmunds’ Milkmaid Folk Club, and Northants’ Kontra Roots
Cambridge Folk Festival is one of the foremost folk festivals in the world
Ely Folk Festival is a wonderful independent festival which balances big name headline acts with the best breakthrough acts
In the last ten years, Folk East and Latitude festivals have given Suffolk and Norfolk their place on the festival map
Other fantastic independent folk festivals in the area include Kimpton Folk Festival, St Albans Folk Festival, and Hitchin’s Rhythms of the World Festival
DJs Sue Marchant and Nicky Stockman, present The Folk Show on BBC Radio Cambridge every Monday at 8pm – it’s always available to listen to again (just Google Cambridge Folk Show for the most recent episode) and is an ideal starting point if you want to know what’s going on on the local folk scene
Cambridge 105 Radio is a great supporter of grass roots music, and especially worth checking out are shows presented by main man Tim Willet, DJ Mandy Morton and Strummers and Dreamers DJ Les Ray
Other great independent DJs in the area include Jane Clayton on West Norfolk Radio, and Roger Pettit on Felixstowe Radio
Cambridge and East Anglia are blessed with a fantastically supportive local media, with special mention for Unicorn Magazine, the Cambridge News (extra special mention music writer Alistair Ryder), BBC1’s Look East show, Grapevine, Gigs Out, the EADT, Ely Standard, The Moment, and other local media doing a sterling job shining a light on the local music scene
The Cambridge and wider East Anglia folk scene has never boasted so much talent. If you’re a young or not so young local musician or music fan interested to know what’s going on in the M11 / A14 area, we recommend checking out the following amazing artists…
Righteous knights of the country-blues acoustic fretboard, Smith and Brewer
Newly crowned Fatea Solo Artist of the Year Odette Michel – catch her while you still can
Festival favourites with a sometime lyrical focus on the local landscape, and a knack for the universally hooky syncopated rhythm, The Willows
Indie-country-pop-folk-fusion floor fillers in excelsis Fred’s House
International touring folk harmony royalty Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage
Live beatbox folk-pop livewires Ward and Parker
Genre-defyingly magnificent folk singer and multi-instrumentalist Daria Kulesh
Award-hoarding contemporary folk stars Trials of Cato
Norwich's finest roots export, Alden Patterson and Dashwood
Roots guitar overlord Brooks Williams
Folk’s Queen of Herts Kelly Oliver
Fantastic original songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Claudia MacKenzie
Bawdy concertina balladeer and scene supporter extraordinaire David Savage
Recorder-wielding future folk superstar Finn Collinson
Sassy soul-pop-folk-funk fusionists Stella Hensley and Chris Newman
East Anglia’s finest ceilidh band Stumpy Oak
Radio 2 Young Folk Award nominated melodeon wizard Saul Bailey
Wonderful contemporary folk duo Elizabeth and Jameson
Exemplary acoustic folk singers David Cambridge and Jenna Walker
Terrific indie-folk songstress Annie Dresner
Marvellous archetypal fingerstyle troubador Bernard Hoskin
Golden voiced folk balladeer Clare Hayes
International touring guitar wizard Adrian Nation
Bodhran-battering bard of the Lowestoft badlands, John Ward
Excellent indie-folk tunesmith Max Bianco
Formerly Hitchin’s and now Cambridge’s DADGAD wunderkind, Emily Slade
Owner of East Anglia’s hardest working and just possibly best voice, Lizzy Hardingham
And so many more, including Marcell Kunkel, Allotment, Emily Slade, Les Ray, Bryan Causton, Soloman Smith, Andy Wall, Banter, Bernie Kedge, Naomi Randall, Ezio and hundreds more besides. Check ‘em out!