England

 

 

  • Maartin Allcock, mostly knows for his collaboration with Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull...
  • Amazing Blondel, from Lincolnshire the most exquisite and humoured progressive folk band.
  • Harvey Andrews, has been one of Britain's top performers and songwriters for over thirty years. "One of the finest voices and writers this country's produced. A consummate entertainer, craftsman, and raconteur".
  • Angel Band, a ceilidh band based in North London.
  • Artisan, are an a capella harmony group from Yorkshire. Rousing choruses and beautiful performances are their stock in trade.
  • Avalon, a little known young folk group, with a very unstable line-up and alcoholic tendencies.
  • Roy Bailey, sescribed as "possessing one of the folk world's finest voices" he is a fine interpreter of both traditional and contemporary songs and is recognised as a major artist who has successfully combined artistic and political commitment.
  • Band of Two, combine in their approach to predominantly traditional Celtic songs and tunes and their enjoyment of performing comes across in their entertaining style.
  • The Blackwater Scratch Band, traditional English and Continental folk music for barn dances.
  • Garry Blakeley, dynamic fiddler playing (mainly) Irish instrumental music for and with a number of different bands.
  • Bog Standards, traditional and modern Scots & Irish drinking songs from Bobby McEwan and friends.
  • Oliver Bootle, is a fiddle player and singer in the traditional English style from the Hastings area of East Sussex.
  • Dave Burland, is equally at home with traditional and contemporary material, and his guitar accompaniments have been described as 'sensitive without being intrusive'.
  • The Bursledon Village Band, has been very active locally providing music for a seemingly endless list of Barn Dances and Ceilidhs.
  • Ian Carr & Karen Tweed, have been playing together for about 2 years.
  • The Carnival Band, a "Henry VIII's Rock'n'Roll Band" (?!). They do play the occasional old English folk tune, but they are occasional!
  • Cock and Bull, produce a superlative ceilidh. They play an Anglo-French mix of music, how good it is depends on what the dancers were expecting.
  • Shirley Collins, Southern England's finest voice of the folk song revival.
  • The Committee Band, is a folk dance band which plays for English ceilidhs. The English country music is the starting point of many members, but the tunes the band plays are as likely to be Italian or Scandinavian as English and arrangements contain elements of all sorts of popular and traditional musics.
  • The Cushleen, "the best Irish band in the south of England".
  • Andy Cutting & Karen Tweed, AC is a diatonic accordion player known for his work with Blowzabella and many others groups; KT is an accordion player currently playing in The Poozies.
  • Delaney's Donkey, distinctive, punkish influenced, traditional Irish music from Blackpool.
  • Sandy Denny, was one of Britain's finest and most talented folk singers ever. She was the lead singer of Fairport Convention and Fotheringay, played with The Strawbs, and also recorded some remarkable solo albums.
  • The Duellists, a trio playing newly written dance music inspired from, and rooted in, the English and French traditions. With bagpipes and hurdy-gurdies, they provide driving dance music and bewitching rhythms underpinned by the exciting and primitive combination of melody and drones.
  • Eel Grinders, are a South West based quartet with a growing international reputation, blending influences from the British and French folk-music traditions to produce thier own exciting and original sound.
  • Fairport Convention, have been one of the most influential groups to emerge from the UK in the past three decades. The current incarnation of the band is very active, and continue to electrify English, Scottish and Irish traditional music.
  • Fernhill, play traditional music from Wales, Brittany and England, combining the sounds of European bagpipes and reed instruments with cittern, diatonic accordion and flutes.
  • Fika, based in the North West of England, the band concentrate on the rich and varied music of Sweden, which has long been a favourite of theirs.
  • The Five Bar'd Gait Ceilidh Band, from Manchester, play an eclectic range of tunes taken from various sources, mostly traditional.
  • Fleece Yard Ceilidh Band, from Buckinghamshire, plays a mixture of traditional and more contemporary music in a swinging, jazz-influenced style.
  • Florida's musical backgrounds cover classical, jazz, rock, trad folk, dance bands, unaccompanied harmony singing, and an excess of ritual dancing. And it shows.
  • Folkwise, songs of the Waterways.
  • Freds Folks Ceilidh Band from Nottingham,
  • Glorishears Ceilidh Band, Ceilidh Barn Dance Band Folk Country Song Contra Jig Reel Waltz Swing Wedding.
  • Gryphon, in the early seventies they were the nearest thing the folk-rock scene had to a cult band. However, when recorded, their blend of early music, folk-rock and instrumental grooves appealed across the generations.
  • Robert Harbron, superb young concertina player.
  • The High Level Ranters, have been playing traditional music and song from the North-East of England for over 30 years, becoming one of the most influential groups of the Folk Revival.
  • Bernard Hoskin, multi-instrumentalist based near Cambridge. Although he works mainly on the folk scene there is a diverse range of styles and influences in his music from Irish and English traditional folk to blues, new country and African.
  • The House Band, English traditional/celtic group.
  • David Hughes, is one of Britain's most outstanding fiddlers.
  • The Incredible String Band
  • Iona, is a British-based band focusing on the roots of Christianity:
  • Hilary James, a powerful combination of improvisation and musical rigour, a very civilised excursion into the music of British Isles.
  • John Kirkpatrick Ceilidh Band , is the band of the master of accordions and concertinas John Kirkpatrick.
  • Kings of Puck, talented and versatile three piece band playing a mixture of traditional and contemporary Irish songs and tunes.
  • The Knotted Chord Folk Dance Band, play a wide variety of folk dance music. Their repertoire covers more than three centuries of English music, as well as a broad range of more recent dances, American Contra dance music and a sprinkling of tunes from most parts of Europe.
  • Lammas, are harpist Sarah Deere- Jones and piper Phil Williams who come together with a variety of medieval instruments to bring alive the music and atmosphere of old medieval England.
  • The Levellers, an English celtic thrash band.
  • Lindisfarne, during the early '70s, was one of the hottest folk-based rock bands in England:
  • Lordryk, was spawned from a psychedelic punk band (!). Their music drifts between haunting esoteric ballads full of dreamy celtic atmosphere, and fast, frantic folk to stomp to,
  • Magna Carta, a British band founded in 1969, is one of the longest runing bands in the world today. Their music has a unique sound, the band plays acoustic music, critics say that they play folk music...
  • Magpie Lane, is an Oxfordshire's acoustic band whose lively mix of traditional English songs and dance tunes has won them friends far beyond the boundaries of their native county.
  • Massif Village Orchestra, promote participation in the playing and performance of traditonal Dance Music. It currently focusses specifically on contemporary and traditional dance music from Central France. It's made up of about 100 amateur and other musicians.
  • Iain Matthews, has been working in the field of popular music for over 30 years now, from Pyramid, Fairport Convention and Matthews Southern Comfort to Plainsong in its two incarnations and Hamilton Pool, but he is especially appreciated for his solo work.
  • Maxie and Mitch, Maxie was the lead singer of the legendary North Eastern folk band Hedgehog Pie. Mitch was the lead singer of the chart topping rock band Jack The Lad, and is the current lead singer of Lindisfarne.
  • Michael McGoldrick, is an inspired musician with a true feeling for and dedication to traditional music. He has the capacity to make traditional tunes live in an exciting and relevant way and the ability to write some cracking tunes of his own.
  • The Mellstock Band, was formed to play the music of Thomas Hardy's Wessex using authentic instruments. Their repertoire includes a variety of music, based on the manuscript books of village musicians and the singing and instrumental traditions of rural England.
  • The Men They Couldn't Hang, they've always found the confines of musical genres too restrictive, claiming influence from a variety of sources that take in the rabble-rousing skirl of celtic folk, Clash-style guitar rave-ups and moments of surprising tenderness and compassion:
  • Middlewich Paddies, Cheshire's Own Irish Folk Band in the Dubliner's mould.
  • The Mighty Handful, a 6-piece Celtic Rock outfit.
  • Misalliance, traditional Celtic music and songs together with Renaissance dance music, and a few more recent pieces in the traditional idiom.
  • Mithras, are a folk music group from Northamptonshire.
  • The New St George, one of the south's leading electric barn dance bands.
  • Nightwatch, is a five piece band with a great deal of experience playing for barn dances, ceilidhs and other functions. Their music range from 16th century material, through traditional tunes from England, Ireland, Scotland and France, with a smattering of eclectic contemporary material and 'fun' numbers.
  • Old Hog, plays a mixture of traditional English, Irish and Scottish dance tunes for ceilidhs and barn dances as well as their own compositions and any interesting tunes from France and America.
  • Tania Opland and Mike Freeman, Anglo-Alaskan, multi-instrumental and vocal duo, blending ballads from Britain with Renaissance music from France, English country dances, and Slavonic folksongs.
  • OysterBand, they were influenced by all manner of music, culture and style. Listened to anything and everything. But running through the entire soul of the band was a heartbeat rooted deeply in the traditional music of Britain:
  • Jacqui McShee's Pentangle, original Pentangle was the most creative and innovative band on the folk scene in the late 1960s and early '70s. Pentangle continued to create music that was innovative and boundary-stretching, yet melodic and accessible, through the '80s and into the '90s.
  • Graham and Eileen Pratt, in addition to harmony work, their act focuses on Eileen's voice (considered one of the finest on the folk scene) accompanied by Graham's guitar, keyboards and concertina.
  • Maddy Prior, while Steeleye survives, Maddy has kept on with her solo career both as a live performer and a recording artist.
  • The Pure Drop, plays a gutsy fusion of traditional Irish and contemporary musical styles. Drawing on the experience of an All-Ireland champion Uilleann piper, a classical guitarist and musicians from Rock and Jazz backgrounds it is the ultimate Celtic Fusion band.
  • Ran Tan Band, based in a mix of different traditions....
  • John Renbourn, one of the world's foremost fingerstyle guitarists, His unique sound is a fusion of British and Celtic folk music with jazz, country blues, ragtime, classical, Middle Eastern and pre-Renaissance music.
  • Rumours of Whiskey Ceilidh Band, from South Yorkshire, play reels, jigs, polkas, hornpipes etc. from England, Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, USA and Canada.
  • Sackful of Sovereigns, is a five piece band playing modern arrangements of Traditional English Folk Music. "Electric Folk".
  • Elaine Samuels, is an expert self-accompanist on guitar, banjo and cittern. Her material ranges from folk through to blues.
  • Scarp, played instrumental music most of which they compose themselves using the structures of European traditional dance music as a basis.
  • Shamus O'blivion & The Megadeath Morrismen, their music is based on Traditional Irish/Folk tunes, but this is where the similarity ends.
  • Shave the Monkey's influences come from traditional, rock, classical and early music sources, as is evident with their unique style.
  • Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley, a Celtic duo.
  • Show of Hands, english acoustic music from Britain's foremost acoustic duo. Their aim is to combine the narrative and melodic strengths of English music with rhythms and textures from around the world.
  • Mike Silver, described as "one of England's greatest singers and songwriters, he possesses that unique ability to sing and play the guitar in a way that the two things combine to form a sublime musical entity".
  • Skimmington Ride, traditional and contemporary folk music from English, American, Irish and other traditions performed with energy and commitment.
  • Skirm & Dezi Donnelly, rebellion, rapture, space and tranquility are the feelings this duo from Manchester convey to us. With a varied repertoire, they move between traditional Irish music and improvisation.
  • The Spike Island Band, plays for dancing. Many of the tunes are English, but we also draw from the music of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, America, Scandinavia, and the Middle East.
  • Steeleye Span, the English Folk/Rock legends!:
  • Stocai's music is mainly newly written material. The band's influences are eclectic and diverse; you will hear also French, Irish, Quebecois, Scandinavian and good old English tunes, all moulded into a style of Stocai's own.
  • Sunday Suits & Muddy Boots, the Motorhead of Country Dance Music.
  • SWÅP, a breath-taking exchange of Swedish, Irish and British musics ...
  • Mark T., a UK based musician who has played an exceptionally wide range of roots based music.
  • Tanteeka, a new combination of musicians, producing an eclectic sound, drawing on influences from all over Europe and Beyond, on a unique range of instruments.
  • Thimble Rigger, a powerful electric barn dance band.
  • Richard Thompson, is a multi-instrumentalist. He was member of Fairport Convention:
  • Tiger Moth, plays eclectic electrified folk music: an orgy of dance tunes that introduced elements of reggae, blues, rock'n'roll, jazz, world music...and all manner of strange things besides,
  • Steve Tilston & Maggie Boyle, Steve Tilston - incredible guitarist and singer/songwriter from England - performs solo as well with Maggie Boyle, Irish singer, flautist and bodhran player. Duo was part of the John Renbourn group, "Ship of Fools".
  • The Tollhouse Company, a professional musical theatre company who work in the folk style using traditional and self-penned material. They also play for barn dances - or English ceilidhs - under the name Fen Blow Barn Dance Band.
  • Tranter's Folly, a popular West Country folk group. They have wide experience in presenting Concerts, Barn Dances and West Country Evenings and also offer a series of specialised "Thomas Hardy" concerts.
  • Tricks Upon Travellers, play music which takes as it's basis the English folk tradition and adds elements of punk, rap, heavy metal, ska, techno, funk, country, classical etc., etc.
  • Turning the Red, a duo of Cliff Stapleton & Chris Walshaw, play newly written dance music inspired from, and rooted in, the English and French traditions.
  • WAZ!, is a new trio formed by Dave Whetstone, Maartin Allcock and Pete Zorn. All three are well-known on the British folk-rock scene through their work with the likes of Fairport Convention, The Albion Band and The Richard Thompson Band.
  • The Whisky Priests, is a band from the North-East of England, County Durham, making traditional folk-rock with lyrics about coal-mining and ship-building industries:
  • Whorticulture, English Folk in Combat Trousers! "The lager fuelled boys on fiddle, mandolin, accordion and tuba!"
  • The Wickermen, are an eclectic mix of musicians, whose homes span not only the length of Britain, from East Anglia to Scotland, but whose musical backgrounds span rock, folk and classical.
  • WindyMills Ceilidh Band, is one of Northumbria's pre-eminent dance bands, with a large and lively repertoire of Northumbrian hornpipes, Scottish jigs, and Irish reels.
  • Heather Wood, sings mainly English traditional folk songs, ballads, sea shanties.

    • The Yetties, are one of England's most popular folk groups. Their love of the West Country, it's songs, stories and humour wins them friends wherever they go.