Ban the Songstress

A few months ago, I received an email from Satnam Galsian, a folk singer I had just booked for a gig that fell on March 8th 2026. There was a postscript:

P.S. I think it's great that you have two women playing on International Women's Day.

It was kind of Satnam to notice, I replied. But also, I had to confess, it was entirely by accident. Folkroom has marked International Women’s Day with gigs in the past, but on this particular occasion, our regular monthly slot had just happened to fall on March 8th, and I had just happened to book two women to play it.

Still, the fact that my gig featured an all-women bill was not without design. I am always making a conscious effort to promote gender equity in my bookings for Folkroom events. I am all too aware of the number of folk gigs I have been to in the past where the line-up is entirely men and their guitars.

Folk music remains as challenging a genre for female musicians to navigate as any other. The very language used to describe women in the genre works to separate women from their male counterparts. ‘Singer-songwriter’ fits the bill perfectly well, but we’ll frequently see women described as ‘songstresses’, as though their ability to write is tied solely and inextricably to their gender.

Even at my own events, I have been aware of regular audience members who have pushed - or fully crossed - the boundaries of appropriate behaviour with performers. The septagenarian who said ‘If I were twenty years younger…’ to a teenage singer, leaving the sentence hanging, certain not to end with ‘…I would still be thirty years your senior, but would perhaps have a better sense of consent and appropriate boundaries.’

I don’t need to speak to the difficulties women face as musicians (or as audience members at gigs). If you identify as a woman yourself, you’ll be well aware of them. If you don’t, well, there are plenty of voices speaking from first-hand experience.

My only role - as a programmer, and as an audience member - is to do whatever I can to make Folkroom events (or any other space I’m in) as safe and inclusive as possible for everybody in attendance.

Which is why I continue to work towards fair representation of different backgrounds across Folkroom events - be those gender, socio-economic, disability, racial or ethnic backgrounds. Folk music has a curious history, being the music of the working people that has, for over a hundred years now, been gathered and documented predominantly by white men from relatively privileged backgrounds. And hey, look. Here I am, writing about ‘modern folk’, putting on gigs that will, in their own small way, help to determine which artists move forward to stake their claim in the future of the genre.

Below, you’ll see that my work is not yet done. We have some fantastic gigs coming up over the coming months. A lot of the headliners are men. Great acts! Playing great music! I’d love you to come and see them all. But here’s the deal: I’ll also keep working to bring other great artists to Folkroom gigs. And when I do, I’d love you to come and see them, too.

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Katie Spencer is the headliner of Folkroom’s accidental International Women’s Day special on March 8th! Katie is one of my favourite songwriters in the UK right now, and I’m excited to share her music with the audience at Peggy’s Skylight. Satnam Galsian, whose music draws on traditional Punjabi music, will be supporting. Tickets are available here.

I first met Dryadic when they were based down in Brighton, and was immediately hooked on songwriter Zora’s infectious melodies, and lyrics that traverse protest, queer identity and classic folk themes. They join us in Nottingham on March 12th for a lively gig at The Grove. Samuel Jackson Reed and Vivien Ivy are support for this. Tickets are here!

Sam Grassie is as Modern Folk as this Substack gets, sitting at the heart of the Broadside Hacks collective in London. Alongside the Wild Moon Folk Collective in Leeds (of which Satnam Galsian is an active member), and the new Hackney Folk Club, Broadside Hacks are part of a growing, buzzing folk scene in the UK. Sam’s music meets this moment. His finger-picking is intricate, but his music is built on classic folk tradition. He’ll be supported at The Grove on April 8th by Folkroom favourite Emily Ashberry, and fiddle player (and fiddle maker!) Victor Camilleri. Tickets here.

Last month saw Filkin’s Drift wow our audience with Welsh and English folk fiddling - so we’re sure there’ll be plenty of folk excited for Mikey Kenney’s return to Nottingham on May 10th. Last year’s solo gig at Peggy’s Skylight was one of the highlights of the spring - this time around, Mikey brings his acclaimed trio, as well as Rosie Brownhill for support. Tickets are on sale here.

Michael McGovern seems to have the world at his feet right now. Earlier this year, Paul Mescal named Michael’s song ‘Evelyn’ as the track he couldn’t get out of his head. Since then, he’s embarked on a mega tour, pausing only to join the excellent Ye Vagabonds for a number of dates around Ireland. Tickets for his stop at The Grove on May 13th have been flying out, and we’re expecting a sell-out - grab yours while you can! Michael’s bringing his pal Scott C. Park along for support here, alongside our local pick, Eleanor McGregor. Tickets, while they last, are here.

Chris Brain’s new album comes out on the first of May, and we’ll be bringing it (and him!) to The Grove in Nottingham on May 16th. If you haven’t heard Chris before, have a listen now! His sound is very much influenced by Nick Drake, but each new album uncovers new depths to his writing. This is another gig that’s on track to sell out - but you can secure your spot now by buying a ticket here.

May 23rd sees one of my favourite American folk musicians pay his first ever visit to Nottingham, where he’ll play The Grove for Folkroom. Joseph Decosimo is an Old-Time folk artist from the Cumberland Plateau.1 This is one of my most-anticipated gigs of the year on a personal level - I never thought I’d be able to bring such a unique and important figure in the Old-Time scene to one of my gigs. Join me - and Rosie Brownhill and Emily Ashberry - by picking up your tickets here.

Rounding up an exceptionally busy May, we have Posturing playing The Grove on the 28th. I’m a big fan of the band, who are one of the most promising acts in Nottingham right now. In fact, every artist on the bill for this gig is a glimpse at a burgeoning talent on the edge of greatness. Scottish singer-songwriter2 Neev brings her band along as main support, and Ukrainian-born, London-based Maria Mihailik opens the night. Get your tickets to this showcase of new talent here.

And here is where Substack politely tells me that I’m nearing the length limit of my email, so we’ll save other gigs for a future email - or you can check our Linktree and discover them now!

Til next time,

Stephen