Songs with a postcode

September always represents a moment of reflection here at Folkroom Towers. Way back in 2010, on the first of September (and just one month to the day after moving to London), I hosted the first ever Folkroom gig at a tiny Victorian boozer in Kings Cross called The Queens Head. There were barely six of us there. The artists outnumbered the audience two to one. My younger self - just twenty-two at the time - would struggle to believe most of the things Folkroom has achieved in the fifteen years since. Folkroom has hosted over 400 gigs, run 17 festival stages, released 26 albums, EPs and singles (including one BBC Folk Award winning album!), and hosted events across three UK cities. It’s been a fun ride - and I’ve no intention of stopping just yet.

Case in point: this month sees Jon Wilks play Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham. Jon’s one of those folk artists who is almost universally admired by other musicians - the two big Martins of English music folk both adore him (M. Simpson calls him ‘the real deal’, and he has toured extensively with Martin Carthy, a sold-out tribute to whom Jon co-curates this autumn). Carl Barât of The Libertines describes him as ‘a badman fingerpicking guitarist and leading exponent of the songs of old Albion’, which is an inherently cool sentence to say about a person, and possibly the most on-brand thing a Libertine could ever say. I caught up with Jon to ask him a few questions ahead of his Folkroom headline later this month.

You've described your new album as "a patchwork of memories". What role do you think folk music has in preserving the memories and experiences of an individual in a world that has more ways than ever of documenting these things?

I once heard someone at a Broadside Hacks event describe folk music as "an act of solidarity through time", which really resonates with me. It's rare in any art form to share the same words and tunes in the same place as someone 200 years ago, and to feel that solidarity across the centuries. That's unique and irreplaceable. These days we've got endless ways of documenting life, but most of it gets lost in the noise. A song cuts through in a different way — it doesn't just preserve memory, it makes meaning from it.

The only non-original track on the album was written in the 20th century by a Birmingham-based sailor, and you picked it up from a recording by another Birmingham singer. What role do you think local scenes could have in creating or fostering new folk standards over the coming years?

I like to think of traditional songs as "songs with a postcode". They've travelled far and wide, but when they put down roots somewhere they often pick up quirks that are exclusive to that place. You can hear "The Wild Rover" in countless places and, more often than not, there'll be something about it that nails it to that locale. Local scenes are where that process begins. If songs are sung often enough in one spot, they become part of that area's story, and that's how new standards can emerge.

In July, you removed your music from Spotify in response to the company's investment in AI weaponry. How much power do you think artists have to protest against systems that have an increasingly overwhelming influence on listeners?

Individually, not much. But collectively, artists can shift things. Even if we can't change the whole system overnight, we can at least draw attention to what's happening and offer alternatives. All the platforms have issues — even Substack has a problematic record when it comes to hosting far-right publications. It's hard to find a utopia, but I think it's worth striving for. At the moment I'm watching a collective called Subvert with a hopeful eye. They're working on a platform owned by musicians as a co-op. It hasn't launched yet, but the idea of artists shaping the ecosystem they depend on feels like a step in the right direction.

Jon Wilks plays Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham on September 21st. Tickets are available now! He’ll also be playing Croydon Folk Club in (well, let’s face it, near) London on November 24th.

Back in June, Folkroom hosted its first event at The Grove in Nottingham - a lovingly run indie venue that celebrated its first birthday this weekend. I’ll be doing a lot more events with The Grove going forward, and I’m thrilled to kick off this more regular run of events with Frankie Archer this October. Frankie’s one of the most exciting new folk artists of the last few years - her music draws heavily on folk tradition while filling the room with sound. Each venue on her October tour has been hand-picked to offer a really intimate gig for audiences - probably the last time you’ll get a chance with Frankie before she is selling out bigger rooms. Get your tickets here while you can.

Tickets are now up for all remaining 2025 gigs! Folkroom has always been about celebrating every corner of the genre, and our two November events capture this perfectly. On Wednesday November 12th, we host Matthew and the Atlas, who were born amid the nu-folk movement of the 2010s and have since grown into one of the best contemporary folk acts in the UK. Another rare intimate gig here, as we welcome them to Peggy’s Skylight. There’s a mix of standing and seated tickets available here, but be quick - the seated ones have almost sold out!

A few days later, on Sunday November 16th, we’ll be joined by Riley Baugus - a true icon of the old time American folk scene. Riley’s music was featured in the award-winning Cold Mountain soundtrack, and he remains at the very heart of the genre to this day. Tickets are available now, so don’t miss out.

I’ve also put up tickets this week for one of Folkroom’s first gigs of 2026! I’m thrilled to bring a real cult folk artist to The Grove in Nottingham on January 23rd. Nev Clay is a beloved figure on the Newcastle music scene. He released his first two albums at the turn of the millennium, and then made his name in the north-east as a unique live act, playing for over twenty years until finally releasing his third album in 2024. He’s a good friend of Rich(ard) Dawson, whose music has very clearly been influenced by Nev’s. I cannot wait for Nev to play for us in January. His last album is an absolute joy, and it feels like a real chance to share one of the UK’s best songwriters with a completely new audience. I’d love you to join me at The Grove to discover him for yourself. Tickets are available here.

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21/09 - Jon Wilks (TICKETS)

08/10 - Frankie Archer (support from Ben McElroy) (TICKETS)

12/11 - Matthew and the Atlas (support tba) (TICKETS)

16/11 - Riley Baugus (TICKETS)

23/01 - Nev Clay (support from Catmilk and Peter Hall) (TICKETS)

Other news from Folkroom’s friends:

• Patch & the Giant are playing Green Note on Friday December 12th! They’ll be playing old favourites as well as songs from their recent Folkroom release, Fragments. A bonus for London audiences, too - our good friend Catmilk, one of the best acts in Nottingham, will be joining the band as support on the night! Tickets here.

• Kirsty Merryn has been a bit quiet on the music front since Life and the Land, her 2021 collaborative EP with Ben Walker. But good news! She’s working on new material - and sharing some glimpses of the process via her Instagram account.

• DG Solaris is currently crowdfunding a new album - there’s a week left, and rewards are due to be sent out in November, which means they’ll make a perfect Christmas gift. You can also get tickets to the annual DG Solaris and Friends gig at Green Note on October 2nd. These gigs - which started as a Folkroom event a few years back, are gorgeous collaborative events with a wonderful selection of special guests. This year’s line-up includes Ella Clayton, Grace Elizabeth-Harvey and friend of Folkroom Chris Riddell, among others! Tickets here.

• The wonderful Daudi Matsiko headlines Metronome in Nottingham on October 2nd. It’s a must-see gig that I’ll be at as a punter. Daudi is a completely unique entity in British folk music right now - the sparsity of his music is masterful, and you’ll not find so vulnerable and yet joyful a performer anywhere else. Tickets here.

That’ll all for September. I’ll be back in your inbox next month with some insights into 2026's gigs!