The New Wave of UK Folk: 5 Artists You Need to Know

By Devon Leger

There’s a new wave of UK folk artists a-rolling across the iron main who draw from the deep classics as easily as anyone: Steeleye Span, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, Ewan McColl, Shirley Collins, et al; but they’re also building on modern influences like Scandinavian neo-trad, American indie roots, Irish minimalism, and more. They’re diving into old archives of field recordings and, in some cases, tracking down elder singers across the UK. It’s a heady time over there in Great Britain, but we’ve seen precious little of this in the States. Too bad, because this is beautifully innovative, powerfully inspiring music being built on a bedrock of tradition by artists unafraid of bringing the tradition to very new places.

Sam Lee

Sam Lee, who last year did a tour of North America, is one of the most fascinating of the new wave. He’s not only a leader in the UK folk scene, but also one of the most-acclaimed artists on the list, with his last album short-listed for the prestigious Mercury Prize. Lee’s also an uncannily talented folklorist, known for his work with British, Scottish, and Irish traveller communities. Travellers are Romani (Gypsy) who’ve been moving across Britain since the 1600s. Alan Lomax and others recorded some of the great traveller singers who held close many archaic ballads, and now Lee continues the work, meeting with elder singers in their encampments to learn the old songs and the even older traditions. The great Scottish traveller singer Stanley Robertson was Lee’s main mentor, and Lee learned from him the pagan roots of the music, some of which are still alive today in traveller communities. On his new album, The Fade In Time, Lee proves that’s he’s much more than a humble folklorist. He crafts epic soundscapes from a wide variety of instruments, building a different, vividly real atmosphere for each song. He weaves in snippets of field recordings — from singing to interviews — overlaying his voice alongside the now-lost voices. He’s studied the vocal style of travellers and this brings a totally different sound to his singing of the ballads. The album is an absolute masterpiece that will redefine British folk music for a long time. He’s the artist I’d recommend people discover first from this list.

Olivia Chaney

The Longest River, the new album from acclaimed British folk singer Olivia Chaney, opens with a beautiful version of the classic ballad “The False Bride,” but the rest of the album is mainly original songcraft, with adaptations of poetry and a cover of Alasdair Roberts’ song “Waxwing.” Her voice embodies the best of British folk — clarion-clear and rich with the weight of accent (to American ears). Her songs are dense, but eminently accessible, built with a rare kind of humility. The Longest River is a delight of an album, filled with concise, thoughtful songs that are lovely to unpack and discover. It’s hard to believe that this is her debut album, and kudos to Nonesuch for picking it up. They’ve long been champions of some of the most cutting-edge traditional artists.

Emily Portman

British folk singer and concertina player Emily Portman is the perfect example of the power of tradition. She’s got a firm hand on the old songs, but no sense of nostalgia for tradition. Portman’s new album, Coracle, is a complex affair, layered with drums, minimal electronics, and careful arrangements. The joy here comes from hearing the small reflections of Portman’s grand study of British folk in her new songs. Coracle seems to meditate on family and motherhood, and her music has a strong feminine perspective that is entirely necessary. After all, this music was passed down and preserved among women for centuries, so it should be that a female perspective burns into the heart of the songs.

Rachel Sermanni

Scottish singer Rachel Sermanni’s voice is so compelling — and her presence so uplifting — that she deserves to be at the center of this list. With a rich, husky voice that dips low in the female register — and the slightest hint of a lisp — Sermanni has a signature sound that’s beautifully compelling. As a songwriter, she’s one of the best and with her beautiful song “Breathe” as the primo example of her abilities. On her newest album, 2015’s Tied to the Moon, she’s bringing in harder sounds — more drums, larger arrangements, flights of strings, and electric guitar — but the core of her enchanting vocals and well-crafted songwriting remains the same. Take a listen to a song like “Old Ladies Lament” and you can hear Sermanni’s stock in trade: heartfelt, touching songs that drip beauty.

Bella Hardy

In the past year, some of the best young British folk singers, each of whom have had innovative albums of traditional songcraft in their past, come out with fully fledged masterpieces of production. Using orchestral strings in near-classical arrangements or soundscapes of acoustic instrumentation, they’re building huge albums now to showcase their songs and vocals. Bella Hardy is part of this scene, as well, but her new album, With the Dawn, draws more from indie music with electronic elements than the others. It’s a welcome change and a beautiful showcase for her stunning vocals. Her songs are freer in form, though no less informed by tradition, and her voice absolutely soars on this album. While many singers here are experimenting with song structure or working from external influences — like the confessional songwriting of Joni Mitchell — Hardy writes folk songs in the purest sense: wonderfully singable, memorably touching, and filled with message. Hardy’s a virtuosic talent in the field and her new album is the perfect introduction to her music.

Originally published at www.thebluegrasssituation.com on January 11, 2016.