From tradfolk to psychfolk, from huge ensembles to solo small-pipes, we pick the best young folk musicians of 2023.
It’s a year since we wrote our inaugural article on up-and-coming young folkies, and several of the class of ’22 have already headed on to great things. This year, Frankie Archer lit up Later With Jools Holland, Louis Campbell played to a packed Southbank Centre, Sam Baxter was one of the undisputed highlights of this year’s FolkEast, and you can’t move at folk festivals without stumbling across a Maddie Morris or Granny’s Attic set.
So, who has caught our attention this year? We asked some of the more established folk musicians and writers in our little black book, took a look through our own notes, and then came up with a long list. Over a series of occasionally heated Whatsapp messages, we’ve managed to shave it down to the following selection, some of whom you will be familiar with, some of whom we reckon you’ll grow increasingly familiar with over the years to come.
Before we start, a word on the rules. Very simply, we were looking for musicians who are under 30 and who tend to engage, to some extent, with traditional music. We were also looking largely at the English tradition (with a couple of notable exceptions), simply because that’s where most of the judges work and tends to be the area of focus for the Tradfolk website.
So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the young folkies we think you ought to know about in 2023.
Ellie Gowers
A veritable folk powerhouse!
Jon Wilks
If it was anyone’s year, it was Ellie’s. Having established herself firmly on the scene in 2022 with her first full-length album, Dwelling by the Weir, she then went on to boss 2023’s festival circuit and release a significant follow-up single, ‘The Stars Are Ours’ (produced by TJ Allen of Portishead and Bat for Lashes fame). She’s also a key part of two prominent bands – The Magpies and Filkin’s Ensemble (scroll down for more on them) – and a patron of Warwick Folk Festival. All of this while still in her mid-20s. Her self-penned songs bring in elements of the traditional music she clearly loves, and when she’s not holding court on a stage somewhere, she’s dancing with Chinewrde Morris or playing fiddle in the nearest session. A veritable folk powerhouse! If we had a Young Folkie of the Year award, we’d be sorely tempted to award it to Ellie.
Ellie Gowers: Website | Instagram | Bandcamp
Cerys Hafana
“Cerys rips up the rule book and ruffles feathers as she goes.”
Owen Shiers
Predominantly known for her harp-playing skills, it was the spectral aesthetic permeating Cerys Hafana’s interpretation of ‘The Wife of Usher’s Well’ [Roud 196] that really caught our attention, demonstrating the musician’s abilities as both a songwriter and an original interpreter of traditional song. Explains Owain Shiers (Cynefin), “Since bursting onto the Welsh folk scene in 2021, Cerys Hafana has taken the triple harp world by storm, ripping up the rule book and ruffling feathers as she goes. She’s already released two albums and won Best Emerging Artist at the recent Welsh Folk Awards. One to watch.”