Tickets £8 adv £10 otd –
Folkish Explosion returns for the first time since 2019, moving to the 200 capacity venue of Cobalt Studios in the heart of Ouseburn - Newcastle's thriving cultural hub, bringing you four of the most amazing, soulful, rapturous and engaging folk influenced acts from the UK:
Joe Solo (Scarborough)
Jenny Lascelles and band (Newcastle)
Auld Reekie String Band (Edinburgh)

Driven Serious (Newcastle)Joe Solo
Joe Solo is an award-winning musician, writer, poet, activist, broadcaster and washing machine engineer from Scarborough. His musical odyssey began in 1987 fronting a bash-em-out band at school, and has seen him play nine countries either as lynchpin of pop-punk upstarts Lithium Joe or hammering out his unique brand of Folk, Punk and Blues in his own right.On top of releasing nineteen albums since 2004, Solo has written books and had them written about him; runs a research project on the Hull Pals Battalions in the First World War; has worked with underprivileged children to help them write their lives in song; co-runs ‘May Day Festival of Solidarity‘ an annual event bringing together voices from music, poetry and politics to celebrate International Worker’s Day; hosts a weekly radio show; and still found time to open for the likes of Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Billy Bragg, Chris Wood, TV Smith, Louise Distras, David Rovics, Grace Petrie, Attila the Stockbroker, Otis Gibbs, Robb Johnson, Edgar Broughton, Naomi Bedford & Paul Simmonds, Emily Portman, Pete Wylie, and The Blockheads; whilst his songs have been played by John Peel on Radio One, Mike Harding on Radio Two and Tom Robinson on BBC6Music.
More on joesolomusic.com

Jenny Lascelles
‘raw and exquisite… marvellous stuff.’ - NARC. Magazine
‘lyrical quality, outstanding musicianship and melodic opulence.' - Folkwords Reviews
Jenny Lascelles is a singer-songwriter and pianist from Newcastle Upon Tyne, performing regularly around the North-East both as a solo artist and with her band.Jenny has previously funded, created and released two independent albums – Fairy Lights in 2015 and Backbone in 2017 – both of which received warm reviews and were featured in several publications. Her songs have also received frequent national radio play, including BBC Radio Scotland, Radio Caroline and BBC Introducing North East, for which ‘Lovely on the Water’ was one of the tracks of the year in 2015.She is currently in the process of creating a third album, which takes her music in an entirely new direction – away from the acoustic and folk-influenced genre, and towards a darker indie pop sound with electronic instruments and vocal layers. The upcoming album explores themes such as mental health, feminism and death, and is Jenny’s most personal work to date.

Old Reekie String Band
"The Auld Reekie String Band is an Edinburgh Based 4 piece of musicians hailing from 4 different countries, come together under a shared love for Oldtime American folk music.
From Street to stage; the band began their journey busking on the streets of Edinburgh and playing local folk pub sessions before becoming a regular fixture on the UK festival circuit and touring in Europe.
Still true to their roots, they put a punky and energetic spin on the Appalacian string band tradition thrashing out an onslaught of foot stomping, fist pounding dance tunes that are guaranteed to get you up on your feet

Driven Serious
The Crack Magazine: "I suppose you could file Driven Serious under the banner of folk-rock; but they are so much than that. They have a vibrancy that you can virtually see thrumming off them when they play, passionate and with the handbrake well and truly off, and with a vibe that has had people likening them to The Levellers to The Pogues to The Smiths to The Wonderstuff..."On the festival circuit, Driven Serious have established themselves over the past decade as a unique and genuine act energizing the audience with their original material that comes from and through the heart, writing about our ability to free each other through the medium of creativity. The soulfulness of their compositions are infectious, exciting and profound.
Driven Serious’s first album, The Importance of Being Serious lauded widespread critical acclaim, as did their E.P. Ballad of Bones, with a second album in the works, these new creations can be heard at Folkish Explosion – their first performance as a full 6 piece since February 2020.
Drivenserious.com
Youtube.com/drivenserious
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