Fast rising singer Beth Jeans Houghton is set to join the cast of the upcoming Twisted Folk tour.
Britain’s folk heritage may be slowly sliding into the mist, but it retains a grasp on the imagination of a new generation of songwriters.
In Scotland, The Fence Collective have produced artists such as James Yorkston while in England a number of new acts are taking traditional music and injecting something vital, modern and new.
The upcoming Twisted Folk tour is the fourth anniversary jaunt, and features some stunning new talent. Beth Jeans Houghton is an old favourite here at Clash, with her debut EP ‘Hot Toast Volume One’ being glued to the office stereo.
Only just turned 19 the Newcastle born singer has already moved between several different genres. A hit at the recent Green Man festival the singer explained that “I don’t define my music and I try not to let music define me. We are two separate entities, but we get together for a shindig once in a while – and I intend to keep it that way.”
Joining Beth Jeans Houghton are Stornoway. Named after a Hebridean island, the Oxford group specialise in dreamy psych-folk.
Releasing their first official single earlier this year, the track ‘Zorbing’ was an irresistible slice of acoustic pop. Booked to play four stages at Glastonbury this year Stornoway are gaining fans faster than they can play gigs.
Booked to play Twisted Folk, this seems like the perfect opportunity to indulge in some laid back acoustic balladeers.
Twisted Folk takes in the following dates:
February
8 Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre
9 Reading South St
10 Brighton Komedia
11 London Rich Mix
13 Norwich Arts Centre
14 Gateshead The Sage
15 Leeds Brudenell Social Club
16 Manchester Band On The Wall
17 Birmingham Glee Club