Kings Place welcomes Jake Blount, a rising star of American roots music, whose work shines a light on the major contributions that Black, Indigenous and LGBTQ artists have made to American folk traditions.

Jake Blount is one of the most important new voices to emerge on the American roots music scene in recent years. A talented multi-instrumentalist and powerful, soulful singer, Jake is also a specialist in the early folk music of Black Americans.

He has studied with roots music luminaries including Rhiannon Giddens and Hubby Jenkins, and received considerable acclaim for his 2020 debut album Spider Tales. The 2022 follow-up, The New Faith was released as part of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings’ African-American Legacy Series.

Described as “Black folk music from the future”, The New Faith has received glowing reviews from Rolling Stone, The Guardian and many more. It sees Jake exploring new sounds and tones, incorporating electric guitar and percussion alongside banjo and fiddle. Conceived, written and recorded during the darkest months of Covid lockdowns, it imagines what Black music might sound like in a not-so-distant future world devastated by climate change, and is centred around radical new arrangements of traditional songs, including Black spirituals and Blues. Jake is a sensational and mesmerising live performer, and will present these summer 2023 UK dates in a trio format, also featuring Nelson Williams on bass and gifted multi-instrumentalist Gus Tritsch.

The performance will last approximately 2 hours, including an interval.

Reviews

‘An uncommon talent.’  – The Guardian

‘Absurdly talented in about every way a musician can be’ – LA Times

‘An Afrofuturist in roots-music garb’ – NPR