Future Folk: Contemporary Sounds from Traditional Roots

Kings Place is proud to present the return of Future Folk, our series showcasing emerging artists creating and reshaping music inspired by folk traditions in new, progressive ways for contemporary audiences. Across a five events in 2025/26, we will put these talented musicians centre stage in a time when breakthrough acts can easily become lost in the current economic realities of folk music programming.

The series offers an exciting opportunity to discover new music. In 2025, join us and experience fiddle player, singer, songwriter and composer Mikey Kenny, hailed by many as an important conduit of learning, conserving English and Irish traditional fiddle music, Welsh singer songwriter Eve Goodman and a festive special from Anglo-Scot duo Janice Burns and Jon Doran. In 2026, we welcome contemporary trio Grace Lemon, Paddi Benson and James Patrick Gavin, whose debut project is a conceptual retelling of the patient ballroom dances that took place at Bethlem Hospital (Bedlam) throughout the 19th century. Seeing the 25/26 series off, we have innovator, award winning, multi-instrumentalist Malin Lewis melding Scottish West coast tradition with a newly invented, self-made bagpipe whose work is inspired by European folk traditions, queerness and the universe.

In partnership with Alan Bearman Music.