Manchester Folk Festival is back this month!

The festival runs across various venues in Manchester from Thursday 13th – Saturday 15th October 2022.

Following on from the success of 2021, the Festival Club will run once more at the first-floor restaurant in HOME. Starting on Thursday night and running from 11pm – 1am each night of the festival, the bustling club atmosphere is the perfect way to finish off your night at Manchester Folk Festival whilst being treated to three of England’s up and coming folk artists. This year, the Festival Club features Frankie Archer, John Dhali, Treetop Flyers, Jacob & Drinkwater, Will Page and The Carrivick Sisters.

The festival opens on Thursday 13 October with The Magpie Arc and Lady Maisery. Jim Ghedi is now joined by Joshua Burnell in HOME. In The Blues Kitchen, Grace Petrie’s show sees two fantastic support artists in Lucy Grubb and GUISE while Impossible Theatre welcomes Rachael Dadd launching her new album, ‘Kaleidoscope’. In International Anthony Burgess Foundation we welcome English songsmith, Douglas Dare and The Jackie Oates Trio (“one of England’s finest and most expressive traditional folk singers”– Tradfolk). Thursday’s Festival club will close day one with rising North-West soul-folk artist John Dhali and country-rock outfit Treetop Flyers.

Friday sees Thea Gilmore headline in HOME now joined by Flo Perlin and Clare Sands. Stolen From God in HOME Theatre 2 is a narrated song-cycle by Reg Meuross about the SW of England’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade with Jali Fily Cissokho, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne and Jaz Gayle. Later in Theatre 2, Moxie bring their own sound of an Irish tradition inspired by global and contemporary cultures. Impossible Theatre hosts Hollie Rogers and fusion upbeat danceable sounds from Me and My Friends. In International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Lucy Farrell (“Splendidly atmospheric” – fRoots) and Fiona Bevan (“Startling Odysseys” – The Guardian) headline their own intimate shows. Friday closes in the vibrant festival club with sets from Jacob & Drinkwater, Will Page (Noble Jacks) and The Carrivick Sisters.

Saturday afternoon includes an Irish celebration in HOME as Daoirí Farrell Trio is joined by the “mesmeric” Dani Larkin. David Gibb hosts his Family Jukebox in International Anthony Burgess Foundation and in HOME’s Theatre 2 The Alliance of Kashmiri Arts premieres Touchstone – a commissioned project seeing Lala Qadeer collaborating with Dan Walsh and Alistair Anderson.

Saturday evening’s 02 Ritz show with Will Varley has escalated to what is guaranteed to be a legendary festival evening with the addition of innovative and fiery folk-rockers Holy Moly & The Crackers. In HOME’s Theatre 1, “face of the 2021 Sea shanty revival” The Longest Johns are joined by Ceitidh Mac (“transformative, progressive and mellow”) and Angeline Morrison. In Theatre 2 The Drystones (“big bad beats for badass barn dancing”) and string accompanied Hannah Moule and the Moulettes bring their contemporary approaches to folk and traditional music. Saturday evening in International Anthony Burgess Foundation welcomes new folk project Pedlar // Russell and clarinet and piano ambient exploration by Group Listening.

Established in 2017 as development of Homegrown festival in Bury, Manchester Folk Festival takes place over 4 days in venues around the festival hub venue, Home Manchester. The festival attracts over 2,500 audiences annually attending concerts in venues including Home, 02 Ritz, Gorilla, Yes, Comedy Store and Bridgewater Hall. Previous artists have included Billy Bragg, Afro Celt Sound System, Tom Robinson Band, Will Varley, Eliza Carthy, John Smith, Tunng, The Unthanks, Kate Rusby and This is the Kit.

Visit www.manchesterfolkfestival.org.uk, English Folk Expo

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