2018

at Moseley Folk, marked by the introduction of a brand-new area of our beautiful festival site: Folk on the Slope. This new hub was in line with our ongoing mission of creating welcoming spaces for families and friends alike. The Kitchen Garden Stage showcased an array of outstanding local talent, including Steve Gibbons, Red Shoes and R John Webb, among many others, and Folk on the Slope celebrated the depth and creativity of our local music scene.

Kawa Circus joined us this year (an early iteration of Circus Raj), bringing their jaw-dropping feats of contortion, balance and fearless-ness all the way from Rajasthan. Their performance became one of the most talked-about moments of the weekend. The awe-inspiring helicopter is just mind-blowing!

The weekend opened in rousing style on Friday night, with the Levellers returning to Moseley Folk to deliver a defiant and high-energy set, celebrating their 30th anniversary. They were joined by legendary folk duo Show of Hands, making their much-anticipated festival debut. Long requested by our audience, it was a joy to finally welcome them, and they more than lived up to expectations.

Saturday brought a contemporary edge, spotlighting artists pushing folk and Americana into exciting new territory. Headliner Nick Mulvey arrived fresh from a sold-out tour, joined by the Ivor Novello–nominated This Is The Kit, Touraeg blues pioneers Imarhan, the unmistakable voice of Willy Mason, and folk royalty Chris Wood.

Jim White headlined the Lunar Stage this year – for those not familiar with Jim’s work, we encourage you to watch his truly incredible and hypnotic 2003 Arena documentary about the Deep South – Journey for the Wrong Eyed Jesus.

Sunday saw the launch of another Moseley Folk milestone: our Legends Slot, introduced for the very first time. Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel stepped into this new role with style, amongst a jam-packed line-up that included Teenage Fanclub as headliners and the spellbinding contemporary folk of King Creosote.

2018 also saw the meeting of talents, a duel of traditional skills. Louisa Davies had run a Bones Playing Workshop at Moseley for many years, but in 2018 she was joined by Martin Parry (former drummer of the Fine Young Cannibals), an accomplished Spoons adept for a Bones vs Spoons traditional percussion clash.