Thank you for an incredible HowTheLightGetsIn London 2026! See you in Hay!
HowTheLightGetsIn welcomes for the first time the London based collective, Folk and Roots, presenting a captivating line-up of local folk and acoustic talent. Born from a shared passion for the genre’s deep history and evolving sounds, the collective has grown into a vibrant community. Join Folk and Roots at HowTheLightGetsIn for an unforgettable musical journey that celebrates the essence of folk and acoustic traditions.
To open our stage at HowTheLightGetsIn we welcome Karen Ryan, Pete Quinn and Annie Quinn, Karen Ryan is one of London's greatest Irish fiddle players, joined by Pete Quinn on Keys and Annie Quinn on Uillean pipes, all three are mainstays of the London Irish trad scene.
Kyntra provide original, instrumental pieces – contemporary takes on traditional sounds, using guitar and fiddle and perhaps a smattering of effects.
Ellie McCann is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who plays a diverse range of self penned, traditional and instrumental music on banjo, mandolin and guitar, producing a creative and fresh folk sound.
Hailing from Bedfordshire, Ellie started gigging at the age of 11 in the band The McCann Sisters, with her younger sister where they quickly gained a backing in the home counties. Since then, Ellie has developed her sound and has been in the highly regarded acts Burdock and Little Gidding, both of which have made waves on the local folk scene.
With a distinctive songwriting style and a voice that demands to be heard, Irish singer-songwriter BLÁNID has been recognised as a rising talent industry-wide across the UK and Ireland. She has garnered plays on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6, RTÉ Radio 1 and more; TV appearances on RTÉ 1’s The Late Late Show, All Arts TV & PBS; and featured vocalist slots on both Netflix’s ‘The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf’, and ‘Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin’ video game.
BLÁNID’s hauntingly powerful voice and confessional, folk-infused songwriting style have been causing a stir in her native Ireland and beyond.
“completely captivating” — Sian Eleri Evans, BBC Radio 1
“phenomenal… sometimes you have a moment where you hear greatness” — Dominic King, BBC Radio Kent
The Gillies - Susan Turner and Mark Evans, are an award winning contemporary singer-songwriter duo with influences from Americana and Folk. "Music for your graveside is one way they like to describe their songs.Their dark musical bare bones style is the sound of steel-strung and tenor guitars weaving together. It flits between the ethereal and gritty down-home reality, understated melodies which pull you into their haunting songs of love, loss, tangled relationships."
Emma Scarr is an urban folk and country singer/songwriter from East London. Emma Scarr songs feature the sort of stories that are familiar and all around us, lovingly crafted into a poem or song in simple language with unflinching honesty. Songs that remind us that our stories are anything but mundane or unimportant – they are expressions of our times and our realities, our struggles and our joys.
Sam Grassie is a fingerstyle guitarist & songwriter from Biggar, Scotland. Having performed alongside some of London’s finest trad singers and instrumentalists Sam Grassie has released his debut EP on Broadside Hacks label on 8th March. Sam’s journey into solo performance began with supporting Naima Bock & Gently Tender on their UK Tour just last October, finishing with sets at Earth Theatre, Hackney. November saw him performing alongside Bernard Butler & Daisy Rickman at the Royal Festival Hall, London for Bert Jansch’s 80th Birthday Celebrations.
Sonny Brazil is a Folk singer and Squeeze Box Player from the south east of England. Raised in South East London and Brighton, Sonny dwells among the Bargee Traveller Community, living and playing music as they have for centuries on the inland waterways of England. Sonny lives entrenched in the world of english folk culture, working as a crew member on Thames Sailing Barges and living on the Canals; they are one of the founding members of the folk collective Goblin Band described by Martin Carthy as “The band we’ve been waiting for”. Sonny’s style is rhythmic and raw at times giving contrast to their sweeter more pastoral repertoire of traditional songs, reminiscent of a past and a future where community, solidarity and connection with the land run strong in people’s everyday life.
Once a Fig immerse themselves in myriad musical soundscapes, intertwining traditional folk melodies with original compositions and improvisations. Their spiralling arrangements with spinning, trance-like melodies morph into electrifying groove-based tunes, inviting the audience on a musical journey. For the trio, no other feeling comes close to making music, telling stories and sharing meaningful moments with an audience.
With hundreds of gigs behind him, a coveted Danny Kyle Award from Celtic Connections, and three awards from Italy’s premier world music festival, Elliott Morris has a formidable reputation as one of the hardest-working and most sought-after artists on the acoustic scene. The singer-songwriter, featured in Acoustic magazine as ‘The Next Big Thing’, accompanies heartfelt lyrics with a unique guitar style – favouring open tunings, his extended techniques include percussive hits, string tapping, and occasionally slide.
Awake Mother are a new duo from the south of England. They are keen to share music from the folk tradition, reigniting old favourites and introducing you to new songs and tales from times gone by. Awake Mother are Minnie Birch and Kathleen P, two award winning, critically acclaimed musicians who have joined together to present something new and special in the folk tradition. Expect to be invited to sing and stomp along one moment and have your heart strings pulled the next. We look forward to performing for (and maybe with) you.
Folk infused singer songwriter Lizzy Hardingham sings songs that drive straight to the heart, giving audiences a chance for genuine connection and empathy. Hardingham is paving her way as a powerhouse performer with beautifully delivered songs, her wonderful voice grabbing the listener from the very first note and holding on until the last. Think Christine Collister, Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny and KT Tunstall all wrapped into one.
A rare solo performance for Stew Simpson (Frontman for folk rock outfit Hadrian’s Union)
Without the framework of Hadrian’s Union, Stew has allowed himself to explore different sides of his journey into folk music using his roots in traditional mining songs from the North East of England, from his previous show Hyem through to such Folk and Rock cross over songs by Led Belly/Nirvana, (Where did you sleep last night) and to his more outrageous surrealist poetry.
Stew’s show is eclectic, raw and real, with the ideals of a punk, some sweet guitar picking and with the aid of a tank top of a 70 year old shanty enthusiast, audiences are promised to be moved to tears, some of them will be of joy. The rest may just come from the sheer disgust at the Faire Isle Pattern jumper and retro moustache. A true English Eccentric.
Yiddiomatikh perform all things folk song: Northumbrian lullabies, West Country wassails, Dutch sea shanties, and the Yiddish ballads of Paul’s Eastern European heritage. Expect lots of toe-tapping tunes, and choruses you can’t resist joining in! Paul communicates with heart and humour, and Ailsa’s energetic accompaniment and close harmony singing underscore this rich and varied repertoire.
Europe’s answer to TED
Total Politics
Press
