MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL – MOSELEY PARK, BIRMINGHAM
Returning to Birmingham for its 19th year was the notorious Moseley Folk Festival presenting an absolute dream of a line-up! The whirlwind weather didn’t stop fans new and returning from immersing themselves in one of the closing festivals of the season, with a variety of hybrid genres and well-respected artists across the folk spectrum.
As always, walking into the amphitheatre styled park surrounded by trees and the music bouncing through the branches, felt amazing to be back. The first day of this three day event kickstarted on the Friday afternoon with the sun beaming. The Lighting Seeds take to the stage for what turns out to be an hour of hit after hit from their first single to their last. To finish, they play out with the sing-a-long ‘Three Lions’ which got everyone chanting and smiling for the rest of the day. Ian Broudie has always produced quality songs and this set just proves how good they are. He promised the band would be back in the Birmingham area soon to play a longer set – let’s hope so! Another highlight of the afternoon was Pete Doherty who waltzed onto the stage in his signature hat and blazer combo before stripping down to his braces and performing an absolute belter of set, before concluding with a cover of The Smiths classic ‘Panic’ with a special appearance from drummer, Mike Joyce.
The Waterboys were our first headliner of the weekend giving a powerful performance including a superb display of their classic hit ‘Glastonbury Song’ and even surprised us with a cover of Ellie Goulding’s ‘How Long Will I Love You’ and closing with their own rendition of the Prince classic, ‘Purple Rain’. Epic end to day one!
It is impossible to delve into this exceptional line-up one by one so this is simply a round-up of some of the most stand out highlights. However, over the three days there were some incredible artists who deserve special mention, including the likes of The Deep Blue who demonstrated their silk like harmonies, Dublin lads The Deadlians with their psychedelic-punk-rock combination of compositions, Irish Folk duo Ye Vagabonds, Spaghetti-Western-folk inspired Horse Feathers, the charismatic This is The Kit, husky-voiced and palette cleaner of the weekend PEM, the phenomenal singer and bouzouki player Mohammad Syfkhan and the captivating talent of Yoshika Colwell.
One slot that seems to be the surprise artist for me is the Saturday, main stage, co-headliner. Last year I was blown away by CMAT and her very sexy CMAT band who has exploded into the music scene over the last 12 months. This year, that slot was filled by Manchester-based, American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist BC Camplight. As BC and his band took to the stage, the rain paused and they brought the festival vibes back to the surface with their folk funk fusion! A totally honest set discussing mental health and life struggles, but embracing music and rising above all the turbulence. A total highlight of a performance.
Saturday’s headliner was a personal favourite and certainly a crowd-pleaser, Father John Misty who effortlessly gave a seamless set. Opening with ‘I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All’, Misty continued to perform a smashing performance with a series of songs from his repertoire, including ‘Mr Tillman’ and ‘Mental Health’ before closing with the classic ‘Real Love Baby’ which had everyone leaving on a total high.
The Sunday in particular was a glorious and refreshing insight for who is up-and-coming amongst the folk scene. Opening the Janice Long stage was Welsh triple harpist and composer Cerys Hafana who gave a tremendous performance consisting of traditional folk and archival folk material that demonstrated their masterful musical skill, whilst giving us segments of storytelling in-between tracks of the history of the songs they played and instruments they exquisitely played.
Lisa O’Neil came on to the main stage and her whole set was atmospheric from the start, beginning with Ivor Cutler’s haunting ‘I’m going in a field’ which hushed the mesmerised audience. Lisa then played an hour of ambient music culminating in her version of Dylan’s ‘All the tired horses’ which pleased everyone watching as it was made world famous when it appeared in the Birmingham based series, Peaky Blinders. When she was introduced by Chris Hawkins of the 6Music early breakfast show, he did say ‘…and now for something really special’….and he wasn’t wrong.
Playing the Janice Long stage Amelia came on to a welcoming crowd who were immediately struck by her slightly dark but melodic songs. Promoting her latest record ‘Between the moon & The Milkman’ she performed with her clear & beautiful voice, talking confidently to the appreciative audience throughout her 45 minute afternoon slot. Amelia is touring at the time of writing, and is well worth seeking out in a smaller setting before she will inevitably progress to bigger venues.
A new-find of the weekend was 18 year old Muireann Bradley who took to the stage on Sunday afternoon for a 45 minute trip back in time to the dustbowl era of Guthrie, Leadbelly & early Pete Seeger. Starting with the classic ‘Freight Train’ by Elizabeth Cotton, Muireann sang her way through the 20’s 30’s & 40’s, her repertoire feeling familiar but one that most people would never have heard before. Muireann uses an advanced finger picking guitar style and has a voice suited to this type of song , reminiscent of a younger Anais Mitchell.
A fan-favourite gave a wholesome touch to the Sunday afternoon, a band we were all so excited to see was Fisherman’s Friends and their set certainly did not disappoint. Predictably, their harmonies were tight, musicianship fantastic and sense of humour a bonus. The Shanties just kept coming and crowd participation was definitely encouraged! One of the top acts of the festival!
The Mercury Rev had the main stage warmed up for the last band of the weekend with a set filled with a psychedelic blend of cinematic soundscapes and a performance that left no disappointment.
Closing the festival were Doves who also gave a Q&A on the afternoon reflecting on their career span of over 2 decades and giving a little insight into their show. As the sun had set, the festival glowed with fairy lights and beaming smiles throughout the crowd as they performed some of their classic hits such as ‘Catch The Sun’, ‘There Goes the Fear’ and ‘The Cedar Room’. This was the definition of a perfect closing headline band for a wonderful festival.
A special thanks to Amy and the entire Moseley Folk Festival team who work incredibly hard each year to pull off this successful event. Next years tickets are available now as the event takes place 4th-6th September 2026.
Words by Charlotte Hooper & Steven Hooper
Photo Credit: SImon Dunkerley
