Meet the next wave of EFEx 2026 Artists
Returning from Wednesday 18 to Saturday 21 March, English Folk Expo 2026 is proud to announce the addition of Ellie Gowers, 365 Days of Folk With Oli Steadman, Nick Harper, Club Débris, Izzie Yardley & Noah Malcolm, Liam Fender, ALOSA, Ferran Orriols, El Pony Pisador, Heron Valley, Chloe Matharu, Ryan Young, Elanor Moss, David Ford, Matthew And The Atlas, Fanny Lumsden, Charm Of Finches and Daisy Kilbourne to this year’s line-up.
Showcases will take place at some of the city’s most beloved venues, including Band on the Wall, Hallé St Peter’s, New Century Hall, The Stoller Hall, Night & Day Cafe, The Castle Hotel and Hallé at St Michael’s.
Artists already announced are: Fairport Convention, Seth Lakeman, The Young’uns, Angeline Morrison, Shovel Dance Collective, Skinny Lister, Rachael McShane & The Cartographers, Frankie Archer, Sheelanagig, Blair Dunlop, Katie Spencer, Emily Portman & Friends, Maz O’Connor, Daudi Matsiko, Bella Hardy, Anna McLuckie, Ed Blunt, Lucy Grubb & Filkin’s Drift.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Having gained a reputation as one of Britain’s finest songwriters and one of the very few with the willingness and expertise to tackle politics and current affairs, David Ford will headline Hallé St Peter’s, performing everything from heavy-stomping folk-rock with raw-throated passion to delicate piano balladry. Special guest Matt Hegarty, aka Matthew and the Atlas, emerged from the late-00s folk-rock movement and has since released four albums spanning acoustic folk, dramatic electronica and urgent alt-rock.
Club Débris are a Quebec-inspired folk band, featuring fiddles, accordion, banjo, piano and a dazzling percussive dancer, who play high-energy French-Canadian trad music in brazenly major keys.
Festival wristband holders can enjoy exclusive shows across the three days, including Catalonia’s showcase performances featuring ALOSA, Ferran Orriols and El Pony Pisador. The first two offer sensitive, tradition-rooted sets, while El Pony Pisador delivers an energetic mix of Catalan songs, Celtic and Mediterranean tunes, yodelling and global polyphony.
Attendees can look forward to Showcase Scotland Expo launching their Scotland Introducing programme, presenting three world-class artists on Saturday 21 March: multi-award-winning fiddle player Ryan Young, Scottish Indian singer-songwriter and harpist Chloe Matharu and the virtuosic contemporary ensemble Heron Valley.
Port Fairy Folk Festival will also showcase three standout artists from Australia’s vibrant folk scene. Sister duo Charm of Finches craft graceful, darkly bewitching folk-pop, their seamless harmonies blending melancholy and wonder. Daisy Kilbourne channels the soul and warmth of ’70s songwriting with a voice that feels both timeless and fresh. Fanny Lumsden, one of Australia’s most acclaimed artists, brings award-winning storytelling and infectious energy that’s redefined modern Australian country music.
Nick Harper, celebrated guitarist and songwriter, bridges 1960s folk revival with his own bold originality. His new album and tour, 58 Fordwych Rd., revisit songs and stories from his father Roy Harper’s Kilburn flat, once a gathering place for folk greats.
Following his band Stornoway’s staggering performance at Manchester Folk Festival 2025, Oli Steadman joins next year’s programme for a rare solo set of traditional folk arrangements from his 365 Days of Folk song catalogue, though he promises it’s not all 365 in one sitting.
Captivating singer-songwriters Izzie Yardley (England) and Noah Malcolm (Canada) will perform songs penned during their Music PEI x English Folk Expo Artist Exchange collaboration, giving attendees plenty to look forward to after Robbie Cavanagh and Lawrence Maxwell’s winning partnership earlier this year.
Elsewhere, Liam Fender opens for Sheelanagig with quietly hopeful, post-industrial romance songs blending Richard Hawley, Tom Waits and Neil Hannon with Newcastle grit. Ellie Gowers, “an all-singing, all-dancing folk polymath” (Tradfolk), supports Seth Lakeman with songs of absence, longing and emotional duality. “Emotionally transatlantic” Elanor Moss, with Lincolnshire and Baltimore roots, sets the scene for Shovel Dance Collective.
Delegate passes are available now. See HERE for more information.
