We’re delighted to announce a handful of summer 2023 UK dates by the sensational roots artist Jake Blount, following on from his appearance at the massive Roskilde Festival in Denmark. These performances will be in a trio line-up featuring bassist Nelson Williams and multi-instrumentalist Gus Tritsch, both outstanding musicians who are regular members of Jake’s touring band.
| Wed, 28/06/2023 | Roskilde, Denmark | Roskilde Festival |
| Thu, 29/06/2023 | Chidham, Chichester | Chidham Village Hall |
| Fri, 30/06/2023 | London | Kings Place |
| Sat, 01/07/2023 | Southwell, Nottinghamshire | Gate to Southwell Festival* |
Jake Blount is one of the most important voices on the American roots music scene. A talented multi-instrumentalist and powerful, soulful singer, Jake’s work shines a light on the major contributions that Black, Indigenous and LGBTQ artists have made to American folk traditions, often previously overlooked. This exceptional young musician and scholar received numerous accolades for his 2020 debut solo album Spider Tales, and his 2022 follow-up, The New Faith, has met with even more acclaim. It sees Jake exploring some new sounds including electric guitar and percussion, married effectively with the old tones of the banjo and fiddle. Conceived, written and recorded during the darkest months of Covid lockdowns, the album aims to envision what Black religious music might sound like in a not-so-distant future world devastated by climate change. It was released as part of Smithsonian Folkways’ African-American Legacy Series and has garnered stellar reviews, from The Guardian, Rolling Stone and many more.
Jake has collaborated with renowned musicians including Tatiana Hargreaves and Nic Gareiss, and has been touring widely under his own name since 2021, both solo and with his own band. He has presented his music and research at prestigious venues including Newport Folk Festival and the Smithsonian Institution, and since the release of The New Faith, Jake has been more in demand than ever, touring relentlessly across the USA over the last year. In recent months Jake has performed on the iconic NPR Tiny Desk concert, was featured on Mark Radcliffe’s BBC Radio Two Folk Show, and nominated for Folk Alliance International’s Folk Artist of the Year Award.
“Absurdly talented in about every way a musician can be” – LA Times
Thanks to a booking from the major Roskilde Festival in Denmark, we’ve had the opportunity to bring Jake over for a handful of UK dates at the end of June/beginning of July 2023. These dates will feature a trio line-up including banjo, fiddle, double bass and electric guitar, to bring to life the eclectic, Afrofuturist sounds and tones of The New Faith. Jake will be joined on this tour by regular collaborators Gus Tritsch (guitar, fiddle) and Nelson Williams (bass), both of whom were part of Jake’s stringband line-up that toured the UK in 2022.
* This engagement is supported by Mid Atlantic Arts through USArtists International in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mellon Foundation.
