Arts / Folk festival back with a bang as visiting line-up announced
MUSIC fans can start planning for this year’s Shetland Folk Festival after a swathe of visiting acts and local artists were announced.
There will be a total of 15 visiting acts from nine different nations performing at the 44th folk festival, which is taking place from 30 April to 3 May.
Organisers say one act “destined to be a hit” with Shetland audiences will be Jake Vaadeland and the Sturgeon River Boys.
Vaadeland, from Canada, has won a coveted Juno Award in his home country and is already solidifying his status as a rising star in the music industry, with his distinctive fusion of traditional country, 50s rockabilly, and bluegrass.
The Onlies meanwhile are part of a powerful new generation of string band music who are set to bring fiddles, banjos, guitars, bass, autoharp, harmonium, electric guitar, and four-part vocal harmonies to the stage.
Multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Sami Braman, Riley Calcagno, and Leo Shannon formed the band in Seattle as youngsters, bringing in celebrated guitarist/singer Vivian Leva ten years later.
The Foreign Landers are an acoustic folk and bluegrass duo composed of a husband-and-wife team featuring mandolinist David Benedict (South Carolina) and Tabitha Agnew Benedict (Northern Ireland) who plays banjo and vocals.
Rooted in bluegrass and Celtic tradition, they are known for blending the musical styles of their respective homelands, along with moving songwriting and virtuosic instrumental work.
Blending vintage country, folk, blues, warmth and humour will be The Complete Recordings of Hezekiah Procter (1925–1930) – a distinctive live music experience created by acclaimed Montreal songwriter Li’l Andy.
The project brings the sound and spirit of 1920s Americana vividly to life through song, storytelling and period style.
Coming from Mexico will be Los Vega, who have 20 years of experience performing the traditional music known as son jarocho.
Known for their strong cultural roots, refined musicianship and dynamic stage presence, the group has become a standout name in the world of traditional Mexican music – while their tunes have also been featured in film and have received Oscar nominations.
This year will also see the return of highly regarded gypsy jazz exponents, Les Fils Canouche.
The Folk Festival said the French quartet “blew local audiences away in 2019 with their inventive take on jazz and world music and their atypical mix of accordion, clarinet, guitar and double bass”.
Another welcome return will come in the form of world renowned string ensemble, Tim Kliphuis Trio – who draw on classical, gypsy jazz and Celtic traditions.
Award-winning Dutch violinist Tim Kliphuis, guitarist Nigel Clark and bassist Roy Percy will be celebrating their 20th year of touring in 2026, and they return to Shetland after an eight year gap.
Kliphuis will also perform his classical music suite, The Stirling Queen, to Shetland audiences for the first time.
This was inspired by his last time in Shetland and hearing the story of Queen Margaret of Denmark and the historic ties between Shetland, Orkney and Scotland.
It tells the story of Margaret’s life using various Nordic and Celtic styles and will be backed by local young musicians as part of the festival’s continuous focus on inspiring the next generation of talent.
Orcadian supergroup and “ultimate party band” The Chair will also be making the trip north.
The ultimate party band will mark their sixth appearance with the inclusion of an even bigger sound in the form of their very own brass section, known as the Skatehorns).
They will perform a special ‘Islands’ themed showcase celebrating what island communities bring to the national stage, alongside local favourites folk rockers The Revellers and another festival debutant, Tumbling Souls from the Isle of Lewis.
Scottish-based talent is also represented by four brand new acts to Shetland.
Acclaimed singer-songwriter and former BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year Hannah Rarity, will make a long overdue appearance in the isles alongside her band with her blend of traditional and contemporary songs.
Will Pound & Jenn Butterworth are regarded as one of the most exciting trad duos in the UK just now with Pound’s dazzling harmonica and melodeon playing alongside Butterworth’s stunning guitar and songs.
World champion piping powerhouse Ross Miller will also set foot in Shetland for the first time.
As well as being a member of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and former finalist of the BBC Young Trad Musician of the Year, he showcases his own infectious passion and flare with accomplished band members: Charlie Stewart (fiddle), Rory Matheson (keys), Graeme Armstrong (guitar), Rory Grindlay (drums) and Ruairidh MacLean (bass).
Isla Ratcliff is a fiddle player, singer and composer from Edinburgh whose work sits at the meeting point of Scottish traditional music, classical repertoire and contemporary composition.
Her appearances will centre on showcasing her 2025 album release, The Scottish Four Seasons, a bold Scottish trad reimagining of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Finnish music meanwhile is represented again by Huippu – a six-piece new-generation Nordic folk powerhouse, blending contemporary folk with influences from Nordic and Irish traditions and the melodic sensibility of pop.
Donegal’s fiddle tradition will also be celebrated through the inclusion of Irish fiddle champion Megan McGinley.
She will be joined by another young fiddle player and singer from the North-West Donegal Gaeltacht, Nia Byrne – and completing this trio is Marty Barry from Banbridge, County Down.
More than one hundred local performers will play over the four days with acts such as Maggie Adamson, The Revellers, Shetland’s Heritage Fiddlers, Kansa, Barry Nisbet and all-female youth band Laldy confirmed at this time.
The full programme will be announced in the coming weeks, with memberships going on sale from 1 February.
People can take a listen to the acts announced so far on the folk festival’s website.
While the festival club will be based again in Islesburgh Community Centre, concerts will happen across the isles.
Organisers are also keen to keep encouraging young and old players and audiences to get involved, whether as a performer, audience member or volunteer.
Folk festival publicity officer Louise Jamieson said: “The breadth and quality of acts this year is as great as ever and we’re so excited for folk to hear so many of these acts for the first time in our islands.
“Equally it is so much fun seeing artists return especially when they were so well received in the past here.
“From bigger scale standing sprees to intimate and immersive experiences, we strive to make the event as accessible to everyone and connect local talent with what’s happening across the world.
“It will be really exciting to see The Stirling Queen take shape with young musicians sharing a stage with world class classical and folk artists and telling a story so wrapped up in Shetland’s history and culture.”
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
