Headfirst Editor's Pick
"Sell out warning! Elegant pastoral meditations from Leeds rising star Chris Brain, who spellbinds with time-honoured fingerstyle folk melodies and a baritone that feels like sinking into a warm bath. Imagine the understated mastery of Nick Drake meeting the tenderness of Damien Rice. A future classic FFO: Henry Parker, Alexi Murdoch, Oisin Leech."
Join the Headfirst mailing list for our unbiased recommendations.
A gig held at Bristol Folk House on Sunday 16th March. The event starts at 20:00.
Yorkshire’s Chris Brain has carved his place firmly into the contemporary folk scene following his highly-regarded first two albums, Bound to Rise (2022) and Steady Away (2023).
Garnering acclaim from the likes of Cerys Matthews (BBC 6 Music) and Mark Radcliffe (BBC Radio 2), he has since shared the stage with iconic acts like Robert Plant, Jacqui McShee and Martin Simpson.
With the release of his third much-anticipated album, ‘New Light’, in Spring 2025, he will be embarking on a UK/Ireland solo tour. ‘New Light’ brings a refreshingly contemporary sound as Chris contemplates transformation, nostalgia and tenderness in times of vulnerability - all woven around his familiar gestures towards the natural world.
From sublimely-deployed strings and dappling piano to rhythmic percussion, the album’s arrangements are perfectly wrapped around Brain’s honeyed vocals, anchoring fingerpicked guitar and persuasive melodies.
Recorded in various locations, from his allotment shed to The Nave Studios, ‘New Light’ embodies the expanded parameters that his sound has reached. Both intimate and expansive, ‘New Light’ expresses a surety of Chris Brain’s song-writing abilities with the album’s imagery and melodies dwelling long after the music ends.
‘There are shades of the master Ralph Mctell here and I can think of no greater compliment than that…Love it!’ - Mark Radcliffe , BBC 2 Folk Show
Yorkshire Post - ★★★★
Daily Express - ★★★★
Shindig Magazine - ★★★★
Songlines Magazine - ★★★★
Entry requirements: 14+
Garnering acclaim from the likes of Cerys Matthews (BBC 6 Music) and Mark Radcliffe (BBC Radio 2), he has since shared the stage with iconic acts like Robert Plant, Jacqui McShee and Martin Simpson.
With the release of his third much-anticipated album, ‘New Light’, in Spring 2025, he will be embarking on a UK/Ireland solo tour. ‘New Light’ brings a refreshingly contemporary sound as Chris contemplates transformation, nostalgia and tenderness in times of vulnerability - all woven around his familiar gestures towards the natural world.
From sublimely-deployed strings and dappling piano to rhythmic percussion, the album’s arrangements are perfectly wrapped around Brain’s honeyed vocals, anchoring fingerpicked guitar and persuasive melodies.
Recorded in various locations, from his allotment shed to The Nave Studios, ‘New Light’ embodies the expanded parameters that his sound has reached. Both intimate and expansive, ‘New Light’ expresses a surety of Chris Brain’s song-writing abilities with the album’s imagery and melodies dwelling long after the music ends.
‘There are shades of the master Ralph Mctell here and I can think of no greater compliment than that…Love it!’ - Mark Radcliffe , BBC 2 Folk Show
Yorkshire Post - ★★★★
Daily Express - ★★★★
Shindig Magazine - ★★★★
Songlines Magazine - ★★★★
Entry requirements: 14+
Other folk gigs
— Rough Trade Bristol
indie rock
folk
singer-songwriter
lgbtq+
drag
