The last year has seen some outstanding albums from both veteran performers and relatively new ones as well as some exciting projects outlining particular themes.

Russian-born Daria Kulesh released her album Motherland, spinning historical narrative to reflect the unstable world we are living in and with a powerful version of Dylan’s Masters of War sadly still relevant.

Reg Meuross continued his Fire and Dust tour paying tribute to Woody Guthrie, and Jenn Butterworth used both traditional and contemporary folk songs to focus on women’s narratives in her debut album Her By Design.

From more established folk musicians Gigspanner Big Band we had Turnstone, an album of traditional songs about love and romance but where the course never seems to run that smoothly. From another veteran performer Steve Knightley, we had Positively Folk Street: Dylan, Carthy and Me paying tribute to two of his musical inspirations.

Departing from a traditional folk sound Split the Air by Martin Green was a commemoration of brass bands and their connection to the lives and struggles of people living in mining communities. Released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike and going alongside a theatre production Keli, it follows a folk tradition of music being part of working-class struggle.

With a career spanning over half-a-century in folk music Steve Tilston released Last Call reflecting on his work covering social and political themes and including the song Hard Cheese showing how the playing fields of Eton have a lot to answer for. Political themes are also present in the Nottinghamshire based folk-rock sextet Folklaw’s album Catch the Sun referencing foodbanks, police repression and the right to roam.

Christina Alden and Alex Patterson released a second fine album Safe Travels exploring themes of home, family and connection to the natural world and Odette Michell released Queen of the Lowlands  an album of self-penned songs with traditional folk themes including a tribute to Irish aristocratic revolutionary Constance Markevicz.

Living Through History by Bedford singer-songwriter Luke Tuchscherer can best be described as a hard-rocking collection of songs with a distinctly anti-capitalist message which also included a hidden track at the end containing a recording of a speech by Lenin in 1919. Another political album with a feel of Americana came in a digital release by Emma Gee Flowers’ Songs of Love and Defiance.

Leeds-based folk trio Lonan released Oddy Locks, a short album dealing with themes of working-class communities devastated by post-industrialisation, while Dorset duo Ninebarrow released a retrospective album The Hour of the Blackbird but with new choral arrangements from Hampshire’s Hart Voices and Surrey’s Chantry Singers.

Perhaps however the most exciting folk initiative of 2025 was the Black British Folk Takeover Festival held at Cecil Sharp House. Showcasing the talents of numerous young black British folk artists the event was a celebration of the African diaspora’s relationship with folk music and the commonality of the genre’s links with the struggles of working people the world over.