An utterly compelling modern day folk troubadour, Richard Dawson’s most recent album 2020 chronicles the stark realities of British life, not shying away from themes including racism, homelessness, exploited workers and heartache. The Geordie singer-songwriter brings grace and dark humour to his music, and dignity to his kitchen-sink subject matter.

With six albums under his belt now, his live shows run the gamut from down-to-earth banter and an easy, chummy connection with his audiences, then flip to hard-hitting moments of grim social commentary and spoken-word laments. He has cited Captain Beefheart and Mike Waterson as influences, but also draws inspiration from Kenyan folk traditions and Sufi devotional music.

An incredibly talented artist with humility and grit in equal measure, Dawson reports on broken Britain with sensitivity and working class solidarity, a bit like the musical version of a Ken Loach film. He’ll be performing material mainly from 2020 and his 2017 medieval concept LP, Peasant.