BBC RADIO 2 FOLK AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

The nominees for this year’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards have today been announced by Mark Radcliffe on The Radio 2 Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe (Wednesdays, 7pm-8pm).

The categories up for grabs are: Folk Singer of the Year, Best Duo, Best Group, Best Album, Horizon Award, Musician of the Year, Best Original Song, Best Traditional Track and BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award.

The winners will be announced at the Folk Awards ceremony on Wednesday 22 April at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. The ceremony will be hosted by Mark Radcliffe and singer Julie Fowlis and tickets are available now from bbc.co.uk/radio2/folkawards.

This will be the Awards’ 16th year as some of the biggest names in music come together under one roof to celebrate the UK’s thriving folk scene.

The event will welcome a whole host of star guests and will see legendary performer Yusuf / Cat Stevens headlining. Also confirmed to perform live on the night are Grammy Award-winning artist Loudon Wainwright III, Welsh folk band 9Bach (who will be performing in Welsh) and English folk singer Kate Rusby. Other acts on the line-up will be announced at a later date.

The event will also feature the Radio 2 Folk Awards Hall of Fame, which recognises the special contribution of an individual to the world of folk music; someone whose impact and influence has had a lasting impression. This year’s inductee will be the influential Ewan MacColl. The awards show will also include the presentation of Lifetime Achievement and Good Tradition Awards.

Drivetime presenter Simon Mayo will be broadcasting a special programme live from the Wales Millennium Centre (5pm-7.30pm) on the day of the awards. The interval will feature performances from the nominees for the Young Folk Award 2015.

Listeners will be able to watch highlights of the awards on BBC iPlayer for 30 days after the event and on Red Button. For more details head to bbc.co.uk/radio2

The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards will be broadcast live from 7.30pm-10pm on Radio 2.

Those in the running include:

Folk Singer of the Year

Jez Lowe
Jez Lowe
  • Cara Dillon
  • Julie Fowlis
  • Nancy Kerr
  • Jez Lowe

Best Duo

O'Hooley & Tidow
O’Hooley & Tidow
  • Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker
  • O’Hooley & Tidow
  • Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar
  • Chris While & Julie Matthews

Best Group

Bellowhead. (Photograph by Hugo Morris)
Bellowhead. (Photograph by Hugo Morris)
  • Bellowhead
  • The Furrow Collective
  • The Gloaming
  • The Young ‘Uns

Best Album

Nothing Can Bring Back The Hour
Nothing Can Bring Back The Hour
  • Fair Warning – The Rails
  • Nothing Can Bring Back The Hour – Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker
  • Sweet Visitor – Nancy Kerr
  • The Moral Of The Elephant – Martin & Eliza Carthy
  • Tincian – 9Bach

Horizon Award

AH1
Ange Hardy
  • Ange Hardy
  • Maz O’Connor
  • Stick In The Wheel
  • The Rails

Musician of the Year

Will Pound
Will Pound
  • Martin Green
  • Will Pound
  • Sam Sweeney
  • Kathryn Tickell

Best Original Song

  • Swim To The Star – Peggy Seeger/Calum MacColl (performed by Peggy Seeger)
  • The Necklace Of Wrens – Michael Hartnett (performed by The Gloaming)
  • The Pitmen Poets – Jez Lowe
  • The Spider And The Wolf – Paul Simmonds (performed by Naomi Bedford)

Best Traditional Track

Bones EP - Stick In The Wheel
Bones EP – Stick In The Wheel
  • Bedlam – Stick In The Wheel
  • Handsome Molly – The Furrow Collective
  • Manus Mo Rùin – Cruinn
  • Samhradh Samhradh – The Gloaming

BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award

  • Cup O’Joe
  • Roseanne Reid
  • Talisk
  • Wildwood Kin

Making the announcement, Mark Radcliffe said:

“We’ve had another fantastic year in folk music, filled with excellent releases and exciting music from many well-loved and respected acts. But looking through the nominations, I’m particularly happy to see nods for acts that are almost completely unknown to mainstream audiences: The Gloaming, 9Bach, Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, Ange Hardy, Stick In The Wheel, Cruinn, The Furrow Collective… We know how superb these people are, so it’s wonderful to take this opportunity to shine a bright light on them. And we always say it, but do check out the nominees in our Young Folk Award – the sheer talent in that category is frightening.”