A Collective of Folk Music & Poetry

An afternoon of original acoustic music and prose performed by students at the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester Writing School.

Loren Cole ~

Loren is a thoughtful songstress with an open and honest voice. Reminiscent of artists like Laura Marling and Christina Perri, Loren uses her music to search for meaning through a heartfelt perspective. At 21, she has opened for acts such as Five for Fighting and Jewel, and has performed at acclaimed venues such as Kresge Auditorium, The Viper Room and Hotel Café. This year, Loren preps for her debut album, For the Sake of Being Honest, scheduled for release Spring 2018.

Loren’s Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/thisislorencole/
Loren’s Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thisislorencole/

Dan MacFarlane ~

Dan is a multi-instrumentalist from the small island of Jersey. Having grown up listening to transatlantic roots and Americana music, he has crafted a unique style that blends these classic sounds with experiences of island life and of tales from home. With a strong sense of storytelling within his song writing, Dan aims to entertain and share his experiences of modern day living through an altogether more vintage feel in his performances. Dan has performed with a variety of artists including Leona Lewis and Howard Blake but was introduced to the world of folk and small and cosy stages by Izzy Young at his Folklore Centre in Stockholm, Sweden, where he feels he has found his home. Currently in his 3rd year of studies at the RNCM, Dan is currently working towards an EP, which he plans to record and produce himself.

Sam Jefferson ~

Raised on a steady diet of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bert Jansch, and Woody Guthrie records, traditional Blues and Folk music is at the heart of Sam Jefferson’s musical soul. Upon graduating from Sussex University in July 2015, Sam recorded and independently released his first solo album, ‘Rhythm’s Tide’, comprised of seven original compositions and three arrangements. An album which Brighton Unsigned’s James Whittingham concluded “[would] no doubt pave the way to more musical gems from this promising young artist”.
Inspired by contemporary artists such as Martin Simpson, who he studied with in late 2015, Sam is not one to arbitrarily separate genres. His compositions and arrangements are animated by diverse styles. ‘The Dirty Five’, a self-penned ballad inspired by photograph Sam’s great-grandfather, Jim Marshall, sent back during the First World War, which would typically be considered more of a Folk composition, contains melodies inspired by the Blues. Sam explains “I wrote those sections in particular to convey the larrikin sense of adventure Jim and his mates shared; that in the desperation of trench warfare, these five Barnsley lads were able to keep each other’s spirits up with teir jokes and jaunty songs right until the end”.
‘The Dirty Five’ has since been aired on BBC Radio Sheffield along with an interview Sam gave, and has been featured in an article by The Royal British Legion. Sam is currently working on an album of songs inspired by his family history as part of the coal-mining community in Barnsley.

Sam’s Website
http://samjefferson.com
Sam’s Twitter
https://twitter.com/Sam_Jefferson_
Sam’s YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCurkOLmPbzNK6hdtDpyEfcw

Ruth Owens ~

Born and raised in Birmingham, Ruth Owens composes and performs original music in a singer-songwriter/folk-pop style. Taking influence from artists such as Glen Hansard, Ben Howard, Damien Rice and Rufus Wainwright, she uses her abilities on the Guitar, Violin, Viola, Saxophone and Mandolin to compose, record and perform. Currently based in Manchester she is beginning to book more gigs with her newly formed band and her track ‘Strong’ has recently been selected to feature as the title track in the independent film ‘Just Charlie’ by Seahorse Films

Ruth’s Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/ruthowensmusic
Ruth’s Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ruthowensmusic/

Niamh Evans ~

Niamh is a 20-year-old singer-songwriter born in Sri Lanka. After living overseas in Sri Lanka and Kenya for 19 years, she moved to her father’s hometown of Manchester to further her musical career and is currently studying Popular Music at the Royal Northern College of Music.
​Niamh started to write her own music when she was 17 and has been writing ever since. Her original music is honest, raw and passionate as she writes exclusively from her personal experiences.
Her folk/pop style has been compared to the likes of Missy Higgins and Joni Mitchell and she draws her inspiration from The Lumineers, John Mayer and Gabrielle Aplin.
She plans to release an EP in early 2018.

Niamh’s Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Niamhevansmusic/
Niamh’s Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/niamh-evans/tracks