Cranberry Coffeehouse presents Jez Lowe

A double nomination in the 2015 BBC Folk Awards – for Best Singer and Best New Song – was a timely reminder of Jez Lowe’s standing in the UK folk and acoustic music scene. Not only he is one of the busiest live performers in the country, but his songs are among the most widely sung by other performers, whether by long-established acts like Fairport Convention, The Dubliners, and Bob Fox, or by the new breed of stars like The Unthanks, The Young Uns, and The Duhks.

Jez’s own long-established band The Bad Pennies (featuring Kate Bramley, Andy May and David De La Haye) continue to attract a huge following, and his other collaborations with The Pitmen Poets (with Billy Mitchell, Bob Fox and Benny Graham), The Broonzies (alongside fellow-veterans Maggie Holland, Chris Parkinson and Roger Wilson), Men at Words (with James Keelaghan and Archie Fisher) and with fellow-songwriter Steve Tilston, show a willingness to push boundaries and venture boldly into pastures new.

Meanwhile, his involvement in the award-winning BBC series, The Radio Ballads, continues, with his song, “The Wrong Bus”, singled out for inclusion on Radio 4’s Pick of the Year last year, and five more of his contributions included in the BBC Radio broadcast featuring the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in November 2019. Many of these songs also feature on his last solo album, The Ballad Beyond, the success of which prompted a feature in fRoots magazine and glowing reviews the world over.

Jez’s ongoing partnership with fellow-singer/songwriter Steve Tilston reached fruition in 2016, with the release of a duo album, The Janus Game, consisting entirely of new, co-written songs by the duo. They continue to tour together, with a series of UK concerts scheduled for 2020.

Jez’s role as Musical Director for Badapple Theatre is also an ongoing project, and he will be contributing songs and music to their next production, due in Spring 2020.

The publication of Jez’s first novel, The Dillen Doll, with an accompanying CD featuring a “suite” of traditional songs inspired by the story within it, was met with widespread acclaim. This endeavour sees him return to his roots in the folk music of his native North East England, and a second novel, touted as “a continuation” rather than a follow-up, will be published in October 2019, title yet to be announced.

Jez shows no sign of slowing down in 2019, with a solo American tour in September to be followed by a “Farewell” tour by The Pitmen Poets, beginning in mid-October. He’ll then be reunited with The Bad Pennies for their annual Christmas tour in December. Already lined up for 2020 is a tour of Canada with James Keelaghan, followed by summer Canadian festival appearances for the duo, and another US solo trip. Jez also has an enviable list of UK solo dates for next year to boot.

So watch out, no doubt Jez Lowe will be coming to a venue near you before too very long.