June's edition of Folk in the Footlights promises to be a brilliant night of Folk music. Dan Wilde We welcome back local folk legend Dan Wilde who played at our inaugural Folk in the Footlights in February 2024. Dan needs little introduction, his songs so well crafted you wonder how he is not a national superstar and we are very happy to hear him play live again. It is his profound lyrics, melded with a unique melodic sensibility, which shows the writer maturing into a poetic commentator and keen observer of everyday life's patterns and tapestries in his songs akin to Damien Rice and David Gray. Dan's words have been described as deeply personal and introspective but engrossing and charismatic (Folkwords) and they reflect his peripatetic restlessness. Originally from Blackpool, Dan now lives in Cambridge but his wanderlust has taken him touring through the USA, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, the Czech Republic and Russia. Dan has supported Rick Astley, Ethan Johns, Cara Dillon, Karine Polwart, Sam Carter, John Smith and Martin Taylor to name a few, and performed at some of the UK's best-loved folk festivals Cambridge Folk Festival, Kendal Calling, Beverley Festival and Galtres. Intimate and moving, Wilde's work has a lyrical grace which is hard to match. Allow the song Pieces to pin you to the wall and you wont want to come back down. https://www.danwilde.net/ Sean O'Hanrahan Growing up in a musical family he was quickly drawn to the piano and started lessons at an early age. After being in bands at school, he began honing his craft on the Cambridge live gig circuit, accompanying other local musicians and lending his distinctive piano magic to artists such as EZIO and Max Bianco. Sean's diary entry style songs explore grief and heartache paired with intricate piano motifs. https://www.seanohanrahan.co.uk/ Katie Nicholas Katie Nicholas is an independent female producer, videographer and singer-songwriter from Liverpool with firm roots in country, folk and americana. With a loyal community that has steadily been building, performing sold out shows at various theatres, galleries, museums, including her first headline show at the Liverpool Philharmonic accompanied by strings, her work has been recognised by the likes of Whispering Bob Harris (featuring on his Nashville Showcase Stage at AmericanaFest 2018) as well as various BBC Radio sessions and airplay. Powerful Vulnerability - BBC Radio Scotland's Travelling Folk Show. In 2024 Katie embarked on her 50-song video series, the Songwriter Diaries where she explores 10+ years of unreleased material which never saw the light of day due to industry setbacks and personal circumstances. In an effort to catch up with where she left off, she shares stories and songs, broken into 7 distinct eras, revealing her prolific catalogue of music - all written between the ages of 15 and 25 (with the exception of her first song, shown here). See the Liverpool Echo interview Singer told she's got the looks but not the songs release 50. https://www.katienicholas.co.uk/ As every we will have a merch table for our acts and our vintage and vinyl store open! You can also find it online here: www.smokinroses.co.uk

Gecko is a singer-storyteller based in South London. His songs cover the big things in life with wit and warmth. From deep time to ignored characters in renaissance paintings, from pig fugitives to Duolingo streaks. He tours in support of his new album The Big Picture recorded with Shuta Shinoda (Ghostpoet, Hot Chip). Gecko has performed across the world including at Glastonbury, Latitude, BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, the Edinburgh Fringe & the BAFTA winning Sky Arts TV show Life & Rhymes. Gecko's songs have caused a stir on TikTok & Instagram receiving millions of views and hardly any mean comments. He's a work of art Benjamin Zephaniah Playful but also emotionally piercing Clash Magazine It's a beautiful, warm, melodic, human record where tiny things become huge. The Morning Star Vibrant and life affirming EARMILK Witty lyricism, vibrant character building and a heartfelt reflection of life and fantasy Noctis Magazine Join us at the Cambridge Union for an intimate night of brilliantly written and witty songs from one of the UK's finest

Elliot Porter Elliot Porter's music is beautiful with lovely Lennon and Damien Rice-esque melodies that stay with you and touch the soul. - Lonely Oak Radio Being from a musical family, Cambridge singer-songwriter Elliot Porter grew up listening to his father and grandfather playing music and used to watch them from the side of the stage. With a taste for music, his life initially took a different path until he was made redundant from his job. On that same day, he had just bought his first small stage piano but had no job to fund it. So with a piano under his arm and modest redundancy money, Elliot set out making his first record with the hope of making music his new life. He has not looked back since and with critical acclaim and airplay from national radio including BBC Radio 2 with Keep Going, a host of top support slots and a whole album worth of new material recorded, he is ready to let the world hear his best work. Radio Play: BBC Radio 2, BBC Cambridge, BBC Suffolk, Cambridge 105, BBC Essex Confident, warm and very beautiful - Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2 Artists Supported: Toploader, Alabama 3, The Bluetones, Mo Kenney, Leddra C During the Coronavirus Pandemic in early 2020, Elliot led a group of 18 musicians raising over £2000 with a cover of Frank Turner's Be More Kind'. Frank even recorded an intro for it! 'That Be More Kind cover is killer' - Frank Turner www.elliotporter.co.uk Rachel Hill Rachel Hill is an acclaimed folk-inspired singer-songwriter celebrated for her captivating live performances and evocative songwriting. Revered for her mastery of live vocal looping, Rachel's vocals have been lauded as 'gorgeous, commanding, and enchanting' (Indie Top 39), creating immersive and unforgettable experiences for her audiences. Influenced by artists including Paris Paloma and Lizzie McAlpine Rachel's music resonates with listeners on a deep emotional level. From a young age, Rachel has lived and breathed music, training as a classical soprano and channelling her experiences into songwriting from the age of 12. She later studied music at the University of Cambridge before completing a masters in Commercial Songwriting and Production. She is now a full-time freelance artist, songwriter, and producer based in Cambridge. In the last year Rachel has won the prestigious Purbeck Rising award at the Purbeck Valley Folk Festival as well as receiving widespread acclaim from BBC Introducing. Last June she released her debut album Words Left Unsaid, which she toured across Germany for three weeks with the support of a grant from Help Musicians UK. Rachel is already in the midst of planning her return to Germany for her second international tour this autumn, largely made-up of house concerts; a form of performance which the artist really advocates for. In her own words: not only do house concerts bring the most incredibly unique, and intimate atmosphere to a performance, they also bypass the gatekeeping of venues which consistently provides a barrier to independent artists like me. https://www.rachelhillmusic.com/