Gig - Jez Lowe

Jez Lowe is a folk singer, but he maintains that he is not a revivalist. “In the North East, where I’m from, folk music never died out as such. The area is unique in England in that respect. The North East is a bit like the Celtic countries, in that there’s been a strong tradition of folk music all along. We’re not precious about it up here. We’re not trying to preserve anything. It’s just what we do.”

Jez is fresh back from a world tour with his band The Bad Pennies. “All the group are from a rock background, and I’m lucky in that I can play in two different sorts of scenarios, either on a stage in a nu-folk atmosphere with the group, or solo in one of the small traditional clubs like Lewes. I love them both; I love playing to different types of audiences.” He accompanies his self-penned songs (‘modern socially aware stuff, a bit indie, a bit industry’) on the guitar, the mandocello, the mandolin and the harmonica. Expect to hear some of his classic songs - covered by the likes of Mary Black - London Danny and Back in Durham Jail, and some newer stuff he’s excited about. “I’ve written some stuff for the Radio Ballads, a Radio 2 project reviving the programme of the same name produced by Ewan McColl in the sixties, and I’ll be playing some songs from that, too.” “It’s exciting times for folk music,” he continues, smelling the whiff of a resurgence of interest in the genre in the air. AL