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Wed 15 Jul
Newton Faulkner | Auditorium
20:00 - 22:00
Doors Open 19:00
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Wed 15 Jul
Newton Faulkner | Auditorium
20:00 - 22:00
Doors Open 19:00
£16.00
£0
60+, proof of eligibility required.
£12.00
£0
All under-16s must be accompanied by a responsible adult (aged 18+) for the full duration of the event. Under-16s cannot be left unsupervised on the premises at any time.
£11.20
£0
Proof of eligibility required.
£12.00
£0
Full-time only, proof of eligibility required.
£12.00
£0
Proof of eligibility required. Free companion ticket available - contact box office.
£12.00
£0
Proof of eligibility required.
£12.00
£0
Valid for members of Dunkeld & Birnam Trad Youth Group. All under-16s must be accompanied by a responsible adult (aged 18+) for the full duration of the event. Under-16s cannot be left unsupervised on the premises at any time.
£8.00
£0
Bert Jansch is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential guitarists of all time — a Glasgow-born musician whose complex synthesis of American blues, traditional English folk song, and jazz created a revolutionary fingerstyle language that left its mark on everyone from Jimmy Page to Neil Young to Nick Drake. This evening brings together four artists who carry that tradition in their bones, each finding their own way into Jansch's extraordinary world of songs.
Sam Grassie is a rising fingerstyle guitarist and songwriter whose debut album Where Two Hawks Fly (Broadside Hacks Records) has drawn praise from The Guardian, Mojo, UNCUT and The Quietus, and earned airplay across BBC Radio 2, 3 and 6 Music. A Bert Jansch Foundation associate artist, Sam performed alongside Robert Plant and Jacqui McShee at the Royal Festival Hall's tribute to Jansch — making him a natural steward for this music.
Mataio Austin Dean is an artist, musician, poet and activist from Portsmouth, best known as a member of Shovel Dance Collective — a group who have reinvigorated English folk song by dragging it into urgent conversation with politics, identity and the present day. He brings centuries-old folksongs and child ballads to life with a deep and warm voice that commands silence and the full attention of your ears.
Alfie Jones is the grandson of the late, great Wizz Jones — one of the most revered fingerstyle guitarists of the British folk revival and a direct peer of Jansch on the London and Edinburgh folk club circuit. Growing up with that music in his life gives Alfie a connection to this world that no amount of listening or study can replicate.
Ula Taylor-Reilly is a singer and folk researcher who performs traditional English folksong interpreted through a radical, decolonial, feminist lens, discussing her research on the songs as part of the performance.
Over the course of the evening, the four artists bring their own distinct sensibilities to Jansch's catalogue — from his early solo recordings and collaborations with Anne Briggs, to the jazz-inflected adventurism of Pentangle — music that has never stopped resonating.
We're thrilled to announce two additions to the lineup: Robin Adams and Simone Antigone.
Hailing from a rich Scottish musical heritage, singer-songwriter and finger style guitarist Robin Adams carries the torch passed on by his parents, Chris and Pauline Adams, the driving forces behind 1970s folk rock ensemble String Driven Thing. Drawing inspiration from the likes of John Martyn, Nick Drake and Bert Jansch, Adams has carved out a distinctive niche in the folk singer songwriter landscape. Robin played a beautiful set here at Birnam Arts back in 2024, and we’re delighted to have him return for this one.
Simone Antigone is a Glasgow-based guitarist and composer drawing inspiration from the rhythms of the temporal and the unknown. There’s a rawness to her playing that recalls Shirley Collins, and a strange, wandering quality that brings Vashti Bunyan to mind, but she’s carving out her own space entirely.
Box Office
Open periodically throughout the week | Book online 24/7
Cafe
Daily | 10 - 4
Welcome to Birnam Arts, a boutique multi-purpose arts, conferencing and entertainment venue.
Pop in to the Foyer Cafe for breakfast, grab a delicious coffee with a selection of our homemade baking or enjoy a light lunch whilst browsing on the free WiFi. Wander upstairs to view the latest of our monthly art exhibitions before visiting the world of Beatrix Potter, or the Gift Shop to purchase a special gift for your loved ones or yourself!
We had not planned to present a hybrid festival, however that changed when one of our main authors tested positive for Covid. I greatly appreciated how the team worked with us to pivot and present remotely in part, making full use of your enhanced video conferencing equipment. As a result, we were able to deliver quite complex events with several elements all showing on screen simultaneously. The audio-visual quality was excellent, and our audiences were delighted that these events could still go ahead, in spite of Covid. The author in question was really pleased that he could join us on screen and remarked that he had not been so well supported in this way at any other festival.
Fiona Ritchie | Birnam Book Festival 2022
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I have played at Birnam Arts as part of Blow and Blast for a number of years and never cease to be amazed by how many activities take place there - too valuable to lose!
Kenneth MacKenzie | Crowdfunder #savebirnamarts 2020
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