Hertfordshire festival Folk by the Oak is starting the year with some excellent news for live music fans, announcing internationally renowned folk-rock band Bear’s Den to headline its Main Stage on Sunday 20 July – a rare UK festival set by the artists whose European March tour sold out in rapid time.
Hailing from West London Bear’s Den have released 4 studio albums and 6 Eps, garnered 2 nominations for both the Ivor Novellos and UK Americana awards and been a regular fixture in the UK charts. Their anthemic songs, rich with intricate, accomplished musicianship, flowing melodies and engaging lyrics, have also won them a devoted global fan base who will be thrilled by an opportunity to catch the band, which includes the hugely talented Andrew Davie (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar) and Kevin Jones (vocals, drums, bass, guitar), in Hertfordshire this summer.
“We’ve long been fans of the brilliant Bear’s Den, renowned for their uplifting and emotive live shows,” said Festival Director Adam Slough “and can’t wait to dance the festival to a close with them at Folk by the Oak 2025!”
With many more performers yet to be revealed, 2025 is already shaping up to be another stand-out year for the festival, and if you haven’t yet enjoyed a day at Folk by the Oak, there’s more good news! Their unique schedule of ‘flip-flopping’ between their two stages means you can enjoy every single set, and with Kate Rusby and Fisherman’s Friends already announced you won’t want to miss a single performance at this one of a kind, one-day festival.
In previous announcements, fans of the festival were delighted to hear that Kate Rusby, the ‘First Lady of Folk’, would be returning. An artist with unprecedented cross-over appeal, Kate was named one of the Top Ten Folk Voices of the Century, is a Mercury Prize Winner, 6-times BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Winner and a has an exceptionally warm, Yorkshire sense of humour to and audience rapport to boot.
“Kate Rusby is a huge favourite of ours and even inspired the first Folk by the Oak!” says Festival Director Caroline Slough. “It is testament to her sheer talent and unfailing ability to delight her audiences that we know news of her return will be joyously received by our wonderful audience.”
Cornish sea shanty sensation Fisherman’s Friends, renowned for their funny, spirit-raising, foot-stomping live shows, will also perform on the Main Stage. Starting life quite literally as a merry band of fishermen and their friends, with a shared passion for singing and their musical heritage, the group has enjoyed a unique and meteoric rise.
Catapulted first into the charts, then onto the silver screen (in the self-titled feature films inspired by their story) and now onto musical theatre stages, the band have developed a huge following while retaining their love for traditional shanties and songs of the sea. This will be their first appearance at Folk by the Oak Festival, which has earned a reputation for always putting together a superb ‘line-up of headliners’.
Also announced for the Main Stage are leading lights of English folk Melrose Quartet in an intriguing new guise; digging into the musical collections of England’s county archives, Music, Heritage, Place is a brand new project co-directed by multi BBC award-winning Nancy Kerr, who will perform the results with her hugely talented band mates James Fagan, Jess Arrowsmith and Richard Arrowsmith.
“When we first heard about this project our ears really pricked up!” Caroline told us. “Fans of Melrose Quartet will know to expect spine tingling harmonies and exceptional musicianship, while anyone who enjoyed our collaborations with Nancy on The Elizabethan Session, Sweet Liberties or Shake the Chains will be as excited as we are to hear the results of this ground-breaking project”
The first band announced for the festival’s Acorn Stage is award-winning Anglo-Scottish duo Janice Burns and Jon Doran, whose debut album No More the Green Hills secured their booking for the festival. “The album was enthralling” says Caroline, “Compelling storytelling, tight vocal harmonies and spellbinding re-imaginings of traditional songs. This will be a blissful, must-see afternoon set on our Acorn Stage!”
The organisers are gearing up to announce yet more artists in the near future, and recommend you to sign up to their newsletter at www.folkbytheoak.com or follow them on Facebook, Instagram or Bluesky for updates.
Ready to get your tickets? Book by 31 January for early bird prices.
