Celebrated folk musician Sam Kelly, has today released a new video for ‘The Lincolnshire Poacher,’ his new single released last week. The track is the second glimpse of his consummate new album Dreamers Dawn that is hotly tipped to be one of the folk albums of the year.
Photo Credit Alan Dunkley
Sam is touring the album across stages this June (Tour Dates Below)
‘The Lincolnshire Poacher,’ “the unofficial county anthem of Lincolnshire” is, as Sam puts it, a tale of “the desperate and dangerous practice of poaching, hunting by moonlight and escaping gamekeepers.” Though its origins date as far back as the 1700’s, this fond favourite amongst the folk community is given new, electric life by Kelly, long-standing collaborator Jamie Francis and his beloved live band, The Lost Boys.
Composed of the striking arrangements of centuries old traditional folk songs, that have earned Kelly critical acclaim over his career, alongside deeply personal and introspective originals by Kelly and Francis, Dreamers Dawn charts an exciting new path for the Norfolk-based artist. Written, produced and recorded between Kelly’s and Francis’ home studios, the upcoming release is one of their most bombastic, joyful, poignant and accessible collaborations to date, weaving trad folk elements into songs with pop sensibility, and resulting in music that is deeply personal and sonically impressive.
Since his debut EP in 2013, Sam Kelly has become a hugely respected player in the UK folk scene, releasing multiple albums to critical acclaim including Pretty Peggy (Navigator Records, 2017) and 2021’s The Wishing Tree released on Kate Rusby’s Pure Records, and earning praise from many of folk’s luminaries. The Lost Boys, nominated for Best Group at 2018’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, have been lauded for their artful playing and synchronicity that is heard throughout Dreamers Dawn.
Here is a peak of the video released today. It is a version of the traditional English folk song, from Sam Kelly’s 2025 album Dreamers Dawn. Featuring Sam’s band The Lost Boys: Jamie Francis on octave mandolin, Graham Coe on cello, Evan Carson on drums, Archie Churchill-Moss on accordion, Toby Shaer on flute.
4th June – The Cluny, Newcastle – tickets here
5th June – The Bodega, Nottingham – tickets here
6th June – Norwich Arts Centre – tickets here
7th June – The NCEM, York – tickets here
8th June – The Hare & Hounds, Birmingham – tickets here
9th June – Junction 2, Cambridge – tickets here
10th June – Shoreham, Ropetackle Arts Centre – tickets here
11th June – Thekla, Bristol – tickets here
12th June – Oslo, London – tickets here
The Lincolnshire Poacher is out now on all digital platforms.
Dreamers Dawn is out June 6th on Navigator Records on CD, Digital and LP.
Pre-order here: https://samkelly.lnk.to/dreamersdawn
For further details please visit: https://www.samkelly.com
Or check out his social media platforms:
