Yorkshire’s Chris Brain has carved his place firmly into the contemporary folk scene following his highly-regarded first two albums, Bound to Rise (2022) and Steady Away (2023).

Garnering acclaim from the likes of Cerys Matthews (BBC 6 Music) and Mark Radcliffe (BBC Radio 2), he has since shared the stage with iconic acts like Robert Plant, Jacqui McShee and Martin Simpson.

With the release of his third much-anticipated album, ‘New Light’, in Spring 2025, he will be embarking on a UK/Ireland solo tour. ‘New Light’ brings a refreshingly contemporary sound as Chris contemplates transformation, nostalgia and tenderness in times of vulnerability - all woven around his familiar gestures towards the natural world.

From sublimely-deployed strings and dappling piano to rhythmic percussion, the album’s arrangements are perfectly wrapped around Brain’s honeyed vocals, anchoring fingerpicked guitar and persuasive melodies.

Recorded in various locations, from his allotment shed to The Nave Studios, ‘New Light’ embodies the expanded parameters that his sound has reached. Both intimate and expansive, ‘New Light’ expresses a surety of Chris Brain’s song-writing abilities with the album’s imagery and melodies dwelling long after the music ends.

‘There are shades of the master Ralph Mctell here and I can think of no greater compliment than that…Love it!’ - Mark Radcliffe , BBC 2 Folk Show

Yorkshire Post - ★★★★

Daily Express - ★★★★

Shindig Magazine - ★★★★

Songlines Magazine - ★★★★

Jude Norton-Smith is a contemporary singer-songwriter based in Glasgow. With a unique sound rooted in folk and jazz, their music is a re-enchantment of classic acoustic storytelling and balladry. Their delicate fingerstyle guitar interweaves with wry, honest lyricism in an intimate world of texture and harmony, all of which is sharpened through thematic underpinnings of ecology, love, community and queer subversion.

Both on stage and in recording, their songs are often uplifted by wonderful close collaborators on instruments such as viola, piano, and woodwinds. After a few years performing around Glasgow and beyond, their debut EP Wild Grass was released on December 13th, 2024. FFO: Nick Drake, Junior Brother, Naima Bock, Maddie Morris

Access Guide and Tickets for Personal Assistants

You can view/download The Glad Cafe's Access Guide here. If you require a ticket for a Personal Assistant/Gig Buddy (at no extra cost), please contact kim@thegladcafe.co.uk.