Chris Brain is an accomplished singer/songwriter and guitarist whose music is deeply steeped in the English folk tradition. Hailing from Leeds, England, he runs two folk clubs and a folk festival in the area and has toured extensively across the UK including shows with Robert Plant and Martin Simpson.

I first heard Chris’ music via his most successful song ‘Golden Days’ from his second album, Steady Away’ released in 2023 on Big Sun Records. A beautiful song for the summer and it was a real joy to see him perform it live on his UK tour in March 2024. It comes from a very good album and a worthy follow up from his first outing Bound to Rise released the previous year.

It’s hard to pick a favourite after Golden Days, the two following tracks Please and the title track Steady Away are particularly good. His warm guitar picking style runs through the album, he reminds me of Ralph McTell in many ways but he has his own style and what is nice is how nature and his connection to landscape is integral to his music.

The inner gatefold of his first album features photographs of birds he took whilst on his many walks in West Yorkshire and his lyrics pay homage to those walks and all that he encounters on them. That is one of the most endearing aspects of folk music to me, a genuine connection to the land and its people and it is so evident in his songs.

Both of his albums feature Simeon Walker on piano and Mary Jane Walker on violin with Alice Phelps on double bass on the second album.

I would highly recommend his music not just to fans of the folk genre but anyone who is looking for something fresh and different from the abundance of mainstream singer/songwriters we seem to have these days. His music, his voice, is far more memorable than most, he’s doing it from the grassroots up and I applaud him for that.

He can be supported via his website https://chrisbrainmusic.com/