“UFQ are impossibly wonderful” – fRoots
“Seriously exceptional musicians” – Rock’n’Reel
“Up there with the best of them – amazing musicians.” – BBC Radio 2 Folk Show
Following the success of their Live III album tour, The Urban Folk Quartet head back out on the road for a series of shows that will see the band travel from the South of Devon to the Scottish Borders.
The 2016-2017 Live III tour was The UFQ’s longest and most successful to date, seeing the quartet perform to larger audiences across the UK, Scandinavia and Europe. Highlights included the launch their third live collection, the aforementioned Live III, at Kings Place, London, and co-headlining the Imagined Isle festival at Birmingham’s historic Town Hall – their biggest hometown appearance.
In between, the fiery foursome found themselves on a Normandy beach during Armistice Day, attempted to spread the notion of ceilidh/ rave dancing to the Swiss and the French, and played at a micro-brewery in Somerset. Elsewhere, a trip to a leading Danish music festival, where they shared the bill with massive Danish electro rockers Carpark North, US AOR outfit Toto, Scottish legends Runrig, and ’70s Euro disco icons Boney M, concluded with them sleeping in a warehouse after an accommodation mishap. But that’s what happens when you play huge festivals!
Formed in 2009 in the West Midlands, The UFQ have continued to forge a reputation as one of the UK’s most consistently stunning live acts, and boast four highly accomplished musicians: BBC Folk Award nominated banjo player (and occasional UFQ vocalist) Dan Walsh; Galician fiddle player Paloma Trigás, who’s worked with the likes of The Chieftains, Sharon Shannon, Altan, and Carlos Nuñez, Spain’s biggest folk star; percussionist Tom Chapman, widely considered to be the UK’s most accomplished and innovative cajón player; and fiddler, guitarist, mandolin player and producer/ arranger Joe Broughton (The Albion Band, Fairport Convention etc).
In their eight year career, the band have released three studio albums and three live albums, the latter of which aim to showcase the energy audiences witness at their dazzling live performances.
A new, yet to be titled, studio album will be released in 2018, in the run-up to The UFQ’s tenth anniversary celebrations.
“This autumn tour will find The UFQ at their most spontaneous,” says Joe. “It’s the first time in the band’s history that we’ll be gigging and not promoting a specific album. That gives us the freedom to play whatever we like – not just focus on promoting the latest record. So expect to hear some exciting new variations of recent tracks as well as a few new tunes which we’ll be road testing for that next studio album.”
For more information, including full tour dates, see: www.theufq.com
Twitter: @theUFQ
www.facebook.com/theurbanfolkquartet/
GIG LISTINGS
Thursday 19 October 2017
The Stables, Stockwell Lane, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK17 8LU
£15 8pm
stables.org
Thursday 2 November 2017
Unit 23, Ford Road, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5LE
£10 8.30pm
www.unit23live.co.uk
Friday 10 November 2017
Atkinson Centre, Lord Street, Southport, Sefton PR8 1DB
7.30pm £13/ £15
www.theatkinson.co.uk
Wednesday 15 November 2017
The Hippodrome, Harbour Road, Eyemouth, Scottish Borders TD14 5GS
8pm £12/ £14
eyemouthhippodrome.org
Thursday 16 November 2017
The Cumberland Arms, James Place Street, Ouseburn, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE6 1LD
8pm £10
www.thecumberlandarms.co.uk
Saturday 18 November 2017
The Goose Nest, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, Warwickshire CV4 7AL
7.45pm £15.50
www.warwickartscentre.co.uk
Wednesday 22 November 2017
The Old Queen’s Head, 44 Essex Road, London N1 8LN
8pm £10
www.greennote.co.uk
Thursday 23 November 2017
Foxlowe Arts Centre, Market Place, Leek, Staffordshire ST13 6AD
8.30pm £10
foxloweartscentre.org.uk
Friday 24 November 2017
Artrix, Slideslow Drive, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 1GN
8pm £14 (£12)
www.artrix.co.uk
Saturday 25 November 2017
Stop. Cafe Bar, Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, The Music Hall, The Square, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 1LH
8pm £14
www.theufq.com/gigs
Friday 8 December 2017
MET Studio, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Eastgate Street, Stafford ST16 2LT
8pm £15.50
www.staffordgatehousetheatre.co.uk
Four Four Eight 