Midweek Americana

A Different Thread + Banjo Jen + Caitlin Gilligan

Presented by: A Different Thread

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0	SHEFFIELD: The Greystones
P	Wednesday 31st May, 2023
N	7:30pm

Event information

A triple bill Americana concert comes to Sheffield. The show will be headlined by the transatlantic trio, A Different Thread, who return in support their latest release, 'Call of the Road'.

Also on the bill is Sheffield singer-songwriter Banjo Jen, and Scottish folk-singer, Caitlin Gilligan.

This is set to be a fabulous night of entertainment at the renowned Sheffield venue, Greystones.


A Different Thread

“Warm, deep, songwriters who have drank from the well of 20th century folk tradition” - Folk Radio UK

A Different Thread is a transatlantic band fronted by Alicia Best from Durham, North Carolina, and Robert Jackson from the Midlands of England. The two met busking in Ireland in 2016 and have been on the road ever since, touring and creating original music together.

Pulling from their respective roots, they weave together elements of 70s’ Folk Revival, Country, and Appalachian Blues into a timeless blend of Americana.

Their music has garnered the attention of the BBC and NPR radio and landed them support slots with the likes of Jody Stevens (Big Star) Native Harrow, and the Milk Carton Kids. Their intimate blend of raw vocals and atmospheric instrumentation is reminiscent of The Band, Bert Jansch, and Joni Mitchell, with a nod to more contemporary artists such as The Wood Brothers, Rhiannon Giddens and Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings.

The band released their second album, Call of the Road, in September last year, followed by a UK tour with double bass player, Mike Seal. The new album was recorded in Bristol, UK, with producer Luke Cawthra (Phantom Limb) and the Folk duo, Chris Elliott and Caitlin Jones. Written over lockdown, these eleven songs deal with the themes of love, loss, wanderlust, and life on the open road.

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Banjo Jen

'Fantastic ...we don't hear enough brilliant music like this on the radio' - BBC Radio Sheffield

Imagine if folk icon Buffy Sainte-Marie and banjo-player-turned-comedian Billy Connolly had an unlikely lovechild …who lived in Yorkshire!

Sheffield-based artist Banjo Jen is difficult to categorise but easy to fall for. With razor-sharp songwriting, percussive Appalachian step-dancing and between-song banter to make you laugh out loud, her refreshingly original live act is guaranteed to win the heart of every crowd. Her songs explore light and shade, humour and sorrow, hopes and fears, the pleasurable and the darker aspects of being a mere floundering human trapped on this crazy rollercoaster ride of life.

Tipped by Maverick magazine for a ‘long musical career’, Jen hit the ground running by playing fringe events in Austin TX during SXSW 2017 - just a couple of months after her first ever gig. She's since been selected by the Americana Music Association UK to showcase at both Red Rooster and The Long Road festivals, was invited to perform at Eagle Music / Deering Banjo Company’s banjo event of the year, and has supported many touring international Americana acts and British folk artists.

Her latest EP “Cloud of Dust” is a collection of the more country-style songs in Jen's repertoire, recorded with a full band (including backing vocals by Lauren Housley, Bob Harris Emerging Artist 2022 award-winner, and production by Thomas Dibb, AMA UK award-nominee). Grab yourself some cowboy boots and catch Banjo Jen back on the road this summer!

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Caitlin Gilligan

“..She sings with a singular clear-eyed intensity of her own.” Folk Radio

Caitlin Gilligan is from the rolling hills of rural Galloway. Now based in the North-West of England, her songs still echo the wildness of her Scottish youth.

Stirring age-old folk songs into a set of bare-boned and poetically-crafted originals, she demonstrates refreshing insight whilst simultaneously summoning the voices of times gone by.

She draws much inspiration from folk giants such as Anne Briggs, Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen as well as traditional vocal music of Scotland, Ireland and America.
She has supported artists such as Martin Carthy, Martin Simpson, Sam Amidon, Rachel Sermanni, Emily Portman, Rachel Newton and The Rails. She played her debut Cambridge Folk Festival in 2019, where she was a selected highlight on The Den Stage.