Cumberlandia...
Cumberlandia...
Who’s performing at Cumberlandia?
Scroll down to find out more about our performers:
Kris Drever
Kris Drever is among Scotland’s most acclaimed and distinctive contemporary musicians, celebrated for his warm voice, virtuosically expressive guitar playing and imaginative and evocative songwriting. Raised in the Orkney Islands, Drever has carved out a unique place at the intersection of traditional folk and modern acoustic music, as a solo artist and as one third of the award-winning trio Lau.
Over the course of his career, Kris has won hatfuls of honours, including BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for Best Singer, Best Original Song, and Best Group with Lau. His solo work combines lyrics of depth and authenticity with expertly pitched arrangements, exploring themes of place, identity, and social change, delivered with clarity, compassion, and poetic insight.
Kris will be playing some brand new songs from his new solo album as well as a selection from his back catalogue of originals and his storied interpretations of traditional material.
Lady Maisery
The combined vocal and multi-instrumental talents of Rowan Rheingans, Hazel Askew and Hannah James make up the uniquely captivating band Lady Maisery who have for well over a decade enraptured audiences throughout the UK and Europe.
Individually three multi award-winning artists, Lady Maisery form a unified voice, carrying stories of sisterhood, human struggle, the joy of living and the vitality of song with the "freshest possible take on traditional music" (Folk Radio UK). Their long-standing effervescent collaboration has been described as "adventurous and beautiful" (Mark Radcliffe, Radio 2) "exquisite and thrilling" (The Guardian) with "a generosity of spirit and joie de vivre that seems to emanate from every minute of their recorded output as well as from their exuberant live shows" (Folk Radio UK).
Their fifth studio album Tender was released at the end of 2022 to far-reaching acclaim. An arresting record exploring the power in vulnerability, the tenderness of collective wounds and the strength in kindness, it was hailed "a beguiling blend of ancient and modern" (The Times) and "both nurturing and raw, a sensitive response to the times we are living in" (Daily Info).
"Exquisite, thrilling” - The Guardian
"Ambitious and beautiful" - Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2
‘Lady Maisery are women with ideas, purpose and urgency.... powerful, enthralling work’ Songlines * * * * *
Merry Hell
Multi-award winning Merry Hell offer joyful, uplifting folk-rock, with a message for troubled times. Native to the North-West of England, the 8-piece musical charabanc was built from the embers of the much loved folk-punk band The Tansads, developing a life and feel all of its own. Their energy and passion is are complemented by their love of what they do and desire to share hope and togetherness with as many people as are willing to listen. With chart hit album releases, positive press and radio reviews and plays, major festival appearances and a host of sell out gigs, everything points to a band not to be missed!
*Tender* entered the Official Indie Album Charts at number 18, the Official Indie Album Breakers Chart at number 3 (rare accolades for British folk!) before spending a whole year in the Official Folk Chart's top 40.
The Brothers Gillespie
“Our music is inspired by the still wild soul of the land in which we live, a land alive with presences, not owned by anyone. It is about seeing with the eye of the heart and recovering our imaginations. It is about finding home, belonging and each other in a world which is singing to us as we sing to it.”
Described by Folk Radio UK as ‘weaving an especially compelling magic’, and 'showing British acoustic music in its best possible light’, Northumbrian duo The Brothers Gillespie make music that is animated by lyrical songwriting, fine fingerstyle guitar playing, multi-instrumental musicianship and ‘the glorious tones of their blood harmony’ (Sam Lee).
Brothers James and Sam Gillespie found their sound growing up in the fells and valleys of Northumberland, their songs often describing relationships with wild places and the experience of finding oneself in a world alive with soul. The music comes to them most strongly when walking in the borderlands with their packs and instruments which remains a regular practice for them. This spirit is channeled into their live performances which have a rare and intimate energy, both ethereal and earthy, romantic and radical. The brothers have travelled far and wide with their music and have played at Cambridge and Sidmouth Folk Festivals and opened for Lankum and Sam Lee. In 2021 they featured in the English Heritage ‘Songs of England’ recording series that appeared on BBC Radio 4. The release of their new album ‘The Merciful Road’ (‘pure magic’, Living Tradition) in Spring 2022 saw them embark on their most extensive national tour to date.
Anne-Marie Sanderson
is a Cumbrian singer-songwriter whose music is at once earthy and airy, grounded yet ethereal. Drawing inspiration from nature, literature and her travels, Sanderson's haunting melodies and poetic lyrics mesmerise and enchant, with transportive effects on listeners.
Her recent album, Old Light, has been described as "uplifting and gentle" (NARC), "articulate and ethereal" (Rocking Magpie), and "melodically divine" (BBC Introducing). With influences including Nick Drake and Jesca Hoop, her intricate guitar work and captivating vocals make for a compelling live performance.
“absolutely wonderful... I can recommend Anne-Marie’s live show, it’s fantastic” – BBC Introducing.
Bitterbeck
An easy-going bunch of musicians from west Cumbria who perform catchy original songs in folk / blues styles, often with environmental themes - close harmonies, uplifting and finely-crafted songs to listen to, think about and sometimes dance to:
Angie Power (vox),
Cathy Grout (bass, vox),
Dave Camlin (guitar, vox)
Keith Fitton (guitar, vox)
Lindy Powell (percussion).
For Cumberlandia 2026, Bitterbeck have crafted a new suite of songs ‘The Song of the Glade’ to welcome you to the festival, honouring the natural spirit of Rivendell, and “the song that The Glade sings when none of us are here”.
The Celandines
The Celandines create music inspired by wild Cumbria, the quiet beauty of everyday nature, and our shared human journey. Abigail Driver and Mark Gormley craft enchanting songs that stir the listener’s heart, blending a wide range of musical influences into a truly distinctive “Celandine” sound.
In 2025, after a surge of community-driven creativity, they released the EP “Rainbow Chords & Elephant Arcs.” This collection stands as an example of independent music-making: it was recorded at home with basic equipment and instruments borrowed from local musicians.
The group later expanded to include three gifted musicians—Pete Garnett (keys/accordion), Ian O’Regan (guitar, vocals), and Jessie Binns (cello, vocals)—making The Celandines a five-piece band. Their debut at the Cumberlandia Festival in July 2025 was a huge success, helping their reputation spread throughout the vibrant Cumbrian underground music scene.
Gareth Wilkins
Ear – Hear – Heart: not listening, but hearing.
Gareth Wilkins is a lifelong student of music; a multi-instrumentalist and melodic wonderer whose work sits at the meeting point of folk tradition, classical sensitivity, jazz harmony, and deep listening. Equally at home on harp, concertina, and piano, his music seeks the shared language beneath them all.
A self-described nomadic musician and melody seeker, Gareth’s path has been guided as much by landscape and stillness as by stages and scores. His harp meditations invite listeners in from the noise of the modern world and into a quieter, more spacious way of being—where sound becomes a doorway rather than a performance.
What began in early spring 2022 as a personal creative discipline—to compose and share a daily harp meditation—has grown into a living practice refined through devotion, trust, and continual listening. These performances offer casual sonic serenity: music that soothes the nervous system, softens the mind, and gently reminds us that meditation is not something we do, but something we are.
The Lonnings
Bex Mather (guitar, vox), Catherine Reding (accordin, violin, vox) and Dave Camlin (guitar, vox) are a trio of acoustic musicians from the north of England making music together since 2024. They make gentle music for troubled times, original songs with interweaving harmonies and delicate arrangements. An oasis of calm and beauty and an antidote to the hustle and bustle of busy lives.
For Cumberlandia, their extended line-up includes Paul Susans (bass) and Bren Murphy (percussion) for richly exquisite chamber folk.
Quickbeam
Quickbeam, whose name comes from the Old English term for the Rowan tree, is made up of four talented vocalists and musicians from Cumbria: Abigail Driver, Alison Scott, Arwen Heaton and Jessie McMeekin.
Their repertoire features a blend of new arrangements of traditional and contemporary folk songs, as well as inventive original pieces, drawing inspiration from blues, gospel, folk and classical genres.
Audiences are captivated by their haunting harmonies, powerful new compositions and uplifting anthems, all delivered with quirky humour and an authentic, approachable style.
Tyan
‘Exceptional voices blended together in glorious harmonies’ (Unicorn Magazine)
Together now for 8 years, June Swift and Peter Michael Rowan bring close harmonies, a double bass, fiddle, guitar, and songs that lean towards Americana whilst nodding at British songwriters. Expect boats (of course!), small-town record stores, convict ship figureheads and dancing as an alternative to capitalism.
Outside of Tyan, they were both members of character / storytelling band The Clifford Movement and the delightful Errant Thieves.
*Tyan is farming dialect for ‘two’.
STEEL FOXES
Steel Foxes are an 8 piece dub/folk trance band.
Steel Foxes combine the core elements of folk, trance and dub music by blending traditional instruments (penny whistle, sax, violin and harp) luscious vocal harmonies, and modern synthesised sounds, to create an experience like no other.
Steel Foxes are quickly gaining a reputation for delivering energetic, crowd driven live shows. Since our formation in 2024, we have enjoyed an exciting year of gigs and festivals, both locally and further afield, including Solfest, Kendal Calling, and Beatherder.
