Nottingham Playhouse launches a brand new series of folk music concerts this month – and PLAYHOUSE FOLK begins in style, with the widely famed Martin Simpson leading a roster of top live acts. With interest in folk music rising ever higher, the theatre is the first arts venue in the city to respond with a regular series of folk nights, held in the theatre’s Playroom studio.

Inaugurating Playhouse Folk on Thursday 31 January is Martin Simpson, long recognised as one of the world’s finest acoustic guitarists as well as a notable singer-songwriter. The Nottingham gig comes at a particularly busy time for Martin, falling between his appearances at Celtic Connections and the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards on 4 February, in which he has five nominations including Musician of the Year, Best Folk Singer, Original Song and Album. Martin’s many fans know to expect a performance of subtle beauty and powerful emotion.

The infectious duo of Nancy Kerr and James Fagan comes to the Playhouse on Thursday 21 February, combining energetic performance with warm stage presence. The two create a remarkably rich sound, with Nancy’s earthy fiddle and viola dancing with the rhythms of James’ guitar-bouzouki, and their rich solo and harmony singing bringing each song vividly to life.

Appearing on Thursday 3 April, acoustic guitarist and composer Gareth Pearson is one of the most exciting young discoveries of recent years. The teenager from Cwmbran, South Wales has already been on a remarkable musical journey, taking in invitations to play in Nashville and New York as well as opening for Ray Davies, Jan Akkerman and many others.

Fan favourite Vin Garbutt performs on Thursday 22 May. Without pursuing record sales or publicity, Vin has remained one of the most sought-after performers in Folk since the 70s. Renowned for his zany storytelling as well as his deft playing on tin whistle and guitar, Vin combines his own material with songs from the past to both humorous and heartfelt effect.

Completing this first collection of Playhouse Folk is Bob Fox. Hailing from the North East, Bob is "the man with the velvet voice", one of the most distinctive and ebullient in the Folk scene. Recently invited to take part in the BBC’s prestigious Radio Ballads project, he brings over 30 years’ worth of unsurpassed musicianship to Nottingham on Thursday 19 June.

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