Jez Lowe at Groove Pad Shipley

A double nomination in the 2015 BBC Folk Awards – for best singer and best new song – was a timely reminder of Jez Lowe’s standing in the UK folk and acoustic music scene. Of course, he is well-known to Topic audiences over 40 years, having appeared 17 times between February 1982 and June 2019.

Not only he is one of the busiest live performers in the country, but his songs are among the most widely sung by other performers, whether by long-established acts like Fairport Convention, The Dubliners and Bob Fox, or by the new breed of stars like The Unthanks, The Young Uns and The Duhks.

Jez’s own long-established band The Bad Pennies continue to attract a huge following, and his other collaborations with The Pitmen Poets, The Broonzies, Men at Words and with fellow-songwriter Steve Tilston show a willingness to push boundaries and venture boldly into pastures new. Meanwhile, his involvement in the award-winning BBC series The Radio Ballads continues as does his role as musical director for Badapple Theatre.

His most recent solo album, Crazy Pagan, recorded during the lockdown of 2020, is his first for six years and is a tantalising and hopeful glimpse to the future.