Eliza Carthy is a phenomenal talent and we are thrilled to have her open Mananan 2024!
She will perform solo with her incredible voice and fiddles. Describing herself simply as a ‘modern English musician’, Eliza Carthy is one of the most recognisable faces in British folk.
She has received an MBE; numerous BBC R2 Folk Awards; two Mercury Prize nominations; was the first English traditional musician to be nominated for a BBC R3 Award for World Music, and in 2021 became President of the English Folk Dance & Song Society.
Born into a formidable musical dynasty, her mother Norma was one of The Watersons and her father Martin Carthy is a hugely influential singer and guitarist, the incredible range of traditional and contemporary musicians who were part of the extended Waterson/Carthy world helped her develop her own unique approach to music.
Launching head-on into the UK folk scene in the early 90s, she quickly became one of its great innovators. Championed from an early age by the likes of John Peel, Andy Kershaw & Billy Bragg, Eliza has rarely stood still artistically.
From the purest unaccompanied traditional songs to original music incorporating myriad influences, she has moved through English folk music like a force of nature, both stirring it up & putting it back on the map, and as a member of big bands The Imagined Village, and the musical force-of-nature that was The Wayward Band, she has headlined main stages at festivals around the world.
With a wealth of musical & life experience under her belt, Eliza’s talent has matured and is flourishing. She continues to bring new audiences to English folk through well-judged recordings, performances, and collaborations with the likes of Paul Weller, Jools Holland, Patrick Wolf, and Kae Tempest.
The Queen of English Folk is coming! Do not miss out. BOOK ONLINE
Support from Jenn Ried
Eliza will be supported by the feisty, preeminent broadside balladress of the Manchester region, Jennifer Reid.
Singing acapella, she performs 19thC Lancashire dialect work songs, Manchester broadside ballads and clog steps . Jennifer played Barb in Shane Meadows’ critically acclaimed period drama The Gallows Pole on the BBC and has recently supported Pulp and John Cooper Clarke, latterly for Chanel’s prestigious Metiers d’Art show. She works across academia, folk performance, heritage consultation and media to bring industrial history back to the people.