Internationally renowned Canadian fiddler, singer, songwriter and stepdancer, April Verch is returning to Shetland with her high-energy performances having last appeared at the Festival back in 2004. Now in the second decade of her career, April Verch has never sounded more comfortable in her skin than she does now. ...Read more

When Skerryvore first formed on the tiny Isle of Tiree off Scotland’s west coast in 2005, little could they have known that within only a matter of years they would be performing in over 20 countries worldwide, playing to audiences from Chicago to Shanghai, with four albums and an array of industry awards under their belt. ...Read more

Old Man Luedecke is the recording name of Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and banjo player, Chris Luedecke of Chester, Nova Scotia. His claw hammer-banjo picking, with pounding foot keeping rhythm, transports listeners back to an earlier time, back to the era of folk troubadours like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. ...Read more

Hailing from Killarney, Ireland, Niamh started playing music at the age of 4. A multiple award winner on both fiddle and concertina, she toured for 8 years as a soloist with Riverdance, performing in over 2500 shows, before returning to Ireland where she is now based (when not touring!) ...Read more

On stage, North Carolina singer-songwriter Woody Pines is old soul and a natural performer, storied and steeped in the best of American music. Live, his group infuses a hundred years of American music into their performance – everything from early 20th century acoustic blues and Rock-a-billy, to the sounds of the White Stripes and The Black Keys. Maverick magazine has praised their “intoxicating blend of rural and urban stringband, country blues, ragtime and jug band music.” ...Read more

Cóig ("Ko-ig". Gaelic for '5') is an exciting line-up of five solo acts from Nova Scotia, Canada. So much did they enjoy performing together when asked to form a promotional band of participants for a festival, they now try to play as the Cóig whenever they can. They consist of fiddlers Chrissy Crowley, Rachel Davis and Colin Grant from Cape Breton along with piano whizz, Jason Roach from Chéticamp, Cape Breton and multi-instrumentalist Darren McMullen from Hardwoodlands, Nova Scotia. ...Read more

From the warm heart of Cajun Country, multiple Grammy nominee Cedric Watson is the young king of the Louisiana scene. As one of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole and Zydeco music over the last decade, this four-time Grammy-nominated fiddler, singer, accordionist & songwriter has seemingly unlimited potential. ...Read more

Long hailed as one of Ireland's leading songwriters and performers, Kieran Goss’s music has won him fans across the globe. But if his songs have made him a star, his live shows have made him a legend. Live on stage is where Kieran Goss really shines. ...Read more

Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra are one of the hardest working bands on the UK roots music circuit and have built a sizeable fan base following numerous tours and big festival appearances. A hot six-piece featuring guitars, mandolin, harmonica, accordion, trumpet, double bass and percussion, they’re more eclectic than most, mixing Western Swing, Gypsy Jazz, Hokum Blues, Ragtime, Cajun, and Roots-of-Country. Their debut album, ‘Money Isn't Everything’, caused a sensation when it was released in 2012, winning a host of rave reviews – many of them 5-star. ...Read more

With a distinctive folk, roots and celtic music sound, The Long Notes have been together for six years having met through the session scene of Camden Town, London. They perform captivating arrangements of Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian, Galician, Quebecois and old-time tunes whilst also honing their writing skills by producing some stunning compositions for their new album, “In the Shadow of Stromboli” released in early 2012. ...Read more

Performing red hot rhythms, straight from the streets of Santiago de Cuba, Son Yambu play authentic Cuban son, the essential Afro-Cuban sound that originated in the streets of eastern Cuba and gave rise to modern salsa. Their music is an intoxicating fusion of Spanish and African rhythms but by giving it a contemporary edge, Son Yambu are the perfect addition to any Festival! ...Read more

As one reviewer once observed ‘being the best 5-string banjo player in the UK must be rather like being the fastest ‘fast-bowler’ in Virginia’. Leon Hunt has, for more than a decade, continued to confound that notion (and the many stereotypes that attempt to confine the 5-string banjo to Bluegrass music) by making his living playing alongside some of the world’s top musicians from a number of musical styles, backgrounds and disciplines. ...Read more

The Rambling Boys of Pleasure are a collection of well-known Irish musicians who love to explore their music and look for new directions in which to take it. Featuring Bernard O'Neill, Gino Lupari, Alan Burke, David Munnelly and Sean Regan, many of these musicians will be familiar to Shetland audiences! ...Read more

Fionia Stringband delivers rustic and lively Danish folk music including everything from good old polkas, lyrical tunes to heart-warming waltzes. The music is handpicked mainly from the Scandinavian repertoire as well as traditional music from Quebec and Cape Breton. A meeting of two generations of folk musicians, all from the Danish island of Funen, all three musicians share a passion for traditional melodies. ...Read more

Fresh from winning the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, the Shetland Folk Festival is delighted to welcome back accordion player Paddy Callaghan accompanied by Danny Boyle on flute and Adam Brown on bodhran. ...Read more

The award winning Shetland and Orkney Folk Festivals are joining forces this year to form an exciting collaboration project that will further celebrate and showcase the rich musical heritage and distinctive folk culture of the Northern Isles. Inspired by the success of the Orkney Gathering project, which premiered at the 2011 Orkney Folk Festival and sold out Glasgow’s legendary Old Fruitmarket at Celtic Connections in 2013, “The Isles Gathering” will unite several generations of Shetland and Orkney musicians for two exciting performances in May. ...Read more