With a number of the UK’s biggest and most impressive venues in our patch, we Midlanders are guaranteed a chance to see some of the music industry’s brightest stars as they tour the country. Our grass-roots music scene is super-cool, too. Here’s a selection of gigs worth grabbing a ticket for over the next few weeks...  

JON BODEN & THE REMNANT KINGS

A stand-out performer from his generation of traditional folk artists, Jon Boden is perhaps best known as a member of multi-award-winning band Bellowhead, with whom he played for 12 years until 2016. 
Away from his time as Bellowhead’s lead singer and main arranger, Jon has enjoyed plenty of other successes, not least with his own band, The Remnant Kings, which he formed back in 2009. Hailed for their unique and swaggering brand of folk, they appear at MAC following the release late last year of their album, Parlour Ballads.  

Midlands Arts Centre (mac), Birmingham, Thursday 18 September

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AMIT DATTANI

Musically speaking, nimble finger-picking and expertly crafted songwriting are Amit Dattani’s stand-out talents, and they’ve secured him a solid reputation on the folk circuit in the 20-plus years he’s been plying his trade. Amit is here making a welcome return to Leamington to launch his latest album, Wrong Kind Of One. 

Temperance, Leamington Spa, Sunday 21 September

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DEACON BLUE

Taking their name from the title of the Steely Dan song Deacon Blues, the Glaswegian pop-rock boys came together in 1985, releasing the highly regarded concept album Raintown two years later. Follow-up offering When The World Knows Your Name topped the UK album charts in 1989, with further records being released in 1991 and 93, the latter just a year prior to the group splitting up. The band re-formed on the eve of the 21st century, since which time they’ve released eight albums, the most recent of which is this year’s The Great Western Road. 

Utilita Arena Birmingham, Monday 22 September

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JAMES MORRISON

Scoring a hit with his 2006 debut single, You Give Me Something, Warwickshire-born James Morrison then achieved global fame with breakthrough album Undiscovered, released later that year. He has since established himself as a major name on the UK music scene, in the process picking up a Brit Award and releasing a further four albums. His latest offering, Fight Another Day, is slated for release early next month.  

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Tuesday 23 September

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NADIA REID

Nadia Reid is on a long journey - and with her latest album, Enter Now Brightness, she is moving still further away from her folk-music roots. “I still feel uncomfortable about the word folk and being a folk singer,” says the 34-year-old New Zealander. “It makes me sort of cringe. It’s too confining.” 

There’s certainly no sense of Nadia feeling confined on the new album, which effectively blends textural pop with country-leaning folk-rock and showcases a sound which is distinctly her own. “I’m so much better off now that it exists,” she says of the record. “Now feels like a new time.”  

The Tin at The Coal Vaults, Coventry, Tuesday 23 September

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STEPHEN FEARING AND THE SENTIMENTALS

One of Canada’s most respected performers, Stephen Fearing is a hugely talented guitar player with a smooth, intimate and powerful voice. He’s joined for this Shropshire gig by his longtime collaborators, Danish indie-folk band The Sentimentals.

The Hive, Shrewsbury, Wednesday 24 September

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JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR

Wednesbury-born Joanne Shaw Taylor has certainly made good on a dream start to her career. At the tender age of 16, her remarkable guitar playing caught the attention of Eurythmics star Dave Stewart, who was so impressed that he invited her to join his supergroup, D.U.P.. Before long, Joanne was garnering all manner of praise from some of the biggest names in the business, including Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox and Joe Bonamassa. 

Having turned 40 earlier this year, she continues to hit all the right notes with a blues-based sound that unapologetically borrows from rock, funk, soul and pop. 

Her Wolverhampton stop-off is part of a promotional tour for her recently released 10th studio album, Black & Gold. Folk duo Ferris & Sylvester also feature on the bill.  

The Wulfrun at The Halls Wolverhampton, Saturday 27 September

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GWENIFER RAYMOND

Welsh instrumentalist Gwenifer Raymond plays Shrewsbury just three weeks after the release of her new album, Last Night I Heard The Dog Star Bark. A champion of the finger-picked guitar, Gwenifer creates music which reflects her interest in folk horror and the avant-garde. This day time gig sees Gwenifer joined by fellow guitarist Elizabeth Still.   

The Darwin Room, Shrewsbury Library, Sunday 28 September

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LEVEL 42

Forty-six years after forming, and with more than 30 million albums sold worldwide, Level 42 have hit the road to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the album that set them on the path to superstardom.
The now-double-Platinum World Machine, their sixth studio album, was the record on which they cemented the sound and the style that led to them becoming one of the most successful bands in the world... They are joined at Victoria Hall by Roachford.

Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Monday 29 September; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Sunday 16 November