ONE of the UK's brightest folk stars plays Merseyside this week when Katherine Priddy appears at the Liverpool Philharmonic. 

Since Richard Thompson chose Priddy as “The Best Thing I’ve Heard All Year” in Mojo Magazine on the strength of her 2018 Wolf EP, her star has risen exponentially.

Winning fans from Guy Garvey, Mark Radcliffe, Stuart Maconie and the late Janice Long and garnering glowing press reviews across the board for The Eternal Rocks Beneath including The Observer, The Sun, Uncut, Songlines, Folk Radio UK and more, Priddy crossed genres, charting at number 1 in The Official UK Folk Chart and number 5 in the Official UK Americana Chart, and rounded off 2021 on Mojo’s Folk Albums of the Year list.

She is in demand as a performer and collaborator, playing Cambridge Folk Festival (where she won the prestigious Christian Raphael Prize), Glastonbury (where she appeared on the coveted BBC2 TV coverage), Green Man, End Of The Road, Beautiful Days and the BBC Proms. As well as sell out headline tours, Priddy has been chosen to support world class artists including Richard Thompson, The Chieftains, Loudon Wainwright III and Vashti Bunyan.

In 2022, she took her music worldwide with a series of shows in Australia, including a performance at Port Fairy Folk Festival, plus a showcase in Kansas City USA as part of Folk Alliance International. 2023 saw no sign of her momentum slowing; highlights included a new single on Chrysalis Records as part of a Double LP of Nick Drake covers from artists such as Self Esteem, Aldous Harding, John Grant, Bombay Bicycle Club and more, as well as a show supporting Guy Garvey at The Roundhouse.

Now, 2024 sees the release of her second album, The Pendulum Swing. Once again recorded in Birmingham by producer Simon J Weaver, guest musicians comprise John Smith (lead guitar), Harry Fausing Smith (strings), Marcus Hamblett (brass/double bass), George Boomsma (guitar, backing vocals, co-writer on track “Ready To Go”), Polly Virr (cello) and even a brief appearance from Priddy’s family members right at the end of the album, in keeping with its themes. With The Pendulum Swing, Priddy has managed to keep moving forward whilst acknowledging and honouring all that has gone before.

Katherine Priddy plays the Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room on Thursday, May 9. Tickets from katherinepriddy.co.uk/shows/