About Jon Wilks
Jon Wilks is an acclaimed folk singer and singer-songwriter in the tradition of the great fingerpicking troubadours, inspired as much by Martin Carthy as by Paul Simon or Nick Drake. Described by The Quietus as at the centre of the current folk scene, his work has drawn regular acclaim from The Guardian, Uncut, Songlines, MOJO and RNR, and a double-page feature in Guitarist magazine.
- Records
- Five solo albums, an EP and a compilation
- Festivals
- FolkEast, Sidmouth, Warwick
- Writing
- A book about Les Cousins, the Soho folk and blues club
- Now
- Strange Heavens, touring 2027
Ballads, stories and Les Cousins
His live shows move between traditional ballads, original songwriting and the covers you might have heard had you turned up at Les Cousins, the Soho folk and blues club, in 1967. A former journalist, Wilks builds his sets around the stories behind the songs and the people who sang them.
He’s equally at home on a folk club stage as an arts centre or festival main stage, and is a regular at festivals including FolkEast, Sidmouth and Warwick.
“Bloody brilliant!”
Martin Carthy
What people are saying
“Jon Wilks is the real deal. He has a deep love for folk music which is coupled with intelligence, curiosity and musicianship. He is a fine guitar player, a really good singer and an excellent writer to boot. What he does is capture the essence of his material.”
Martin Simpson
“Jon’s a badman fingerpicking guitarist and leading exponent of the songs of old Albion.”
Carl Barât, The Libertines
“Pulls off that niftiest of tricks – paying due homage to the traditions whilst sounding original and contemporary.”
Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2 Folk Show
“Very much part of the UK’s living folk tradition, Wilks excels at reanimating broadside ballads and antique pieces with a scholar’s ear for vernacular and a dashing sense of verve on fingerpicked guitar. He’s at his eloquent best on poetic Soho encounter, ‘Greek Street’.”
Uncut
“One of the driving forces in the London folk scene… Wilks is among the best at what he does, his guitar playing wonderfully sharp and shimmering.”
The Quietus
“Characters are the currency that Wilks deals in. Whether they are murderous wives, cheating tailors, thoughtful down-and-outs or strolling dandies, his songs are a parade of real life.”
Gavin McNamara, Bristol 24/7
“Wilks proves once again what a stand-out talent he really is. There is an honesty and compassion in Wilks’ writing and performance, which is entirely charming.”
KLOF Magazine
“A link in the chain back to the 60s folk revivalists… He aces it with his precise guitar fingerpicking… worthy of guitar heroes of yore.”
RNR Magazine
“I’ve now added Jon Wilks’ back catalogue to my wants list and cannot believe such a strong set of albums has passed me by. If like me you got some catching up to do, then this is a strong set to start with.”
FATEA Magazine
Releases to date
Wilks has released five solo albums and one compilation to date, from his debut, Songs from the Attic, through to Before I Knew What Had Begun I Had Already Lost, named Folk Album of the Month by The Guardian, and Needless Alley.
He is currently writing a book about the aforementioned Les Cousins, and working on a song cycle, Strange Heavens, inspired by the twentieth-century artist Sir Stanley Spencer. Strange Heavens will be Wilks’ last major tour for some time, as he has taken the decision to take a break from music in 2028.
Shared stages
Alongside his own work, Wilks has built a reputation as a collaborator and scene-builder. He founded and was the original editor of Tradfolk.co, and has collaborated and shared stages with artists from across the UK folk scene. He performs both solo and with his occasional band, The Grizzly Folk.
- Graham Coxon
- Billy Bragg
- Martin Carthy
- Martin Simpson
- Eliza Carthy
- Goblin Band
- Broadside Hacks
- Angeline Morrison
- Ellie Gowers
- Jim Moray
- Jackie Oates
- Emily Portman
Strange Heavens
A song cycle with Rich Lines, written in response to Sir Stanley Spencer’s paintings at National Trust Sandham Memorial Chapel. The album is out in Spring 2027, with a tour in March and two concerts in the chapel itself in June.