Transatlantic Americana band, A Different Thread, is fronted by Alicia Best from Durham, North Carolina and Robert Jackson from Lichfield, England. The two first met busking in Ireland — a chance encounter that sparked a musical adventure across a dozen countries, touring, writing, and living in constant motion.
Their authentic performance caught the attention of Shrewsbury Folk Festival, where a win in 2017 earned them a coveted spot on the main stage. They have since landed features on both BBC and NPR, as well as support slots with notable artists like Jody Stevens, Native Harrow, and the Milk Carton Kids.
With nods to 70s' folk revival, country, and Appalachian blues, their music, featuring a suitcase drum-kit, fiddle, and harmonica, exudes a timeless quality. Drawing influence from Cash and Carter, and Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, their hair-raising harmonies tell heartfelt tales of love, loss, and life on the open road.
“WARM, DEEP, SINGER-SONGWRITERS THAT HAVE DRANK FROM THE WELL OF 20TH CENTURY TRADITION” Folk Radio UK
Praised for writing “bone-breakingly beautiful” music. Kenan Flannery is a 24-year-old IYMA’s award-winning folk songwriter from Dublin. Kenan at his core is a storyteller for the damned and broken, writing heart-wrenching songs and stories with a voice “that hits you with the intensity of a hundred Irish poets and musicians”. He mixes his upbringing of Irish folk/ballad music from the likes of The Dubliners with his love of American folk music and has been compared to the likes of John Prine, Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley.