Urban Folk Quartet (Supported by Katie Spencer) (Concert)

Urban Folk Quartet (UFQ) is one of the UK’s most exciting and innovative contemporary folk bands. The band features an exceptional line-up of musicians: fiddle virtuoso Joe Broughton, Galician fiddle player and vocalist Paloma Trigás, percussionist Tom Chapman, and banjo and guitar specialist Dan Walsh. Together, they create a powerful, rhythm-driven sound marked by virtuosity, tight arrangements, and infectious energy, blending traditional folk with global influences including funk, afrobeat, Indian and Middle Eastern music. UFQ’s debut album won the Spanish International Folk Competition and the Hancock Award for Best Newcomer, firmly establishing them as a major force in modern folk music. The band have since released multiple acclaimed studio and live albums and have appeared at leading festivals including Glastonbury Festival, WOMAD, Cambridge Folk Festival, Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Celtic Connections, and Towersey Festival. Renowned for their fearless musicianship and compelling stage presence, Urban Folk Quartet continue to push the boundaries of contemporary folk while remaining rooted in tradition.

Supported by Katie Spencer, praised as “one of the most distinctive voices in folk music” (Folk London) and “a world-class folk guitarist” (fRoots), she is known for her masterful musicianship, emotional depth and refined songcraft. Raised in the wide-open landscapes of East Yorkshire near Hull, her music carries a strong sense of space and movement, reflected in her assured guitar style and beautifully written songs.

Influenced by artists such as Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill and Michael Chapman, Katie blends folk and jazz elements into a sound that is unmistakably her own, marked by articulate fingerpicking and a powerful, expressive vocal vibrato. Her third album, What Love Is (2025), produced by Matt Ingram, debuted at #12 in the Official Folk Albums Chart and was widely acclaimed as “a triumph” and “a master-class of inspired craftsmanship”.

A compelling live performer, Katie has toured extensively across the UK, Europe and Australia, appearing at major festivals including Celtic Connections, Cambridge Folk Festival and Port Fairy Folk Festival. In 2024 she represented Britain at Folk Alliance International in Montreal and continues to captivate audiences with warmth, humour and musical authority.

About the Venue: Home to our main afternoon and evening and morning coffee concerts and workshops,  a superb venue in the heart of the town. The 300 seat, air conditioned, auditorium is an excellent concert space.

Refreshments: Cafe serving coffees, lunches and cakes, and Folk Week Volunteers run a small bar which opens 45 mins before concerts.

Accessibility: Full disabled facilities including a lift to the main auditorium and workshop areas.

https://broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk/venue/queens-road-baptist-centre/