Beverley Folk Festival: Ranagri + Ellie Gowers

Beverley Folk Festival always kicks off BIG on the Friday night and 2025 is no exception. We're delighted to welcome the mindblowing RANAGRI; one of the hottest bands right now performing an upbeat, infectious mix of Celtic/World/Folk!
Ranagri is an award winning indie folk band with a unique blend of instruments that includes guitar, flutes, whistles, harp, piano, hammered dulcimer, bouzouki, bodhrán, orchestral percussion and voices.

Ranagri have recorded five studio albums to date, with their latest release, Tradition II receiving critical acclaim upon its release in July 2022. Folk Radio UK placed the album in their top 10 albums of 2022, cementing the band's status as one of the most exciting and innovative folk bands in the UK today.

Previous critically acclaimed albums, Playing For Luck, Fort of the Hare and The Great Irish Songbook (with pop legend Tony Christie), were recorded at the Grammy Award-winning Stockfisch Records label. The band's third album, Voices was recorded at Real World Studios and produced by Grammy-nominated producer Graeme Pleeth, and the album ‘Tradition' were released on GoatsKin Records.

'Band of the Year 2022’ Fatea Magazine Awards

'The uplifting musical life force that is Ranagri' Folk On Foot Podcast

'You're unlikely to hear anything more irresistible & more folky this year' ​Louder Than War.

‘Voices and instruments combine to astound the listener with some of the most attention-grabbing music I’ve heard in a long time’ KlofMag

'A sound that's completely new, which has great energy and immediately makes you want to dance' BBC Radio 3

'Nothing short of Magnificent' ​Liverpool Sound & Vision

​​​​​​​'Oozes class' - Fatea Magazine

Support comes from the brilliant ELLIE GOWERS who is making huge waves currently as one of the most exciting singer-songwriters to emerge in recent years.

DOORS 18.45

SHOW STARTS 19.30

LICENCED BAR

Ellie Gowers is, quite literally, an "all-singing, all-dancing folk polymath" (Jon Wilks, TradFolk). Emerging onto the UK folk scene with her debut album Dwelling by the Weir (2022), Ellie explored folklore and the stories of her hometown, Warwick, through ecological, sociological, and personal themes. The album was praised as "full of delicacy, precision, and gentle delight" (The Guardian). It connected with wider audiences and secured her a place on the UK touring circuit.

Since the release of her celebrated debut, Ellie has firmly rooted herself in the songwriting scene. Her new music amplifies her songwriting, drawing on more contemporary influences like MIPSO and Jeff Buckley. After a year of heavy touring, themes of absence, push-pull dynamics, and longing are evident in this exciting new direction.

Summer 2024 saw the arrival of long-awaited new music. The EP has received airplay on BBC Radio 2 (Mark Radcliffe), BBC 6 Music (Lauren Laverne – Fantastic Beats feature), and the RADMAC feature. The video for A Moment premiered on KLOF, and the EP was featured on numerous high-profile playlists. Ellie toured the UK, supporting Gemma Hayes in October 2024, including her first appearance at the prestigious Union Chapel.

Following the release of her single The Stars Are Ours, Ellie performed a "really impressive" live session on BBC Radio 2 (Mark Radcliffe), which was widely lauded as "absolutely beautiful" (Zoe Ball). This was followed by a successful Autumn 2023 tour. In addition to her own music, Ellie has composed for BBC Radio 3's production of Middlemarch and toured as a support act for artists like Blair Dunlop and Elephant Sessions.

Host or Publisher Beverley Folk Festival