Cork Roots Fest: James Yorkston

Coughlan's, Douglas St. (0)

Sat 17th May, 7:00 pm

Cork Roots Fest: James Yorkston

Coughlan's

Sat 17th May, 7:00 pm

James Yorkston returns to Ireland for his first run of solo shows since his 2023 album The Great White Sea Eagle (Domino Records) and the accompanying tour he undertook with Nina Persson (The Cardigans).

Under the Radar – “On The Great White Sea Eagle, Yorkston shows again that he is a significant 21st century songwriter. It’s a beautiful, hand-made collection of natural and unforced songs to be treasured.”

All Music 9/10 -“Some of the most beautiful and moving music he's made, which is high praise indeed”

Clash – “A work of real refinement, ‘The Great White Sea Eagle’ is peppered with jewels.”

James will be playing solo, with old songs and new, including tracks from his not-yet-announced 2025 album for Domino Records. He’ll also be dipping into his two most recent novels, including The Book of The Gaels which is set

in West Cork and Dublin and was a Times Newspaper Book of the Month and one of their Historical Fiction Books of the Year.

Few artists work from as broad and eclectic a platform as James Yorkston. Growing up in the village of Kingsbarns in Fife, James has been releasing a series of much acclaimed albums on Domino Records since 2002 – His debut album ‘Moving Up Country’ was ‘Rough Trade Album of the Year’

James’ break came a year previously, after he sent a demo cassette to folk-rock legend John Martyn asking for a support slot on the Edinburgh date of John’s upcoming tour, only for John to hear the cassette and offer James all 31 dates of the tour.

James was an integral original member of the much lauded and hugely influential Fence Collective (King Creosote, Pictish Trail, KT Tunstall, Beta Band etc) and his style shows a mastery of folk traditions, often drawing on traditional songs, which has seen him collaborate with such heritage artists as the Waterson family, Martin Carthy and the late Bert Jansch, whilst producing his own albums alongside contemporary artists such as Four Tet, Rustin Man, David

Wrench and Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip).

“Yorkston has reached a state of grace that writers can spend for ever trying to attain: songs that sound not so much written as carefully retrieved from your own subconscious, played with an intuition bordering on telepathy. What more

could you ask for?" – Pete Paphides, The Times

“The finest song-writer of his generation” – John Peel

“For me, listening to James Yorkston’s music is like coming across the interesting-looking person on the fringes of a party. Before you know it, you’ve spent the evening listening to their compelling tale. There’s a quiet confidence in his craft; his singing, the words and instrumentation, all blend seamlessly....”

– Philip Selway, Radiohead

“One of the most influential singer / songwriters on the Scottish folk scene” - The Scotsman