Folk group The Young’uns to appear at the Apex later this month

With heart-on-the-sleeve storytelling, beautiful lyrics, warm harmonies and witty repartee, The Young’uns (pictured above) write and perform folk songs that tell it how it is, alongside traditional songs from their native North-East and further afield.

And the trio are set to appear at the Apex, in Bury St Edmunds, later this month.

Nearly 20 years after accidentally stumbling into the alien world of their local folk club as drunken teenagers, (and gaining their name in the process) these three thirtysomething friends from Stockton and Hartlepool have never lost the joy of that first night of singing together.

Honed by live performance, national radio sessions and numerous festival appearances (from Cambridge to Glastonbury), The Young’uns are an act that clinched Best Group at both the 2016 and 2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and Best Album in 2018.

Singing mostly unaccompanied, they perform traditional shanties, contemporary songs and original works, including “You Won’t Find Me on Benefits Street” (alluding to Stockton’s reaction to a “Benefits Street” television crew) and “The Battle of Stockton” (on a 1933 clash with Oswald Mosley’s blackshirts).

Beguiling audiences around the world, they switch from ballads to banter, from poignant songs to irreverent humour. This, combined with their passion for storytelling and commitment to maintaining the tradition of social commentary, has led to five star reviews, live sessions on BBC Radio 2 and 3 and documentaries on Radio 4.

Each date of their April tour will feature a live recording of audience choruses for their forthcoming album, with the band urging everyone to discover the joy of singing together.

The Young’uns are at the Apex on Monday, April 18, at 7.30pm. Ring the box office on 01284 758000 or see the website – www.theapex.co.uk for details.