UK Broadside Ballad Singer Jennifer Reid Releases Ballad Of The Gatekeeper LP
Northern England broadside ballad singer Jennifer Reid has released her fourth album, The Ballad Of The Gatekeeper – a collection of songs that centres voices and stories not often acknowledged within the folk scene.
Known for her evocative renditions of 19th-century broadside ballads and industrial folk songs, Reid's latest work weaves together working class narratives and contemporary edge, drawing deeply from the dialect and histories of Victorian and Georgian Lancashire.
'They may say The Ballad Of The Gatekeeper is a scathing attack on all that's right with folk," says Reid. 'But the theme for the first side of this album is, what did they know?!'
'I consulted with people who want to be part of the folk scene but feel they're kept out – those who have stories to tell but don't fit the 'traditional' mould. This album is my response, a rallying call to reclaim folk from the gatekeepers and hand it back to the people.'
Recorded at the iconic St Katherine's Dock with support from Pete Townshend (The Who), The Ballad Of The Gatekeeper features a blend of never-before-heard traditional songs and original material. With added percussive accompaniment, layered harmonies and collaboration with singers and sound artists, there are some special contemporary pieces on the album which stem from historic material.
Townshend encountered Reid through a Hard Art collective gathering at legendary artist, producer and activist Brian Eno 's London studio.
'Jen spoke about her desire to break down the conservative grip on what we still call 'folk music' in the UK," recalls Townshend."She calls those who cling to these rigid boundaries 'gatekeepers', resistant to change and the evolution of musical storytelling.
'As someone who still enjoys all kinds of folk music, I understood the need to make sure we continue as songwriters to write and sing about our communities and our working lives in new ways. But it wasn't until she began to sing, unaccompanied, her voice filling the room in a Lancashire accent, challenging everything we think we know about what modern folk music should be, that I became a true fan. Gatekeepers? Stand down.'
Reid visited Aotearoa for the first time in April 2025, turning the heads of audiences at venues like Audio Foundation and Freida Margolis as much as she did those at trad folk festivals Hamsterfest and Tradfest. She is currently booking a return tour for early-2026 that will this time encompass te waipounamu.
As an actor, Reid has portrayed Barb in Shane Meadows ' critically acclaimed period drama The Gallows Pole and performed at Chanel's Metiers d'Art show. She has supported Pulp, John Cooper Clarke and Eliza Carthy.
ARTIST BIO
Jennifer Reid is a folk musician dedicated to keeping alive the rich heritage of nineteenth-century music. She performs Lancashire dialect and Victorian broadside ballads, carrying on the tradition of using music as a social provocation. As an actress, Jennifer has portrayed Barb in Shane Meadows' critically acclaimed period drama The Gallows Pole and performed at Chanel's Metiers d'Art show. She has supported Pulp, John Cooper Clarke and most recently Eliza Carthy on an 18-date sold out UK tour.
With a background in local history, she educates students and communities through live performances, talks and workshops. Jennifer's research has taken her worldwide, exploring connections between past and present. She has performed at the Venice Biennale, on the New York High Line, at Battersea Power Station and at the Liverpool Philharmonic. She will publish a book on her research into Bengali and Lancashire weaving songs in 2025. She collaborates with academic and cultural institutions, from the University of Cambridge to the Science Museum, contributing to stage and media productions. Her work has been cited academically in papers and PhDs.
She sits on the executive committee of the Society for the Study of Labour History and is a member of Hard Art, a collective of activists, artists and leaders working for social and political change.
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