Jon Boden has become the ‘stand out performer of his generation’ (The Guardian) of traditional folk artists, but one whose repertoire extends far beyond the boundaries of the genre. He is best known as the lead singer and main arranger of the progressive folk juggernaut Bellowhead. After twelve years, a quarter of a million album sales, seven singles on the Radio 2 playlist and selling out hundreds of venues throughout the land and beyond, including notably the Royal Albert Hall, Jon announced in 2015 that he wanted to move on. The rest of the band decided not to continue without him. Bellowhead played their final gig on May 1st 2016.
In 2009, Jon had founded his band The Remnant Kings. The band were originally formed to perform the album ’Songs from the Floodplain’. The idea of the Remnant Kings performances was to combine the post apocalyptic concept of the album, with other songs that might survive the apocalypse. In this genre busting mix, Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings performed concerts where folk songs, Bach, Pop and Jazz all rubbed shoulders with Jon’s own songs. This was all augmented by the use on stage of two wax cylinder players, which played specially recorded material.
As time moved on the band evolved to encompass Jon’s ‘A Folk Song A Day’ project – adding Paul Sartin to the line-up and hosting after show singing sessions with the audiences.
The band went into hibernation for several years whilst Bellowhead hit top gear, but were reunited to record Afterglow in 2017, Jon’s first new album after leaving Bellowhead. The 11-piece band features the talents of former Bellowhead band-mates Sam Sweeney and Paul Sartin, plus Leveret’s Rob Harbron and Ben Nicholls and Richard Warren (King of The South Seas). The band are also joined by an exceptional string and brass section including players from the award winning Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band.
‘Afterglow’ was released October 6th, 2017. The album continues Jon’s explorations of a post-oil world, this time following the course of two lovers over the night of a city carnival. The first single from the album, ‘All The Stars Are Coming Out Tonight’, was playlisted on BBC Radio 2. ‘Afterglow’ was followed by the live album ‘Rose In June’ in November 2019.
As well as touring the eleven piece line-up, Jon also tours a smaller chamber folk line-up with just the Remnant Kings string section, under the title Jon Boden & The Remnant Strings featuring Jon Boden (fiddle, guitars, concertina, stomp-box), Helen Bell (viola), Morven Bryce (violin) and Lucy Revis (cello).