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 founded his band The Remnant Kings, originally formed to perform the album ’Songs from the Floodplain’. The performances combined 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.
The band went into hibernation for several years whilst Bellowhead hit top gear, but were reunited and relaunched to record the album Afterglow in 2017, Jon’s first new album after leaving Bellowhead. The 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). They are also joined for some dates by an exceptional string and brass section including players from the award-winning Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band.
Jon released his latest album Rose In June in November 2019, a collection of live recordings for the big band including a mix of trad and original works. It was followed by a tour with The Remnant Kings including a show at Union Chapel in London.