Joshua and his band love what they do and it is infectious; they left the stage at Fairport's Cropredy Convention to a standing ovation, and similarly won the hearts of audiences at Towersey, Folkeast, Wickham and Moonbeams festivals last summer. They are now taking the show on a tour of major UK cities including Glasgow, Cambridge, London, Sheffield, Bristol and Birmingham.
Always leaving his fans and critics guessing, Glass Knight has yet again defied expectations: “coloured with glam, psychedelia and 70s folk/pop, Glass Knight is a redefining album in much the same way as Ziggy Stardust" (Folking.com).Through his intricately crafted lyrics, Joshua creates a multiverse of settings, from apocalyptic love songs to reimagined fairy tales, and introduces otherworldly characters - the Glass Knight* being resurrected from an old English folk tale to reflect the foibles of the modern-day world.
This one’s for fans of Stranger Things, 70s art rock and everything in between.
It is Joshua’s original songwriting, however, that has won the hearts of listeners and industry professionals alike. His previous album, Flowers Where The Horses Sleep (2020) earned him the Folking Magazine Rising Star Award and - following a brief hiatus for a global pandemic - was toured in the UK, including dates at Cambridge Folk Festival, Manchester Folk Festival, Costa Del Folk Festival as well as headline shows in Sheffield, Glasgow, York, Bridlington, London, Brighton, Milton Keynes and Bristol.
Things are moving quickly for this ambitious and hard-working "genre-dodging genius" (Spiral Earth). Whatever your take on this genre-hopping songwriter’s music, he has proven he can connect with an audience and keep them hanging on for more. In Joshua’s own words, “it is about telling a compelling story while discovering what it means to be human.”
“Joshua Burnell has been described as a figure on the folk scene to watch: this record leaves you in no doubt why.” - Tykes Stirrings
“Joshua Burnell's music has always thrived on the blurring of boundaries. However, with Glass Knight, his most daring and deeply rewarding album to date, he's written music that simply refuses to recognise their existence." - Folk Radio UK
Line Up
Joshua Burnell has shaken the world of folk with his energetic arrangements of traditional folk songs, bolstered by the swirling distortion of the Hammond Organ. In 2017, alongside a run of UK folk festivals including Beverley Folk Festival and the Great British Folk Festival, Joshua Burnell & his 6-piece band completed a tour of the French alps, the highlight of which was the Pyroconcerts de Talloires where the group performed on a floating stage on Lake Annecy to an audience of 2500 people.
Into the Green, Joshua 's debut album, was received very positively by the music press, earning a 7/10 review in Classic Rock Magazine. However, Joshua has spent 2017 on his most ambitious project yet - the Seasons Project, in which he has released an original arrangement of a traditional folk song or tune every week for a whole year. "A welcome blast of originality in our serious world, it's a hugely impressive work and a lot of fun.” - Acoustic Magazine “A highly original story, a highly original concept, highly original songs, beautiful artwork, and completely brilliant in every respect.” – Fatea Magazine.
