Part of Manchester Folk Festival 2022.

Singer-songwriter Will Varley has come a long way since his early days haunting the open mics of South London and busking around on The Underground. Following the release of his 2018 studio album ‘The Spirit of Minnie’, his UK tour drew to a close with a triumphant show at London’s legendary Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Will has toured relentlessly across Europe and America as support act for Billy Bragg, Frank Turner, Valerie June and The Proclaimers and he’s sold out his own headline shows in cities as far afield as Berlin, Zurich, Amsterdam and Vienna. High praise from the likes of Tim Minchin and Simon Nicol of Fairport Convention have helped fan the flames, as his audience continues to grow both on the road and online. His self-made music videos have clocked up millions of views on YouTube and the song ‘Seize The Night’ is fast approaching seven million streams on Spotify.

There is a depth to his song writing that sets Will apart, and has propelled his music far and wide. From songs like ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’ which tells the heart-wrenching story of an Angolan immigrant attempting to enter the UK, to the hyper-engaging ‘Weddings and Wars’ in which he attempts a history of the world in under four minutes, Varley’s songs seem to transcend themselves, marrying vivid imagery, politics, emotion and surrealism to capture his musings in a way that is quite remarkable. As time goes by more and more people are discovering Will Varley, joining the ranks, and finding a true artist, a poet and a source of truth in a world gone mad.

Varley’s latest album ‘The Hole Around My Head’ was released in October 2021 via Yellow Cake, a label established by veteran producer Cameron McVey.

Will’s music has been played extensively on 6Music, Radio X and Radio 1. He was named one of NPR’s ‘Austin 100’ at SXSW festival in Texas, and his albums have reached number two in the iTunes Singer Songwriter charts in the UK, number three in Germany and made the top 30 in the US.

“One of the best songwriters in the UK” Frank Turner

Special guests Holy Moly & The Crackers:

Holy Moly & The Crackers are the innovative and fiery folk-rockers from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the North-East UK, who bombastically mash together unique flavours of americana, rock and indie with a circus-punk edge, and have become renowned for their blazing live shows.
Building a loyal and enthusiastic fan base over the years, the six-piece first tasted success with the release of their album Salem on their own Pink Lane Records, when lead single ‘Cold Comfort Lane’ was picked up by Hollywood and used in the vibrant, stick-it-to-the-man blockbuster Oceans 8 in 2018. Since then, they have sold out shows across the UK and Europe and graced the stages of innumerable festivals, including Glastonbury and Colours Of Ostrava in Czech Republic.

Working again with Salem producer Matt Terry, they recorded and released their follow up album Take a Bite in 2019, described as a “swaggering album that showcases a riotous blend of styles” by Louder Than War. Once again Holy Moly & The Crackers hit the road in full throttle, joining ‘shanty punks’ Skinny Lister on tour around Europe, before appearing at over 30 festivals, and finally undertaking a victorious headline lap of the UK, culminating in selling out their biggest show to date at Sage Gateshead on the banks of the Tyne.

2020 saw the band blasting out of the blocks with their new single ‘Road to You’, “a shot of espresso, that comes loaded and ready to work in a short, sharp shock”. They were set to play 27 dates across 10 countries on their biggest European tour to date, as well as support Frank Turner across France and Germany, and return to Glastonbury for its 50th anniversary. But, well, you know what happened next.

Across the pandemic the band built their own studio where they self-produced and recorded the most recent single ‘Cry Wolf’, which found its way onto the prestigious Blues & Roots Rock Spotify playlist. In late 2021 the band managed, among the chaos, to head on tour, performing to capacity crowds across the UK.

2022 sees Holy Moly & The Crackers retreat into their crazy chocolate factory to record their new album, working with Netherlands producer Wessel Oltheten (Dewolff) and six times Grammy award-winning mix engineer, Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton), with releases and tours across UK and Europe planned for next year and beyond.