Live Preview: Maverick Festival, Easton Farm Park, Suffolk – 4th–6th July 2025
“A highlight in the Americana musical calendar is always the annual Maverick Festival in Suffolk. The first Americana festival in the UK, Maverick has been attracting audiences to the barns of Easton Farm Park since 2008. As other festivals struggle to survive in the current musical and economic climate, Maverick continues to draw in international acts and committed fans. Truly, this festival is a community, a family-friendly space for music-lovers to come together and embrace the moments, just for the love of music and the camaraderie. While last year’s event was accompanied by torrential rain (my tent, it turned out, was only made for sunshine), Maverick is usually the glorious height of the summer season – we’re used to scorching temperatures and the shade of wide-brimmed hats….
The festival is so well-established that Maverick has welcomed many critically-acclaimed artists over the years, such as Mary Gauthier, Justin Townes Earle, Jerry Joseph, Diana Jones and Billy Bragg, whilst also championing many up-and-coming acts, including the likes of Yola and Larkin Poe, who you can catch early in their careers and watch them develop. Perhaps more importantly, there is always a collection of artists that may be new discoveries for you but will be absolutely spellbinding and your musical life will be enriched for having made the connection to their art.
The recent announcement that Michele Stodart, UK Americana Awards Artist of the Year for 2024, has joined the line-up is very welcome. The multi award-winning singer song-writer, also known for being a member of The Magic Numbers, produces aching, confessional songs that are simply beautifully formed. She’ll be joined by the outstanding David Ford, who is superb solo but also a wonderful collaborator – his recent work with Annie Dressner is heartfelt and delicate and full of fragile melodies. Other local talent includes Brixton-born Errol Linton and one of the UK’s most renowned female pedal steel players in Holly Carter. The Hackney Hillpickers will get you moving with some contemporary, capital city bluegrass and The Bondurants will bring a rockier sound down from Leeds.
This year there’s a huge selection of international guests, including Todd Day Wait from Missouri, Californian outlaw queen Sara Petite, Canadian Elise LeBlanc and Kelly Mickwee from Memphis. Prinz Grizzley will deliver his Austrian Alpine take on Americana while Swedish sisters Baskery will also bring alt-country with European flavour. One of the most exciting prospects is Portland rising stars Glitterfox, whose nostalgia-drenched, southern-influenced indie-rock anthems are utterly absorbing and made for live performances. Maverick has partnered with friends in Lafayette, Louisiana – the capital of Cajun culture – to bring the spicy flavours on The Cajun Kitchen and spectacular Cajub sounds to the festival. Texan zydeco master Ruben Moreno and Lil Jim on the accordion will get you dancing alongside Paul McCartney’s favourites The Cajun Roosters. Like all the best festivals, there’s almost too much to take in and audiences will be spoiled for choice. One act everyone is sure to see is ‘Artist at Large’ Chris Murphy, an incredibly gifted violinist, who will no doubt work his way around the stages, joining other artists with his inspired embellishments to their songs. At last year’s festival, Murphy appeared with at least fourteen different artists over the weekend, joining them on stage for unrehearsed, entirely improvised collaborations that all sounded like they had worked together for months or years. Now, that’s talent...”
Live Preview: Maverick Festival, Easton Farm Park, Suffolk – 4th–6th July 2025