With the weather heating up and festival season just around the corner, we wanted to take a deep dive into this year’s lineup and shine a spotlight on a few of the amazing artists who’ll be joining us this September. As usual, we’ve invited a huge array of acts spanning the broad spectrum of folk, from exciting new artists just starting out on their careers all the way through to some true music legends. The 2023 Moseley Folk & Arts Festival lineup is undoubtedly our biggest to date with some huge names booked to join us in Moseley park…including Saturday night headliners, The Saw Doctors.

One of the most well-known bands to have come out of Ireland, The Saw Doctors have seen their pithy, emotive lyrics, big riffs and energetic live performances take them from backroom gigs in Galway to global renown, in part due to the admiration and support of The Waterboys frontman and Moseley Folk alumnus, Mike Scott. Taken by their down to earth demeanor and sincere songwriting that often spoke of day-to-day Irish life, Scott invited the band to join him on tour and produced their first tracks, kicking off The Saw Doctor’s swift ascent to stardom. Indeed, their second single, ‘I Useta Lover’, climbed to the No.1 spot in the charts and remained there for nine weeks, becoming Ireland’s all-time best-selling single and leading to extensive press coverage and international touring.

Perhaps one of the best-loved qualities of The Saw Doctor’s music is the way that they lean into their Irishness, embracing it and celebrating it within their songs and live patter. The lyrics are often brimming with imagery of West Coast of Ireland life, local colloquialisms, tales of emigration, poverty and romance found and lost in small seaside towns. Their songs have become anthems for Ireland – none more so perhaps than their 1996 track ‘To Win Just Once’ which became the unofficial song of the 1996 Irish Olympic boxing team. To this day, their songs move, amuse and transport their audiences back to Ireland with an irresistible charm and wit that has won them some rather eminent fans. A few weeks ago, President Joe Biden quoted lyrics from their hit song ‘The Green and Red of Mayo’ in one of his speeches, so who knows…Moseley Park this year, The White House in 2024?! Either way, it’s clear that The Saw Doctor’s legacy lives on around the world.

We couldn’t be happier to have this much-loved band coming to perform for us on Saturday 2nd September in Moseley Park. Best get warming up those vocal chords…we reckon there’s going to be plenty of singing along! With names like The Saw Doctors, Wilco, Graham Nash, Squeeze and The Proclaimers, it’s unsurprising that tickets are selling quickly, so book now and join us for a weekend of incredible music in peaceful lakeside surroundings. We’ll see you there!