Gen Z and Millennials’ surprising midsummer obsession

As a result, the new, more diverse, wave of folk has taken its expression outside the established venues. “The thing that has really grown is enthusiasm and desire,” says Hield, “rather than actual participation in stuff that is already available. Even though [new people] may be interested in a similar repertoire [as the old guard], they’re approaching it in different ways. And sometimes that rubs people up the wrong way.” Even though new groups like the Shovel Dance Collective and the Longest Johns sound folky, Hield says, there is something contemporary about their sound. And performance troupes such as Boss Morris look and feel current. “The Boss Morris costumes reference the traditional [Morris dancing] teams, but they’re not the same,” says Hield. “They’re very Instagrammable, very crafts movement. The group does things like dancing with Wet Leg at the Brits, or having big owl puppets; more contemporary aesthetics.” The songs, music and dance also often serve as vehicles for other kinds of connection, Hield suggests, to midsummer, Pagan festivals and ceremony.

Established folk musicians frequently call for more young people to join their gatherings. The old guard is dying; there is a need for new blood. “But whatever people are trying, it doesn’t seem to work,” says Hield. “There is a huge folk festival network, which the existing folkies frequent, but younger people are less likely to go to them. Even though they might go to the Glastonbury’s Avalon stage, they might not go to a local folk festival down the road.” For newbies to be interested, she suggests, existing offerings might need to change.

ShantyTok and New Folk

During the pandemic, classic and a capella singer Jonny Stewart from southern England missed singing with others. Turning to TikTok, he discovered that the platform allows anyone to add content to other people’s videos, encouraging musical collaboration. When Scotsman Nathan Evans’s version of old New Zealand sea shanty the Wellerman became big in 2021, TikTok creativity blossomed. “People started adding violin, high female vocals, dancing and other things [to the song],” Stewart says. “It was a whole chain.” After adding a bassline to one chain of harmonies, Stewart saw his video getting a life of its own as it spread across the web. “It wasn’t planned,” he says. “If you tried to recreate it from scratch, you couldn’t.”