Goblin Band
In association with Broadside Hacks
Goblin Band formed from sessions of the same name run out of the HobGoblin Music shop in central London, organised by a collection of young queer folk obsessive friends and shop employees looking to forge their own way into folk music.
This gave rise to a band of multi-instrumentalists firmly rooted in the folk music of Britain, interpreted via the leftist tradition concerned with folk’s relationship to the history of the working classes, capitalism, and colonialism. Through a fusion of harmony singing, fiddle, squeezebox, hurdy gurdy, recorders and more, Goblin Band deliver a charismatic alternative expression of English traditional culture in a way which is at once riotously joyful and deeply sincere.
Their debut EP Come Slack Your Horse! sees Goblin Band revitalising songs dating back as early as the mid-17th century. While some tracks – such as instrumental opener Black Nag or Widecombe Fair – express a boundless, escapist joy, and the band’s deeply infectious enthusiasm for traditional music, many tracks across the collection, despite their age, bear startling parallels with the travails of contemporary society and the realities of the contemporary queer experience. The Prickle Holly Bush, and its story of one condemned for execution while one family member after another refuses to offer salvation, becomes, in Goblin Band’s hands, a metaphor for the rejection and estrangement often experienced among the queer community. While there’s this strong feeling of recontextualising old songs for the current political zeitgeist, there’s also a pervading sense with Goblin Band of artists reclaiming their personal heritage via the medium of folk music.
With multiple gigs across the UK already to their name, Goblin Band have already received a Quietus Feature and Guardian’s Folk Album of the Month. The band and its members are also integral cogs in London’s blossoming new folk movement, centred around the Broadside Hacks Folk Club and their regularly sold-out events at Hackney’s Moth Club.
Often organising their own seasonal events around London, Goblin Band themselves have played alongside many musicians forming the new folk-vanguard in the UK – Daisy Rickman, Shovel Dance Collective, Milkweed, Junior Brother – as well as some of the genre’s living legends – Peggy Seeger, Martin Carthy and Martin Simpson.
This event will last approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, including an interval.
Concessions & Under 30s tickets
Kings Place Concessions Tickets
We want to ensure that people who may be struggling financially to purchase a ticket can still enjoy visiting Kings Place. A limited number of tickets are allocated for certain events (if the ticket type does not show in the booking pathway, it means they are not available for this event or have all been sold). Concessions tickets are accessible for people on the following criteria (for more information visit our FAQs)
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Disability Benefit
- Income Support or Job Seekers allowance
- Students
£10 ‘Under 30s’ tickets
A limited number of £10 tickets for attendees aged under 30 are available for certain shows. To purchase an ‘Under 30s’ ticket, please choose the ‘Under 30s’ price type when selecting your ticket(s). If the option does not appear, this means all ‘Under 30s’ tickets have sold out or are not available for this performance. Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue. The £10 offer does not apply to premium price categories.
Plan your visit
Getting here
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, one of the most connected locations in London and now the biggest transport hub in Europe.
Our address is:
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.
The Venue
Our performance spaces are situated on the lower ground floor. Hall One, Hall Two and St Pancras are located in level -2, reached by stairs, escalator and lift from the ground floor entrance level.
Event Times
Door times indicate auditorium entrance times only. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the Kings Place seating areas, gallery-level art, canal-side terrace, café, restaurant and bar throughout the day and evening.
- Our events begin promptly at the advertised start time. Typically, there is no support unless otherwise stated.
- We recommend arriving in good time before the performance. The Hall doors will open 30 minutes before the performance to allow time to take your seats, or to choose a space for standing shows.
- Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance where possible
Access
We aim to make your visit to Kings Place as comfortable as possible. For more information about the accessibility of Kings Place, including details about our Access Scheme, please visit this page.
If you would like to discuss your access requirements with a member of our team, please get in touch with the Box Office team at info@kingsplace.co.uk.
Food & Drink
Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Rotunda, situated on the ground floor of Kings Place, offers a unique dining and drinking experience alongside Regent’s Canal. The concert bar in the venue foyer will also be open for select events.
Green & Fortune Café
Recently re-furbished and now open with a new look, the Green & Fortune Café is open for selected concerts. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soup, stew and a pie of the day, alongside a choice of cakes made by the on-site bakery team. See here for selected concert dates and standard opening hours.
Reviews
‘They can play and they can sing and they’re fearless…When I saw Goblin Band singing recently, I just thought, “Why didn’t I think of that?’ Martin Carthy
‘One of the most magnificent things this listener has heard in a long, long time.’ MOOF Mag
‘They throw down challenges, invite questions, and warm hearts.’ Sidmouth Herald