Be The Man - The Young'uns

We are big fans of our next LCM featured artists and we think this multi-award winning trio are rapidly becoming a national folk treasure. Known for their excellent live performances Sean, David & Michael are also fantastic song-writers and interpreters of traditional folk music. They are releasing their brilliant new album 'Strangers' at the end of the month. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is one of the lead singles the personal and thought-provoking 'Be The Man'. which was inspired by the incredibly moving story of Matthew Ogston and his fiancé Nazim Mahmood – its poignancy elevated by ex Bellowhead musician Rachael McShane on cello and fiddle and Chumbawamba’s Jude Abbott on flugelhorn. Matthew reacted to Sean’s lyrics saying: “I do not have the right words to even begin to explain how your words have touched my soul and heart”. They wrote the song after hearing about what happened to Naz from the Guardian's interview with Matt in 2016. Through their eyes it tells the story of Naz and Matt, the challenges they faced to be themselves and their eternal, unconditional love for each other.

The Young’uns have proved themselves a unique proposition, writing and performing a cappella or subtly accompanied songs that tell it how it is alongside traditional songs from their native North-East and further afield – songs of conscience, songs of warmth and wit, songs to provoke, songs to inspire.

Renowned for their pitch perfect harmonies and rapid fire humour, their live show undeniably has the human touch. Always engaging, frequently heart-warming, they have built an enviable audience rapport. They are an act that truly takes the cliché out of the “make you laugh, make you cry” tag.

Just two years after giving up their day jobs, Stockton Folk Club’s star pupils have had a milestone year with the release of their third studio album Another Man’s Ground, an appearance at America’s Folk Alliance, collectively celebrating their 30th birthdays and racking up accolades including Best Group in the FATEA Awards and Best Live Act in the Spiral Awards.

A decade of performance around the country, national radio sessions, more than 40 festival appearances (Cambridge to Glastonbury) and increasingly acclaimed album releases has delivered a gregarious, sharply honed, pull no punches act that clinched the Best Group trophy at the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in Cardiff – a hugely popular result that saw them beating off opposition including the mighty Bellowhead.

Beguiling audiences around the world, they seamlessly switch from beautiful ballads to brilliant banter, from profoundly poignant songs to infectiously irreverent humour. This, combined with their passion for storytelling and commitment to maintaining the tradition of social commentary, has led to five star reviews, live sessions on BBC Radio 2, 3 and documentaries on Radio 4 as well as countless sell out shows and main stage festival appearances throughout the UK and abroad.

In 2016, The Young’uns gloriously repeated their 2015 success at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards by picking up the “Best Group” award for the second consecutive year in front of a packed house at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The Teesside trio return in 2017 with an extensive October UK tour and an eagerly anticipated new album, ’Strangers’, which is a collection of folk songs for our times – a homage to the outsider, a eulogy for the wayfarer and a hymn for the migrant.