Ten minutes into his Acomb show and Joshua Burnell is drawing attention to his red, sparkly shirt. It’s a touch of Strictly at The Blue Bird Bakery, which is getting quite the reputation for music and poetry gigs in York.

By Miles Salter

Feature photo by Oz Hardwick

Burnell is the sort of singer that your auntie will love. He’s slim, good looking, chats amiably to the audience, a primary school teacher and a family man to boot. His wife is Frances Sladen, who sings backing vocals, and the couple now have a baby. 

Burnell’s stock in trade is folk rock. The older, seated folkies in the audience are the sort to lap up Steeleye Span or Fairport Convention, while the younger fans stand at the back. There are certainly traces of the ‘70s folk rock genre here. You can hear the Fairport influence. Burnell also throws in a Robert Burns song, Ye Jacobites By Name, for good measure.

But the music strays beyond folk’s paradigm. One song has the feel of a Queen anthem with Burnell adopting Mercury-style fist movements, encouraging the audience to sing along.

The band are uniformly excellent. A quiet and studious Kat Hurdley plays deft violin, while Nathan Greaves is more boisterously moved by the music, playing rock solos and hopping about the stage. Ed Simpson gives little away but is excellent and meticulous on drums. Oliver Whitehouse is the archetypal bass player – solid, in the background, but throwing in a joke to make the audience laugh. Frances Sladen provides backing vocals and a supportive vibe. Collectively, they are tremendous. There’s clearly been a lot of rehearsal, and the arrangements are thoughtful and energetic.

At one point, Burnell mentions he is a strong left-wing supporter. One of his songs speaks of two people singing and dancing just before the apocalypse. It’s a sort of ‘we might as well go out joyful’ message, which seems apt given where planet earth is heading.

Some songs have dark touches. Two Moons is about a sort of nocturnal animal slaughter (and a comment on ecological meltdown) but it’s played in a major key and is so jaunty that you would think it was written for In The Night Garden.

Burnell is on a mission to headline London’s Albert Hall and mentions this during the evening. On the strength of this gig, I would not bet against him. The songs are strong, the band are tight, and Burnell is a hugely likeable presence. Keep going Joshua – the Albert Hall surely beckons, hopefully this side of the apocalypse. 

Joshua Burnell played at The Blue Bird Bakery, York on 11 October 2025.