High-res version

What can you do with 600+ videos of indie, folk and acoustic performances all recorded in the last year? We don’t expect anyone to watch them end to end. But the videos are arranged in alphabetical order, so you can browse them.

Individual performances that were at the ‘chills’ level for me were:

  • Bastille and Freya Ridings with full orchestra performing ‘Pompeii’
  • Andy Shauf, live performances from ‘Norm’
  • Bear’s Den “Evelyn” snowy mountain top performance at Zermatt Unplugged
  • Billie Eilish’s live performance of her song for the movie Barbie, with the crowd singing along
  • Bruce Cockburn’s new song “O Sun by Day O Moon by Night”, definitely in his lifetime top 5, IMO.
  • Cat Burns knockout performances with guitar only; incredible presence
  • and, that just gets us to the letter ‘C’.

Other artists include: Allison Russell, The Arcadian Wild, Bear’s Den, Billy Strings, boygenius, Cat Burns, Charley Crockett, Couch, Darlingside, Ed Sheeran (acoustic only), more by Freya Ridings, Glen Hansard, Gregory Alan Isakov, Hannah Georgas, James Bay, Jason Isbell, Lawrence, Lizzy McAlpine, Madison Cunningham, Margaret Glaspy, Margo Price, Matt Anderson, Michael Franti, Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, The Mountain Goats, Nanna, The National, Nickel Creek, Noah Gunderson, Noah Kahan, Ola Gjeilo, Paolo Nutini, Paper Kites, Passenger, Raye, Rhiannon Giddens, Romy, Royal Wood, Sam Fischer, Sierra Ferrell, Sierra Hull, Sofi Tukker, Stile Antico, Tiny Habits, Tom Odell, Tom Rosenthal, Twisted Pine, Eric Whitacre, Voces8, The War on Drugs, Watchhouse, Watkins Family Hour, The Wildwoods, Willow, Zaz and Zoe Wees.

The main youtube playlist can be played on a big screen TV or a touchpad with headphones for an immersive concert-like experience. 

I’ve also prepared a separate ‘audio stream’ play list of the songs featured in the video performances. The ‘audio stream’ may feature the soundtrack of the video performance, or a studio recording of the same song, depending on provider availability. The ‘audio streams’ are made available on Youtube Music and Spotify, purely for listening. The audio stream playlists are an excellent way to encounter indie folk and folk artists that you may not be familiar with. 

Later this month we will release our video performance playlist of the best performances of the year as ranked by our panel. The discovery playlist is a first step in that process.

Is there a performer or performers that you believe were a standout this year? Please comment below; it’s valuable feedback as we prepare our shorter list of the year’s best.

Here is the link to the video performance playlist, over 660 performances. The embedded youtube player will only load the first 200 videos. Use the top right corner to browse a list of the performer and song names. To load the next 200 videos, click near the bottom of the list.

Artsfols 2023 Indie Folk and Acoustic Discovery playlist

You can also access the playlist with any youtube app, like the one on most big screen TVs, by searching for ‘Artsfols 2023’ and selecting the “Artsfols 2023 Indie Folk and Acoustic Discovery” playlist.

Here is a link to the Youtube Music audiostream – for listening only.
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2x-ijV1E2eELl4CBiQLr5ESSeAK5AFCA

Finally, to access the audiostream on Spotify, search Spotify for ‘Artsfols 2023’ and select the ‘Artsfols 2023 Audiostream Indie Folk and Acoustic Discovery’ playlist. We no longer embed the Spotify player.