press kit

21st century, folk - inspired music from Joe Bayliss.

Influenced by John Martyn, Damien Rice and Nick Drake, Joe is really at home interacting with his audience.

By his own words…

“ the oldest – ‘new kid on the block’ in the folk world in the last 12 years”, he brings a life’s experience, portrayed in a contemporary way , weaving humorous back-stories with sensitive, thought provoking songs, soothing melodies and imaginative metaphors that intersperse, carefully crafted lyrical pictures.

He can have you laughing at the introduction and crying three minutes later from the beauty of an emotional experience.

A singer songwriter who absolutely, writes and performs from the soul.

"Telling a story that people can relate to, is so important to me with my songs, but what comes first, every time, is the sound - always searching for open chords, dissonance, resonance, tension... and from that comes an atmosphere, a direction of feeling that the song needs to take, that almost describes the lyrics that follow."

Mike Seal joined Joe in 2023 with a considerable background in Folk, Jazz and Blues music and adds further sensitivity and atmosphere to the musical experience. Whether it's slow ballads or up-tempo rhythmic songs, they are usually confessional, or observational, but always contemporary in lyrical content…

People say...

A wonderful vocalist and sensitive guitar guitar player with original songs complimenting his style. His amiable chat between songs made it feel like a carpet had been placed on the stone floor!
SOUL SESSIONS

Day 3 started with a surprise and a confirmation. Joe Bayliss, playing the acoustic stage gained audience approval and comparison with John Martyn and Nick Drake - not a bad piece of work for a Sunday afternoon"

FATEA (review of west coast folk festival)

Joe was fantastic! His performance was mesmerizing and very special. All who came, adored him and he created a wonderful atmosphere and evening.

The Bookshop By The sea

There are far too many quotes of his performance/appearance at other venues to list here so have just picked one that mirrors my own thoughts ….’I can listen to Joe all day…a great storyteller whose songs paint great pictures in your imagination, whilst his voice takes you on a soothing journey. He’s also one of the nicest people you will ever meet...

Red Lion Folk club

“…stunning performance. Beautifully crafted and performed songs that reach for your heart, but the humour and open conversation between songs pulls you in. Mike Seal on double bass adds so much depth and layers to the songs.”

Ludlow Folk

.... If you're never heard Joe sing , make the effort and go to one of his gigs, His soft mellow speaking voice transcends into his vocal performance, to a soft, yet punctuated high tenor that's barely a whisper , but can be heard in the back of the room , And in contrast, his baritone - vibrato rich and full, resounds in your chest as you listen....A headline act that can grace any venue in the country

Birch & Stock folk club

Joe is one of those very best and provided us with a wonderful set of melodic and heartfelt songs that captivated the audience from beginning to the end- highly recommended.

Shirley Folk Club