Ryan Boldt of The Deep Dark Woods returns to the UK solo this month

The Deep Dark Woods return with their first new music since Broadside Ballads Vol. III and their first original song since 2021's “Changing Faces”. Shadowy and inviting, “Ruby”, the first track off an upcoming yet-to-be-announced late 2025 record, sounds like the band playing in a darkened, fireplace-lit wood cabin in the middle of the night, and you're right in there with them in a well-worn armchair. The voice of founding member Ryan Boldt sits at the forefront of the band, and it doesn’t take long to reveal that he is a master of subtlety and shading.

“I wrote it during a strange and difficult time, after the sudden loss of my dear friend and tour manager, Kiko, and just before my daughter was born,” says Boldt. “It was a mix of heartbreak and anticipation that I will never forget.”

One might be tempted to think of the Deep Dark Woods as a band steeped in capital-T tradition, and that may be true, but now nearly two decades into their life as one of Canada’s finest folk-roots ensembles, that tradition is one of their own invention. The voice of founding member Ryan Boldt sits at the forefront of the band, and it doesn’t take long to reveal that he is a master of subtlety and shading.

Boldt, a relentless lifelong listener of music, says “It’s all I do. When I’m not playing music, I’m listening to it, trying to find songs that make me feel an aching pain in my chest.” Accordingly, his singing is full of highly emotive nuance and an elegant, relaxed precision that makes it seem downright effortless, a perfect vehicle for the band’s particular brand of updated folk music.

With new music under this belt The Deep Dark Woods will come to the UK for a string of intimate solo shows and a band tour, together with acclaimed singer- songwriter Erin Rae, is planned for September:

The Deep Dark Woods (solo)

06/05: Filey, UK - Filey Folk Festival
07/05: Sheffield, UK - Greystones
08/05: Wrexham, UK - Focus Wales
09/05: Bristol, UK - Hen & Chicken
11/05: Coventry, UK - The Tin Music & Arts
12/05: Brighton, UK - The Folklore Rooms
13/05: London, UK - The Social
14/05: Guildford, UK - The Star Inn
15/05: Isle of Wight, UK - Strings Bar & Venue
16/05: Cheltenham, UK - Wood Festival
17/05: Halifax, UK - The Grayston Unity
18/05: Winchester, UK - Railway Inn

The Deep Dark Woods & Erin Rae

10/09: Groningen, NL - Oosterpoort
11/09: Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg
12/09: Hamburg, DE - MS Stubnitz
13/09: Odense, DK - Nashville Music Nights
14/09: Göteborg, SWE - Pustervik
15/09: Oslo, NO - John Dee
16/09: Halden, NO - Kulturhuset
17/09: Trondheim, NO - Moskus
18/09: Östersund, SWE - Jazzköket
19/09: Stockholm, SWE - Kulturhuset
20/09: Malmö, SWE - Plan B
21/09: Copenhagen, DK - Ideal Bar
23/09: Essen-Werden, DE - Jugend- und Bürgerzentrum
24/09: Oldenzaal, NL - Kothman
25/09: Haarlem, NL - Patronaat
27/09: Breda, NL - Mezz
28/09: Sint-Niklaas, BE - De Casino