Chris Brain is a Yorkshire-based folk singer-songwriter whose work sits firmly in the British pastoral tradition, shaped by close attention to place, memory and emotional nuance. His fourth album, Red Sun Rising (2026), is a quietly powerful collection of songs centred on yearning, restlessness and the desire for change

Rooted in acoustic textures and intimate storytelling, Red Sun Rising feels like a record made in motion: landscapes shifting, seasons turning, inner lives gently unsettled. Brain’s songwriting balances melody and restraint.

A familiar voice on BBC Radio 6 Music and the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show, Chris Brain has toured extensively across the UK and internationally, including a seven-date sold-out tour of Japan. In 2026, he returns with a UK & Ireland tour to accompany the release of Red Sun Rising.

“There are shades of the master Ralph McTell here and I can think of no greater compliment than that, I love It” - Mark Radcliffe, BBC 2 Folk Show

"Devotees of Bryter Layter and Bert Jansch’s Fresh As A Sweet Sunday Morning will find cause for boundless optimism here, with Chris Brain’s astute fingerpicking and sepia-toned vocals” - MOJO (4 out of 5 stars)

"Pastoral folk with present day-day-vigour... Chris Brain has inched closer to a spot in British folk's first rank” - UNCUT (8 out of 10)

“Captures and continues the British 70s folk singer-songwriter sound in a really natural way" - BBC 6Music