Katie Gregson-Macleod – Celtic Connections 2026 – Scotland’s newest mainstream folk queen is a perfect fit, with a contemporary twist

Katie Gregson-Macleod’s headline performance at Celtic Connections made me believe in the power of folk-pop

Scotland’s newest mainstream folk queen, Katie Gregson-Macleod, played one of her largest headline shows yet as part of this year’s Celtic Connections. A celebration of everything from Scottish trad music to world music to folk and Americana – Katie as a headliner was a perfect fit, with a contemporary twist.

The Barony hall was filled to the brim, not your typical gig venue, but a neo-gothic church turned exam hall and graduation venue by Strathclyde University. Katie joked to the busy crowd ‘why are you all here when Emmy Lou Harris is playing tonight?’, poking fun at and playing testament to the devout dedication of her fans and the cult-like online following she has garnered in the last few years.

Sophie May, a good friend of Katie’s, played first. A very talented singer and guitarist, who took to the stage alone but filled the hall with sweet wispy vocals and a quirky, silly sense of humour which punctuated her songs. I was excited to hear she’s releasing her debut album in March.

Katie Gregson-Macleod and her band (plus strings) followed. It was truly beautiful to hear her newest EP Love me Too Well, I’ll Retire Early, played in full. The EP wouldn’t have been complete without special guest Josef joining her on stage for ‘James’. A particular highlight for me was her haunting rendition of Joan Baez’s ‘Diamonds and Rust’, a clear nod to her influences and statement about the kind of artist she is growing into, reflected in her experimentations with a more traditional folk singer sound. 

From early in the set, playing with the band to the more intimate songs she played alone at the piano, her identity as a folk artist became stronger and more defined. As a fan, I had always thought of her more as an indie-pop darling, think Billie Eilish  meets Phoebe Bridgers. Her music is Tik-Tok famous; it is the soundtrack to many an angst-fuelled film fan edit and initially captured hearts and minds in Netflix’s teen romance ‘Heartstopper’. It is cool, and folk music is not, or so they say. But it was incredibly heartening to see Katie Gregson-Macleod challenge what it means to be a folk artist. Reminding us of her roots and bringing context to her lyricism, carving out a place for Scottish folk pop to have its cool girl moment.  

Katie Gregson-Macleod

Image credits: Zara Grew