Grace Petrie (UK)

Grace Petrie is a songwriter, activist and performer from Leicester, UK. She first exploded on to the protest music scene with a blistering set at Glastonbury in 2010, where the debut performance of her emotive anti-austerity anthem “Farewell to Welfare” transformed her overnight into one of the brightest stars in political music. Since then she has quietly become one of the most prolific and highly respected songwriters working in the UK today, celebrated by critics and listeners alike.

Her young career has earned her a dedicated fan base and national tours supporting Emmy the Great, Billy Bragg and comedians Robin Ince and Josie Long, as well becoming a firm fixture on the British festival scene with regular appearances at Latitude and Glastonbury. She appears alongside Leon Rosselson, Peggy Seeger and others in the Anti-Capitalist Roadshow collective of political performers. She is a frequent guest on BBC Radio 4’s the Now Show and has appeared on Channel 4’s Random Acts. In 2013 she was recognised as “one to watch” in the Independent on Sunday’s Pink List of influential LGBT figures.

Grace’s fourth studio album Whatever’s Left (2015) is a triumphant return to the high-energy political anthems that began her career, enriched by backing band The Benefits Culture. Written in part as a response to the re-election of an austerity-focussed right wing British government, it charts the journey through protest, love and loss to culminate in a celebration of resilience, both personal and political.

“A powerful song-writing voice.” – The Guardian

“Whining folk singer.” – The Telegraph