Ruth Theodore
Friday 15th & Saturday 16th August 2025
#PVFF25, #PVFF17
Distinguished British artist and ‘original folk voice’ Ruth Theodore, emerged as a DIY street musician playing a de-tuned guitar. These modest beginnings set the stage for a trajectory that now finds Ruth collaborating and sharing stages with iconic international artists as a performer, co-writer and recently co-producer. Theodore has been steadily producing and releasing critically acclaimed studio albums for a decade, with her latest studio record entitled ‘I Am I Am’ released on Ani Difranco’s Righteous Babe records (USA), receiving consistent rave reviews. Theodore caught the ear of DiFranco during a show at the London Palladium and later won her heart with her back catalog described as ‘a testament to joyous rebellion’.
Ruth’s music and life choices reflect her nomadic spirit and naturally transient personality, actively avoiding being pinned down in all aspects of life from sexuality to physical location, Ruth’s compositions, like their creator, delve deep into various realms and genres whilst never lingering long enough to become entangled in the details. The roots of Theodore’s career stretch back to open-air busking on the streets of southern England, and writing her earliest albums during a seven-year period when she lived alone on a canal boat without heat or electricity and as such her work has always been a celebration of the cracks in the concrete, forever pushing the boundaries of gender and genre, and the confines of the
conventional “singer-songwriter” archetype.
Ruth and her music are entities on the move, always developing something new and exciting. Her confidence has grown with each release and there is an unapologetic boldness to her latest work that demands she be taken seriously. Her latest release ‘I Am I Am’ is further fruits of her close 10 year collaborative relationship with Tony and Grammy award winning bassist/producer Todd Sickafoose (Ani Difranco/Hades Town) and Swiss-American percussionist Mathias Kunzli (Regina Spektor, Lauryn Hill, Yo-Yo Ma). Working as co-producer, Theodore demonstrates her ability to paint the backdrop to her own work with her intricate and dynamic choral and instrumental arrangements.
‘I Am I Am’ follows the release of Cactacus which saw her break into more commercial territory, earning rave reviews in mainstream media and music press, ranking #1 in fRoots album of the month, and gaining national airplay on multiple UK radio stations. However, on returning from an EU tour in 2019 Theodore was diagnosed with breast cancer and soon underwent successful chemotherapy treatment that spanned the worst of the pandemic, and beyond. In her hands, this time of healing was an opportunity to channel her energy into what she loves, creating music every day, and the result is a trove of new material.
Ruth’s lyrics, crammed full of her vibrant personality, navigate intimate journeys of sexuality, mental and physical health, love and loss, whilst simultaneously holding a wider socio-political view of the world. Her often profound and always playful stage show has earned her the honor of appearing as special guest alongside US political folk icons Ani Difranco, Dar Williams, Peter Mulvey, Hamell On Trial, Jeff Lang, Rory McLeod, and Nick Harper. Gracing iconic venues such as the Union Chapel and the illustrious London Palladium. Influential publications such as ‘The Guardian’ sing Ruth’s praises and editor and founder of long established music magazine ‘fRoots’ heralds Ruth as ‘one of the most innovative, original, exciting artists in the UK’. Her creative legacy is preserved within the sound archives of the British Library, celebrated for its contribution to British music and its ‘intriguing nature and originality.’
Ruth is currently working on her 6th studio album, set for release in late 2025 and is on tour both solo and with her band, in the UK, USA, CAN and the EU in 2025.
