Ben Caplan, with Yaelokre

Ben Caplan plays Leeds Beckett Students' Union on Friday 30 October, with Yaelokre opening the night. It's a SJM Concerts presentation, and the bill puts two very different sounds on the same stage.

Caplan is a Halifax, Canada artist known for a deep, commanding baritone and a stage presence that pulls from a wide range of folk traditions. His repertoire doesn't stick to one corner of the map; it reaches across blues, Romanian folk, jazz, soul and klezmer, and he's played nearly 2,000 shows in 27 countries. That breadth is a good way to get a sense of what he does — it's folk music that doesn't stay in one place.

Much of the set will likely draw from The Flood, the album he released in May 2025. It's a record that meditates on endings, resilience and carrying wisdom forward, with melodies that lean towards the folk traditions of Eastern Europe. If you've heard his work before, that's the side of his sound that's most present here.

Opening for him is Yaelokre, so you'll get two acts in one evening. The night is strictly age-restricted to 14 and over, with under-14s needing to be accompanied by an adult. It starts at 7:00 PM at Leeds Beckett Students' Union.