Calum Baird is a Scottish folk, punk and story-telling singer-songwriter and musician featured on BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, BBC Radio Scotland and Amazing Radio.
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“Echoing early Billy Bragg with his dogged optimism” – Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music
“Contemporary, contemplative and thoughtful” – Iain Anderson, BBC Radio Scotland
“I’m a massive fan of what he does – there’s always lyrics that mean something“ – Jim Gellatly, Amazing Radio
“A wonderful songwriter” – Charlie Ashcroft, Amazing Radio USA
Calum Baird is a Scottish folk, punk and story-telling singer-songwriter and musician featured on BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, BBC Radio Scotland and Amazing Radio.
Calum’s music is characterised by its honesty and authenticity, with lyrics that are often introspective and personal. His songs explore social commentary, modern life, relationships, alienation and social change. Calum’s influences include Bob Dylan, The Pogues, Johnny Marr, Billy Bragg and Dick Gaughan.
Calum has been featured on radio stations across the UK and internationally, and he has performed at festivals and events throughout the UK, Europe and Cuba. He has been featured in online media and the press, including in Scotland on Sunday as their Artist of the Week.
In addition to touring and writing his own music, Calum wrote and composed the musical score for the award-winning feature-film Exiles (2021) written by Glasgow poet and writer, Victoria McNulty.
Calum Baird – Mi Verdad, Live in the Blue Lizard Studio, Germany [Almost Acoustic], 2025
Calum Baird – Una Semana en La Habana, Live on El Malecon, Havana [Outdoors Acoustic]
Calum Baird – Between the Worlds, Live outdoors acoustic, 2024
New single – These Dire Days
“Reminded me fondly of Killeagh by Kingfishr. The song has a strong melodic chorus…You can hear the influence of The Pogues and Bob Dylan” – John Kerr, BBC Radio Ulster
Calum Baird releases stirring folk single, These Dire Days — a song of memory, uncertainty and resilience
Scottish songwriter Calum Baird returns with These Dire Days, a reflective folk single that captures both the nostalgia of youth and the anxieties of modern life.
Opening with the vivid line “Do you remember that night on Havana and coke?”, the song begins in a moment of youthful optimism before widening into something more universal — a meditation on living through uncertain times. Against a backdrop of war, social fragmentation and a growing sense of alienation, These Dire Days explores how people try to hold on to hope when the world feels increasingly unstable.
Musically, the track blends acoustic guitar with bass, banjo and accordion, building toward a soaring chorus that carries the song’s emotional core: “These dire days, they too, shall pass.”
Rooted in the storytelling traditions of artists and bands such as Bob Dylan and The Pogues, the song combines intimate personal reflection with a broader social awareness — a hallmark of contemporary folk songwriting.
At its heart, These Dire Days is a reminder that while the world may change and darker periods arrive, they are never permanent — and perspective and hope remain essential.
These Dire Days is available 13/03/26.
Live gigs and tours
In addition to this latest single, Calum has an extensive run of upcoming live dates which include UK tours, festival appearances and international shows. The full list is as follows, though, more dates are to be added:
April
29th – 1 in 12 Club, Bradford with Joe Solo, 7pm
30th – The Needle & Pin, Loughborough with Joe Solo, 7pm
May
1st – May Day Live, The Waverley, Edinburgh with Joe Solo & Elsie MacDonald, 7pm
2nd – Edinburgh May Day, The Pleasance, 1pm
7th – The Peoples’ Republic, Hull with Chloe Hawes, 8pm
8th – The Red Shed, With Banners Held High Festival, Wakefield, 8pm
9th – Mr Shaw’s, Derby with Joe Solo, 8pm
10th – Cafe Etch, Middlesborough, 8pm
12th – Featured act at Graveyard Shift Poetry Night, Diggers, Edinburgh, 7pm
14th – The Strines Nightingale, Marple with Attila the Stockbroker, 7pm
15th – Horsforth Tap, Leeds with Lewis Pugh, 8pm
29th & 30th – Solidarity Park Festival, Barcelona
June
28th – Main stage, Leigh Folk Festival, 12pm
July
16th – The Peoples’ Republic, Hull, 8pm
19th – Martyrs’ Marquee, Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival, 12pm
23rd – The Chester Tavern, Kidderminster, 9pm
Contact
For further info, interviews and all media requests please contact:
CalumBairdSongs [at] outlook.com
@CalumBairdSongs
Stage Plan and Tech
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Calum Baird 