Tuesday 26th March | 8pm

The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tel:01179020344

Tickets: £12.50 / £15 inc BF

Tickets: https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/#date=2019-03-26&event_id=49631

Web: http://thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/ear-trumpet-folk-club-the-rheingans-sisters/

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/552265828577818/

Winners of the 2016 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Original Track, The Rheingans Sisters make playful, powerful and richly connecting music that is wholly contemporary while deeply anchored in folk traditions. Drawing on their pan-European musical scholarship (having studied extensively in France, Sweden and Norway) and their spirited mission to make connections between the music of different geographical roots, they have developed a rich artistic approach to the deconstruction and reimagining of traditional music alongside their own beguiling compositions. Since the release of their award-winning album Already Home (2015) audiences across the UK, Europe and Australia have been captivated by their live performances; as full-hearted performers and on-stage improvisors – via the adventurous use of fiddles, voices, banjo, bansitar, tambourin à cordes, poetry and percussion – The Rheingans Sisters are a unique and unmissable act on the folk and world music stage today. Their hotly anticipated third album ‘Bright Field’ is released in March 2018.

Fiddle-singers and multi-instrumentalists Rowan and Anna Rheingans grew up in the Peak District, surrounded by traditional music and encouraged to pick up the fiddle by their  musician mother and violin-maker father from an early age. Rowan is a well known on the English folk scene as part of hugely popular BBC Folk Award nominated trio Lady Maisery as well as for her work with Nancy Kerr & The Sweet Visitor Band andthe Songs of Separation super-group alongside Eliza Carthy and Karine Polwart.  Anna lives and works as a fiddle player in Toulouse and is an expert in southern French folk music, having recently gained a 1st class diploma from the Conservatioire Occitan. As both sisters have also spent a significant amount of time studying fiddle music in Sweden and Norway, they pull a range of influences from both northerSunday 7th April | 8pm

https://www.rheinganssisters.co.uk

 

 

Thursday 28rd March | 8pm

Vula Viel – “Do Not Be Afraid” Album Tour

The Cube, Dove St S, Avon, Bristol BS2 8JD

Tel:01179074190

Tickets: £12.50 / £15 inc BF

Tickets: https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/#date=2019-03-28&event_id=51074

Web: https://cubecinema.com/programme/event/vula-viel-do-not-be-afraid-album-tour,10427/

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/326277454649501/

Forward-thinking UK trio Vula Viel release their sophomore album, ‘Do Not Be Afraid’ on 25th January 2019, continuing their unique musical journey centred around the Gyil (Ghanaian xylophone).

The band’s new set confidently weaves sparse polyrhythms and intricate rhythm structures around bandleader Bex Burch’s Gyil lines and take the instrument’s sound into new territory, with bassist Ruth Goller (Acoustic Ladyland, Melt Yourself Down, Rokia Traore) and drummer Jim Hart (Cloudmakers, Ralph Alessi, Electric Biddle) introducing a rough, post-punk edge to the band’s sound.

In Bex’s own words: “I have loved making this music. The incredible Dagaare systems which form the foundation have given me the structure on which to write tunes, craft grooves and choose my own meanings. I’ve gone deeper into what moves me in the Dagaare music, the fundamentals – asymmetry, space and chaos. I love how Do Not Be Afraid feels – a totally unusual and unique groove. As musicians, Ruth and Jim are incredible: They bring passion, talent, intuition and a depth that I wouldn’t have access to without them.”

Vula Viel was formed in 2013 by Bex Burch. After studying at Guildhall and training as a classical percussionist, she embarked on a life-changing three-year period living, farming and studying with xylophone master Thomas Segura in Upper West Ghana; the band’s name means ‘Good is Good’ in the Dagaare language. After being mentored in the deep traditions around the Gyil, a large African xylophone made of sacred lliga wood, Burch began the journey to bring the instrument into her own music. The acclaimed debut Vula Viel album in 2015, ‘Good is Good’, was the first realisation of her vision and ‘Do Not Be Afraid’ is the first set of Burch originals,written on traditional Dagaare forms.

Described as “Ghanaian minimalism”, with the unassuming ability to blur the lines between atmospheres – Vula Viel’s sound may nod to Steve Reichian jazz, but influences don’t stop there: one can hear echoes of Bill Laswell and the irresistible energy of Arthur Russell.

“Beautiful .. Dance to it, Make Love to it, Consume it, Listen to it, Stare at the Clouds to it.. That music deserves good reactions!”  – Iggy Pop 

“One of my discoveries for the London Jazz Festival… Good is Good” – Gilles Peterson 

http://vulaviel.com

 

 

Sunday 7th April | 8pm

The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tel:01179020344

Tickets: £12.50 / £15 inc BF

Tickets: https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/#date=2019-04-07&event_id=50054

Web: http://thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/ear-trumpet-folk-club-marshes-featuring-beth-porter-plus-stanlaey/

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/341418303324492/

Marshes is the new incarnation of Beth Porter and the Availables. Having recorded the album before her daughter Molly was born and finishing it after, (thanks to an Indiegogo fund-raising Campaign) it feels like a life time’s journey in making a record. However, the album is a coherent collection of charmingly orchestrated songs with a full band, strings, wind and brass.

The songs are dark, quirky, charming and ethereal and depict themes such as fear, confusion, money, the weather and the odd cheesy love song, all carried by Beth’s pure and unaffected voice.

They have been said to channel Ray Davies, and have been likened to The Incredible String Band, REM, Cat Power, This Is The Kit, Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Radihead!

The album has involved many of Beth’s previous band including Jools Scott on piano (The Duckworths, The Cool Web) Emma Hooper on Viola (Waitress for the Bees), Pete Gibbs on Bass (Count Bobo) Sue Lord and Ian Vorley on Violin (Red Carousel) Paul Macmahon on Drums (Protest Crayon). Producer Luke Cawthra (The Brackish and son of Dr Feelgood’s Gypie Mayo) has brought a cool sound, warmth, clarity some awesome guitar solos to the songs from his studio in Clifton, Bristol.

Beth is the cellist for Eliza Carthy and the Wayward Band and she is one half of prolific duo The Bookshop Band as well as String Quartet Red Carousel. She has played cello on over 100 records including those of The Proclaimers, Petula Clark, Newton Faulkner, Jackie Oates, Jim Moray, The Heavy. She has played and written for short films including BAFTA winning The Eagleman Stag by Mikey Please.

“Quirky, engaging and really rather brilliant” – fRoots   

https://www.bethporter.co.uk

Stanlæy (Bethany Stenning) is primarily an artist, singer and multi-instrumentalist from Bath, England. Firstly a writer, and artist, and classical musician, Bethany discovered her love for singing, and writing music at age 18. She started studying Music at Southampton University in 2013 and moved to Paris in 2015 to study French and Music at the Sorbonne alongside her degree. It is in Paris she met Marco Pavesi, a talented French musician who she began to collaborate with. In February 2016, Bethany and Marco recorded a 5-track EP in Tour, France. Bethany has performed and recorded under a number of pseudonyms including “Stanhopea” and “Stanlæy”.

https://stanlaey.com

 

Tuesday 23rd April | 8pm

The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tel:01179020344

Tickets: £12.50 / £15 inc BF

Tickets: https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/#date=2019-04-23&event_id=49632

Web: http://thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/ear-trumpet-folk-club-moore-moss-rutter/

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/718282555217262/

It has been 3 years since the release of Moore Moss Rutter’s second studio album ‘II’ – and there is a heightened sense of anticipation around the reunion of Tom Moore (fiddle, viola), Archie Churchill-Moss (melodeon) and Jack Rutter (guitar) in the trio that won them the 2011 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award. Widely regarded as three of the best players, innovators and performers in traditional folk amongst a precociously gifted generation, their finely-crafted arrangements wield a rare potency. Now, having toured with with some of the biggest and brightest acts in the British folk scene, they reconvene to release their third record together which will mark a decade of performing as a band.

‘III’ (released April 2018 on Hudson Records) harbours the trio’s talents as instrumental composers and curators, featuring a diverse yet cohesive collection of primarily self-penned material. Recorded ‘live in the room’, this album is a melting pot of influences which feels unmistakably current. Whilst intrinsically borrowing from English and other European Traditional Dance music, sonically Moore Moss Rutter (and producer, Andy Bell) have their heads firmly in the present, understanding the values of contemporary music and art making. The distinct pulse, energy and group-intuition of trad-music haunts their playing as they continue to push the creative boundaries for English instrumental music, listening and responding to the world around them as much as their musical ancestors.

Tom Moore is a unique fiddle player, violist and composer originally from Norfolk. He is currently studying for a specialist creative music masters at Goldsmiths, University of London, and is in-demand as a session musician and collaborator on projects working across several fields including folk, improvisational and electronic.

Archie Churchill-Moss is based in Bristol and is one of Englands top melodeon players and tune-writers, whose work is stylistically informed by English and French musics. He is currently touring with Sam Kelly’s Lost Boys; alongside Tom in False Lights; and teaches in the Folk department at Leeds College of Music.

Jack Rutter is a highly respected guitarist, singer and multi-instrumentalist from West Yorkshire. The recent release of his debut solo album has been met with across-the-board acclaim, and he has toured extensively with Seth Lakeman, Jackie Oates, Molly Evans Trio, and many more bands.

“Giving English traditional music the love and respect it deserves, with dreamy reinterpretations”

“Giving English traditional music the love and respect it deserves, with dreamy reinterpretations” Verity Sharp on Late Junction, BBC Radio 3

https://www.mooremossrutter.co.uk

 

 

Wednesday 24th April | 8pm

Mesadorm

The Forge, Colston Yard, Bristol BS1 5BD

Tickets: £10 +BF

Tickets: https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/#date=2019-04-24&event_id=51808

Web: https://www.theforgebristol.com/events-2/live-music-bristol-mesadorm

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2209032272494372/

Mesadorm return to Bristol for an intimate performance showcasing songs from upcoming album ‘Epicadus’, where songs from their debut ‘Heterogaster’ (BBC Introducing’s best album of 2018) are re-imagined using acoustic instruments in the stunning Eype Church, Dorset. Don’t miss this one-off show!

You have probably already heard Blythe Pepino’s voice.  By the end of 2016, she had released her major label debut as frontwoman of Vaults, sung on that year’s John Lewis Christmas ad and toured with London Grammar.  Not one to compromise her artistic vision, in early 2017 she turned her back on the major label existence to pursue her penchant for the strange and leftfield with new band, Mesadorm.  

A band of experienced musicians, the quintet includes sought-after session players Daisy Palmer (Paloma Faith, Goldfrapp, Rae Morris) and Jo Silverston (Frank Turner, The Unthanks, The Magnetic North). Moving back to Pepino’s roots as a leftfield genre-bending songwriter, Mesadorm draws influence from contemporary electronic passions like Caribou, Grizzly Bear and Sylvan Esso, as well as from great female songwriters Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush. Their writing sits somewhere between the domestic observation of Suzanne Vega and the powerful, elemental other-worldliness of Bjork.

https://www.babylegsrecords.com/mesadorm

 

 

Wed 1st May 2019 | 8pm 

Flook

The Station, Silver St, Bristol BS1 2AG 

Tel: 01179477948

Tickets: £14 / £16 inc BF

Tickets: https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/#date=2019-05-01&event_id=48813

Web: https://www.colstonhall.org/shows/flook/

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/832239153589701/

FLOOK – The flutes of Brian Finnegan and Sarah Allen, the guitar of Ed Boyd and the bodhran of John Joe Kelly weave and spin traditionally rooted tunes into the breathtaking sound of the groundbreaking band Flook. This group possesses a rare blend of fiery technical brilliance, delicate ensemble interaction and a bold, adventurous musical imagination.

Though their first release, Flook! Live! (1997), was already heralded as “the ultimate modern flute album” by The Irish Times, Flook only properly burst onto the international music scene with the release of their debut studio album, “Flatfish”, in 1999. This album introduced master bodhran player John Joe Kelly to Flook’s line up of flutists Brian Finnegan and Sarah Allen and guitarist Ed Boyd. Flatfish was hailed as “stunning”, “remarkable” and “little short of miraculous”, but it was Flook’s live performances that really captured the hearts of those who watched and listened; the rapport between these four musicians, the sheer enjoyment they developed in playing together, was commented on by audiences and critics alike. “Rubai”, released in 2002 and nominated for BBC Folk Album of the Year, was universally applauded by both journalists and fellow musicians and cemented Flook’s reputation as one of the most exciting and innovative bands to emerge from the English/Irish folk scene, and they went on to win the coveted award for Best Group at BBC Folk Awards 2006.

There is no shortage of virtuosity amongst the members of Flook, but the unique impact of this band stems from the wholly intuitive, almost symbiotic, exchange between the various flutes, frets and skins.

Flook announced that they were taking a prolonged pause from live performance at the end of 2008, but, due to overwhelming popular demand, they are now back together and playing some carefully selected concerts around Europe and further afield. Catch these rare shows while you can!

“Head and shoulders above the rest… Magnificent” 

– The Irish Times

“Sheer musical magic…Stunning technique, impossibly agile rhythm work and virtuoso flights of jazzy improvisation add up to one of the most enthralling sounds around.” – The Scotsman

“Four brilliant musicians. Four times as much brilliant music” – Time Out

http://www.flook.co.uk

 

 

Sunday 19th May | 8pm

Martin Simpson

The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tel:01179020344

Tickets: £18.50 inc BF

Tickets: https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/#date=2019-05-19&event_id=51309

Web: http://thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/ear-trumpet-folk-club-martin-simpson/

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/277712756237944/

The remarkable intimate solo performances Martin gives go from strength to strength – every gig is a masterclass. He travels the length and breadth of the UK and beyond, giving rapt audiences passion, sorrow, love, beauty, tragedy and majesty through his playing.  40 years after he recorded his first album, Golden Vanity, in 1976, Martin is known as a guitarist of formidable talent. Equally at home playing English traditional folk, American folk and blues and his own compositions, he is consistently named as one of the very finest fingerstyle guitar players in the world.

Universally acclaimed as one of the finest ever acoustic and slide guitar players, and a fine banjo-picker to boot, his solo shows bear witness to an artist at the very top of his game. Whether interpreting material from tradition or singing his own potent self-penned songs, Simpson is a remarkable storyteller: captivating and profoundly moving. His own songwriting produced the poignant ‘Never Any Good’, from Prodigal Son, 2007’s Folk Album of the Year.

Martin continues to collaborate with a dazzling array of people from across the musical spectrum: Jackson Browne, Martin Taylor, June Tabor, Richard Hawley, Bonnie Raitt, Danny Thompson, David Hidalgo, Danú, Richard Thompson and Dom Flemons are among the great musicians he has worked with.

In recent years, he has been a lynchpin in the award-winning Full English, The Elizabethan Sessions and, in 2015, recorded Murmurs, an exciting new album with Andy Cutting and Nancy Kerr. Martin’s latest solo album entitled Trails and Tribulations was released in September 2017 on Topic Records. Album guests include Andy Cutting, Kathryn Tickell, Nancy Kerr and John Smith.

He has had the most nominations of any performer in the 18 years of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, an astonishing 32 times, 13 of those as Musician of the Year, winning that particular accolade twice.

A virtuoso player without question, but above all Martin Simpson conveys his diverse treasure trove of material from the heart, performing with rare subtlety, intensity and honesty. A true master of his art.

“One of the virtuoso instrumentalists of the English music scene” ‘Sounds better than ever’ **** 4 Stars The Guardian

“Simpson has become a fine interpreter of traditional and other songs, as well as a notable writer of his own.” The Times

http://martinsimpson.com

 

 

Tuesday 28th May | 8pm

Stanlæy – The Human Project – Album Launch plus Alfi 

The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tel:01179020344

Tickets: £12.50 inc BF

Tickets: https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/#date=2019-05-28&event_id=51896

Web: http://thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/ear-trumpet-folk-club-stanlaey-plus-alfi/

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2565582273457279/

Stanlæy  is the musical moniker of Bristol based singer, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Bethany Stenning, typically performing her original compositions live with Ben Holyoake (bass), Oliver Cocup (drums/percussion) and Naomi Hill (violin). The music of Stanlæy has been influenced by a diverse genre pool of folk/jazz and cosmic atmospheres, and has been compared to artists such as Kate Bush, The Dirty Projectors and Sigur Ros. 

Their live show is a masterful collaboration, marrying pop, classical, experimental rock and folk. The sound is tied together in polyphony, with crafted violin parts weaving between Bethany’s ethereal vocals and the electric guitar. 

Stanlæy will be joined on stage for this one-off gig with her Seaweed String Quartet, Alannah Thornburgh on harp, and special guests to bring to life this preternatural show in celebration of The Human Project album release. 

Stanlæy’s complex and intricate recordings (The Human Project) are entirely composed, arranged and recorded by Bethany Stenning. 

https://stanlaey.com

Alfi are a fresh new trio combining American old time and traditional Irish music and song to produce a unique and tasteful sound. Alfi features an unusual line-up of harp, five-string banjo, uilleann pipes, whistles and vocals. The trio have performed at many established venues and festivals, including Body&Soul, Knockanstockan and Whelan’s, and have recently returned from touring America. In November, Alfi won the prestigious ‘Molloy Award’ competition at the ‘Trip to Birmingham Tradfest’, a competition for young, up and coming bands. They will have their own slot at the Trip to Birmingham Tradfest 2019 as a result. At the moment, Alfi are busy recording their debut EP, due for release in May 2019.    

https://www.facebook.com/pg/alfimusicireland

 

 

Tuesday 4th June | 8pm

Edgelarks

The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tel:01179020344

Tickets: £15 inc BF

Tickets: https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/#date=2019-06-04&event_id=51310

Web: http://thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/ear-trumpet-folk-club-edgelarks/

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2754158374808430/

April 2018, Edgelarks (Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin) retreated to a remote cottage in Ulpha, western Cumbria. They breathed in the mountain view, banked up the fire, and took their instruments out of their cases. Then they sat down, and wrote. In escaping the everyday chaos of busy lives, they realised how caught up in the misery of the 24 hour news cycle they were; absorbed in the heartbreak of the world, they had lost sight of its beauty. Tired of the navel gazing tendencies of sad song writing, and the terrible events frequently depicted in the folk ballad tradition, they decided to turn their attention to an oft overlooked but vital facet of our lives: hope.

Swiftly, a set of songs and tunes emerged. Stories of wonder from the natural world; tales of rejoicing and long lost returns; and simple thanksgiving for their own surroundings and place in the landscape. Informed by world rhythms, British folk roots, and the duo’s penchant for making as much noise as possible with only two people, the album is an upbeat celebration, an incitement to hope.

Edgelarks fly in on the tailwind of BBC award winning duo Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin. The pair’s new project takes the roots of their previous work, from the traditional musics of the British Isles to Indian classical slide guitar to the stomping roots party of Phil’s beatbox harmonica; adds a strong stem of original writing; and runs wilder with each repeat play.

“Subtle, atmospheric… Bravely original” – Robin Denselow, The Guardian ****

“Keen, curious and concerned intellects are at work here. Hannah Martin is an enthralling singer; Phillip Henry plays all manner of guitars and the harmonica, terrifically.” – Julian May, Songlines ***** Top of the World album

http://www.philliphenryandhannahmartin.co.uk

 

 

Wednesday 5th June

Nick Hart – Sings Nine English Folk Songs – Album Launch

The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tel:01179020344

Tickets: £12.50 / £15 inc BF

Tickets: https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/#date=2019-06-05&event_id=51814

Web: http://thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/ear-trumpet-folk-club-nick-hart/

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/294788194517143/

Nick Hart is a folk singer deeply rooted in the English tradition. Raised in a family of morris dancers, Nick played instrumental music for many years before discovering his passion for traditional song. Whilst studying for an ethnomusicology degree, he began to explore the large body of recordings of traditional singers from the second half of

the 20th century, and this led to several years of fevered study and many nights spent at folk clubs and festivals, honing his skills as an unaccompanied singer. 

Nick’s initially hardline attitude to the accompaniment of folk songs has softened over the years, but his love of the nuances of traditional singing informs his minimal guitar accompaniment, and his songs are delivered with a great emphasis on storytelling. His repertoire of songs, drawn largely from his native East Anglia, reflect his understanding of both the depth and breadth of material within the English tradition and he is fast acquiring a reputation as an engaging and entertaining performer. 

2017 saw the release of his first solo album, Nick Hart Sings Eight English Folk Songs. Recorded by long-time collaborator Tom Moore, the album has been well received, being described as ‘One of the most rewarding and accomplished albums we’ve heard this year‘-fRoots.

“One of the most rewarding and accomplished albums we’ve heard this year” – fRoots “Uncluttered, great singing that reminds me of the very best English roots singers… this is the real deal” – Mike Harding

http://www.nickhartmusic.com