The Furrow Collective brings together four of the finest, award winning musicians on the UK folk scene and delves into the obscure world of balladry at its darkest and quirkiest. Each singer airs lesser-known gems from their traditional repertoire with an eclectic backing of harp, guitar, viola, concertina, banjo, musical saw and rousing harmonies. With a bold, improvisatory approach, their common focus is to capture the raw edges and fleeting magic of ballads, with storytelling taking centre stage.
Emily Portman and Alasdair Roberts are both known for their original, folklore-influenced songwriting, and, often finding themselves on the same bills they struck up a musical friendship, sharing stages and collaborating on each others albums. Lucy Farrell and Rachel Newton are both bewitching solo artists in their own right as well as being sought-after session players and long-time collaborators with Emily Portman in her trio.
The collective will be releasing an album in February 2014 on Furrow Records. Here’s a taster:
They’re touring in February:
19th – Calstock Arts, Cornwall
20th – Lantern @ Colston Hall, Bristol
21st – Gilcrux Village Hall, Cumbria
22nd – The Glad Cafe, Glasgow
23rd – House Concert, Edinburgh
25th – Chapter Arts, Cardiff
26th – The Atkinson, Southport
27th – The Met, Bury
AND March 27th-29th Kings Place, London (more details soon)
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