The Rachel Newton Band/Trio Tour

Harpist and singer Rachel Newton has announced her biggest tour to date under her own name. That may come as a surprise until you consider all the projects she’s been involved in including The Furrow Collective and The Shee.

The last few months have also proven to be quite eventful in the recognition department. Rachel was named Musician of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in April and The Furrow Collective won Best Group. Her latest album Here’s My Heart Come Take It, which we reviewed as a Featured Album of the Month, has been long listed as one of 20 Outstanding Albums in the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award 2017. The album also featured in Neil McFadyen’s Top 10 Albums of 2016 in which he declared “This sumptuous album shone a new light on traditional and contemporary songs; presenting Ozark Mountain folk songs as convincing UK ballads and traditional Gaelic song in driving electronic soundscapes.”

In June, Rachel is bringing the music from Here’s My Heart Come Take It to life with her band of fantastic musicians. In her trio is fiddler Lauren MacColl (Rant, Salt House) and drummer Mattie Foulds, who also recorded and co-produced the album. They will be joined for some performances by Sarah Hayes (Admiral Fallow) on keys and Michael Owers (SNJO) on trombone to really capture the sound created on the record. This is the first tour with this line-up after a premiere performance at Celtic Connections in January and ahead of their main stage performance in the summer at Cambridge Folk Festival.

Before we reel off her June dates, here’s a reminder of why she’s so worthy of those accolades.