Old Spot — the fiddle-and-banjo duo of Rowan Piggott and Joe Danks — return with their second album, Old Spot (II), released on April 24th via Scribe Records (pre-order now via Bandcamp). Recorded over five days at Heriot Toun Studio in the Scottish Borders, the album refines the transatlantic approach that turned heads on their critically acclaimed 2023 debut, reaching deeper into the roots of Appalachian old-time while stretching back across the Atlantic to Irish, English and wider European traditions.
Watch the video below for The Roustabout Song, filmed by Tom Evans and edited by Piggott, which KLOF premieres today. The track has an unlikely origin story: Joe and Rowan first encountered the song at a Morris festival singing session, where its distinctly American lyric caught their attention. Research led them to English folklorist Sandy Paton and, in turn, songwriter Dillon Bustin, who wrote it at Pinewoods Camp.
“Our upcoming album takes us in some new experimental directions, but recording this song was a love letter to where we come from,” the duo say. “Unusually for us, instead of tracing the thread of tradition from America to Europe, we first came across this song sung as a shanty in the English folk scene and reverse engineered it into our imaginary Oldtime universe. Whilst quite a buoyant number, this song has deep political undertones like all the best folksongs and it resonated with us. Learn the chorus and we’ll catch you on our launch tour!”
Across ten tracks, Old Spot (II) moves from a tense reimagining of Tom Dooley to the Sacred Harp-inspired intensity of And Am I Born To Die?, from the Edden Hammons-sourced Queen of the Earth & Child of the Skies to the meditative closer Square & Compass, co-written around the fire at the titular Dorset pub. Guest bassist Ben Nicholls adds propulsive depth on four tracks, including the driving original Don’t Spare The Horses.
Piggott grew up surrounded by traditional music in the Burren, County Clare, the son of De Dannan’s Charlie Piggott and is also a member of The Wilderness Yet. Danks, from Nottingham, is one of the UK’s foremost clawhammer banjo players, recently contributing to Jim Ghedi’s acclaimed Wasteland and the score for 4AD’s The Death Of Robin Hood.
Pre-Order Old Spot (II): https://oldspotmusic.bandcamp.com/album/old-spot-ii
Album Launch Tour Dates
17th April – The Folklore Rooms / Brighton
18th April – Haarlem Artspace / Wirksworth
19th April – Sidney & Matilda / Sheffield
21st April – The Betsey Trotwood / London
23rd April – Cafe Kino / Bristol
Tickets links: www.oldspotmusic.com/gigs