The nine-piece ensemble Shovel Dance Collective have today shared Jer the Rigger, the third single from their forthcoming album ‘Everything in Readiness‘, out 23 October 2026 on Glitterbeat’s tak:til imprint.
The album follows 2024’s The Shovel Dance, reviewed here by Thomas Blake, who said:
“A kind of avant-folk supergroup, but without any of the hubris that term implies, the Shovel Dance Collective are at the forefront of a new wave of traditional music, one which looks to the future and the past simultaneously. With their collaborational and often improvisational methods, they are changing the way folk music is created, putting an emphasis on its otherness, its queerness, its capacity for contemporary political comment and most importantly, its inclusivity. And what’s more, they are doing it with breathtaking, potent tunes.”
The album’s first three singles form an opening suite and were to be released in reverse order: “Tally Ho! Hark Away!” (released 19 August), “The Foxhunter’s Reel” (released 9 September) and “Jer the Rigger” released today. All three are included in a new video created by Tim Plester and Rob Curry, using footage from The Doc Rowe archive and collection. It includes footage of traditional dry stone walling methods, apple pressing techniques, and the Padstow May Day celebrations.
The band shared: “The opening suite of three pieces (always imagined spiritually as one) was one of our first arrangements to find its feet. “Jer the Rigger” developed quickly and remained a solid staple of our live set, and whilst “The Foxhunter’s Reel” always came immediately afterwards, the way it developed and broke down was ultimately honed and changed constantly over our many live performances, with Ollie’s Flynt-esque fiddle always at the forefront. This became a theme for this record: arrangements constantly tinkered with on the road, new experiments with instrumentation, distortion and extended techniques, taking risks on stage (sometimes paying off, sometimes not!).”
They also shared this on the finale: “Our Tally Ho! is not a hunter’s victory cry but a lament, inspred by the piper’s fox hunt tradition that we fell in love with while touring. Where tradition may celebrate the huntsman, our version mourns the fox, imagining them freed from brutality into innocence. Horns and cymbals sound to mark their ascension.”
Pre-Order/Save: Everything in Readiness
Shovel Dance Collective – Live in the UK
8.10.2026 – Cardiff – Llais Festival
22.10.2026 – London – Rough Trade East (live + signing)
25.11.2026 – Huddersfield – Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
04.02.2027 – London – Queen Elizabeth Hall
12.02.2027 – Nottingham – Metronome
13.02.2027 – Birmingham – Midlands Arts Centre (Supersonic Children’s Gig)
13.02.2027 – Birmingham – The Castle & Falcon
14.02.2027 – Manchester – New Century Locker
15.02.2026 – Edinburgh – The Caves
16.02.2027 – Newcastle – Gosforth Civic Theatre
17.02.2027 – Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
18.02.2027 – Bristol – Mount Without
19.02.2027 – Totnes – Barrel House
14.03.2027 – Brighton – Komedia