HWYL
Pronounced - 'Hu-il'
Meaning an emotional sense of belonging. 

Ambient music done diy in garageband.

Music fan and photographer.  I take photos for @FolkroomRecords

Thickets are a three-piece alternative-folk band featuring Rebecca Lavery on vocals/autoharp, Emma Hamilton on cello/vocals and Kieran Lavery on drums.

Inspired by the likes of Nick Cave, PJ Harvey and The Decemberists, our songs weave dark tales of murder, regret and revenge. The unusual combination of autoharp, cello and drums creates a haunting, melancholic sound, complemented by layers of ethereal vocal harmonies.

Winterfalle is the alt-folk brainchild of South London songwriter Sam Falle. Founded in the Island of Jersey, Sam's songs shares contemporary folk tales about local life, history and culture. Initially a solo project, the project has grown into an ensemble featuring Sam Falle on vocals, acoustic guitar, and keys, Todd MacDonald on electric guitar and vocals, Dom Main on cello and vocals, Jack Chown on drums, and James Kerr on bass.

https://www.floatingpoints.co.uk/

 hello@floatingpoints.co.uk

Eclectic alternative-folk group Tir Eolas was formed four years ago at the Royal College of Music. The band – Philippa Mercer, Ruairi Glasheen, Laura Snowden, Georgie Harris and Hedi Pinkerfeld – draw on their Celtic and English folk roots to create their unique combination of traditional folk songs, tunes and original material. Think virtuosic instrumentals, five-part singing, guaranteed foot-stomping, and time-honoured folk ballads telling stories of love, loss and longing…

Having started out busking on the streets of London, in recent times the band have performed together at: Bestival; Cecil Sharp House for the English Folk Dance and Song Society; the City of London Festival; Milton Court Concert Hall; Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club; Cambridge Summer Music Festival; and BBC Proms Lates at the Royal Albert Hall.

London based singer-songwriter, Ned Roberts, has four studio records to his name, which have all featured frequently on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio Scotland, and have been championed by the likes of Lauren Laverne, Jo Whiley, Gideon Coe, and Roddy Hart. His bittersweet songs sit comfortably among the classics of the Laurel Canyon era, with a timeless quality and a poetic turn of phrase. With shows across Europe and America, live highlights include a tour with celebrated songwriter Anais Mitchell, plus support slots for Joe Pug, Micah P. Hinson, Those Pretty Wrongs, and Sarabeth Tucek amongst others. He has released two critically acclaimed albums for the Aveline label (home to Ani Di Franco), and has a decade long creative partnership with renowned US producer and songwriter Luther Russell (Sarabeth Tucek, Fabiano do Nascimento). He’s received significant national press, notably from the Guardian and Uncut magazine, and has recorded live sessions for BBC Radio London and Bob Harris’ Radio 2 show.

In 2024, Ned released his fourth studio album, Heavy Summer, which was supported on Cerys Matthews 6music show, and across BBC radio. Teaming up again with producer Luther Russell, and sound engineer Jason Hiller, the record was cut and mixed in 6 days in the late LA summer heat. Recorded mostly live to a vintage 8-track tape machine, Luther (keys, mellotron, guitars, drums) and Jason (bass) doubled as an expert band. Heavy Summer showcases both sides of Ned’s creative output, with gorgeously constructed band takes, recorded during the heat of the day, and intimate acoustic numbers, recorded just as night drew in. The sparse fingerpicked opener, ‘Play My Cards’ – cut last and written during the sessions – recalls Ned’s debut single ‘Red Sun’, some 10 years ago. The more expansive sounds of Heavy Summer then emerge; ‘Down to the Edge’ develops into a wide, open soundscape, and ‘Days Into Days’ drives the momentum and energy onwards. Lyrically, on first listen, these tunes echo the romantic melancholy of his previous records. Yet the record contains more existential themes too – of aging, regret and loss; of childhood; of escape and creative expression – on ‘Another Record Round’, ‘Tomorrow in Time’, and ‘Losing Sight’. Throughout, there is a sense of searching, of something just beyond reach. ‘Days into days / a uniform parade / Run ‘cross the fields / is salvation on the way? / To ease the sense of time / Go steady on the wine / I’m young and I’m old / I’m living and I’m dying.’ Solo acoustic closer, ‘The Breakers’, with Sarabeth Tucek on backing vocals, brings the record to a meditative end.

Blanche Ellis, Maya McCourt and Their Interminable Folk. 

DEBUT EP OUT 25th NOVEMBER 2016

INFO & GIGS - www.variousguises.co.uk

VIDEOS HERE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEuzr8yohngqAwson8Yw3OQ

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