Last week we announced the beginning of Global Music Match, the global initiative which aims to connect artists and help them find new audiences internationally, amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Twelve artist from across the country have been chosen to represent England in this project – watch the video below to get to know them all, and don’t forget to follow them!
#TeamEngland are: Captain Of the Lost Waves, Daisy Chute, Edgelarks, Harbottle & Jonas, Jackie Oates, Jon Boden, Lady Nade, Lucy Ward, Luke Concannon, Sam Carter, The Magpies and The Shackleton Trio.
Read more about them below!
Search and follow #globalmusicmatch now to see the content shared by the participating artists during the project and follow to discover a whole world of new music!
CAPTAIN OF THE LOST WAVES
‘An uncompromising vision shall always divide opinion, for such is the unswerving conviction evident in the creation itself.’
‘There are no words in the English language to describe The Captain, he was born to be an entertainer, perhaps even a prophet, watching his show is a life altering experience. The Huffington Post
‘Cinemascopic, epic, extraordinary, the Captain is a superstar’– Tom Robinson BBC6 Music
The Captain is not just the figurehead of his musical vessel: he’s ringmaster; bard; troubadour; master of ceremonies and sage. The highly immersive ‘folk-opera’ shows range from the solo guise of a one man musical to the more lavish expanded sound when accompanied by classically trained accordion alchemist, Muzwell The Mute. The one constant that remains is a Captain show is a promenade performance, engaging the audience in close up encounters as well as using the scope of the stage. It’s never the same experience twice.
With one leg in early 20th Century vaudeville and the other in tomorrow’s social commentary, there’s far more to him and his absurdly engaging world than any of your ten-a-penny musical stars. Seen through showers of glitter, kaleidoscopic lens flares and in the rainbows in a million puddles, Captain Of The Lost Waves tells stories to connect with everyone past, present and future.
He is the kind of ebullient storyteller you might imagine flitted from village to village in centuries past, taking his show to audiences who are transported aboard his mystical, wide ranging, sonic voyages.
DAISY CHUTE
Daisy Chute is a folk-americana songstress, banjo-wielding multi-instrumentalist and hyphen-loving Londoner, possessing a “Gorgeous Voice” (Guy Garvey, Elbow). Daisy’s musical roots are born out of her transatlantic Scottish/American heritage and she has been compared to artists like Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel and Eva Cassidy (BBC Radio). Daisy writes intelligent songs with stories, and performs them with spine-tingling vocals, rich harmonies and intricate instrumentation.
Represented by Talentbanq Agency and mentored by Sir Ray Davies, Daisy is an award-winning artist coming first in the Coffee Music Project singer-songwriter competition with her song ‘London’s on Fire’ which can be heard in over 900 Caffe Nero stores around the world. Last year saw an unprecedented year of over 130 performances across the UK and US with highlights including débuts at Glastonbury Festival, Union Chapel and Sage Gateshead and in Danny Boyle/Richard Curtis’ feature film ‘Yesterday’. These days you can find Daisy live streaming online for her regular Sunday shows at 6pm BST on her Facebook and YouTube pages (@daisychuteofficial).
When she’s not busy songwriting, recording or performing in festivals/grassroots venues, Daisy offers her dulcet tones to countless soundtracks for films, TV shows and games and for bands like Radiohead and Two Door Cinema Club. Formerly of Universal’s Platinum-selling classical quartet All Angels, Daisy loves collaboration and is the co-founder of HEARD Collective – an artist collective who promote and support women in music, and the co-writer of COVEN – a folk/rock gig theatre show about witches.
“Beautiful, exquisite melodies, insightful lyrics and a wealth of wonderful musicality makes Daisy an artist that is destined for great things..”
Tony Moore (Soho Radio, The Bedford)
EDGELARKS
BBC Folk Award winners for Best Duo, Edgelarks, began their musical journey living in a caravan in Devon, UK.
Phillip Henry had not long returned from India, where he studied slide guitar under the master Debashish Bhattacharya. Hannah Martin grew up playing and singing in Devonian folk sessions, and met Phillip on his return. The pair had an instant musical connection, and began playing wherever they could. They were busking around the highways and byways of these islands, and were soon spotted by Steve Knightley of Show of Hands, who offered them a prestigious support tour. Ten years and six albums later, the pair have travelled from Australia to South Africa, Canada to Japan with their music. They have twice joined Show of Hands for performances at the Royal Albert Hall. They have collaborated with some of the top names in British folk, including The Gigspanner Big Band, a project with Peter Knight (Steeleye Span) and John Spiers (Bellowhead).
In 2018 they formed part of the “folk supergroup” that played BBC Radio Two’s Festival in a Day at Hyde Park, to a crowd of 50,000 – supporting Kylie Minogue and the Manic Street Preachers! Martin’s soulful voice and songwriting meets Henry’s virtuosity on dobro; fiddle and banjo meld with party-starting beatbox harmonica. Combining strong roots in British traditions with influences as diverse as the blues of the deep south, and Indian classical ragas, their sound is like no other.
“Virtuosity, intensity and charisma…Bravely original” – The Guardian
HARBOTTLE & JONAS
Devon based folk duo Harbottle & Jonas are one of the most exciting acts on the UK circuit today, combining a love of the richness of traditional folk with their own original and powerful songwriting. Dave and Freya have developed a distinct and compelling signature sound, blending concertina, harmonium, banjo, stomp box, acoustic guitar and cittern with their beautiful and closely intertwined vocal harmonies. Subject matter covers the political and historical as well as the more personal, and their engaging live shows are full of stories as well as songs. People, places and events are brought to life through their intimate, timeless songs and music.
Chesham Folk Club say: “… in the top five that I have ever seen anywhere if not the best.”
Harbottle & Jonas have toured the UK and Germany extensively with their acclaimed fourth album, The Sea Is My Brother. They will be moving away from the seafaring theme for their new album release in Spring 2021.
“One of the finest folk duos in the country.” Mike Davies, Alternative Roots.
The duo often become a trio, joined by fiddle player Annie Baylis, weaving a third close vocal harmony and sensitive playing.
“Awash with strong songs and excellent musicianship.” Folk Radio UK
JACKIE OATES
Regarded as one of the country’s best loved folk performers, Jackie’s current focus is on collaborating with a diverse array of artists and commissions. Following the death of her much-loved dad five days after the birth of her first child, Jackie’s 2018 album The Joy Of Living reached beyond the past lives in folk song to the lived experience of all of us. The Guardian called it “utterly gorgeous… moving, depth-filled.” Since then, Jackie has released classic covers with Scritti Politti’s Rhodri Marsden, researched pagan Bath for the mavericks at Lush cosmetics, been Artist In Residence at the Twitter-famous Museum of English Rural Life, lent her voice and musicianship to CBeebies’ Nick Cope’s Popcast, and begun an ongoing mixed media work about the history of lace telling. Jackie Oates continues to bring elements of the English folk tradition to new people and places; in turn bringing a much needed calm and joy to those who hear it.
Jackie Oates is a mainstay of English traditional music and one of the country’s best loved folk performers. Her deeply personal 2018 album The Joy Of Living was described as “utterly gorgeous” by The Guardian. Through collaboration and commission, Jackie brings elements of the English tradition to new people and places; bringing a much needed calm and joy to those who hear it.
JON BODEN
Jon Boden is best known is the lead singer and main arranger of the progressive folk juggernaut Bellowhead. After twelve years, a quarter of a million album sales, seven singles on the Radio 2 playlist and selling out hundreds of venues, including notably the Royal Albert Hall, Jon announced in 2015 that he wanted to move on. Bellowhead played their final gig on May 1st 2016.
As a total contrast to the eleven-piece Bellowhead, autumn 2016 saw Jon launch his live solo career with a performance at Cambridge Folk Festival in July 2016 where he was the festival’s first guest artistic programmer, followed by dates the next week at Snape Proms and Sidmouth FolkWeek.
Jon’s next solo album ‘Afterglow’, the follow-up to 2009’s ‘Painted Lady’, was released in October 2017 and continued Jon’s explorations of a post-oil world with the first single from the album ‘All The Stars Are Coming Out Tonight’ was playlisted on BBC Radio 2.
The release was followed by the launch of a newly extended 11-piece Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings. Summer 2018 and autumn 2019 saw the big band in demand for major folk festivals including Wickham Festival, Warwick Folk Festival, Snape Proms and Shrewsbury Folk Festival.
Jon’s latest album with The Remnant Kings, The Rose In June, was released on 1st November ’19 on Hudson Records.
‘There are tracks here, including ‘beating The Bounds’, that already sound like 21st-century folk rock classics.’ ****Songlines
LADY NADE
Lady Nade started writing poems and songs as a form of healing from grief, performing in venues across her native city of Bristol, her work developed into a calling to connect with her fans on a deeper level and help lead them through life’s complicated tapestry with the healing power of music. She pours creativity into every song, often lavishing them with a recipe to match.
Lady Nade has learnt that loss and grief isn’t something one can recover from alone and with her music and recipes she creates a communal experience that everyone can enter into on their own terms.
Performing in countless locations, from underground bars to festival fields, concert venues and European cities supporting the likes of Grammy Nominated ‘Yola’ and recently appearing on Channel 4 ‘Traitors’. Her increasing profile has earned her endorsement from Taylor Guitars, Sontronics and Icon Films, earning plaudits on BBC2, BBC2 Dermot’ O Leary, Tom Robinson’s BBC6 Fresh Net show and BBC Bristol Introducing. France National Radio and Sam Bain (writer of Peep show and Freshman) ‘Yours Truly, Pierre Stone’ BB4 Radio Show continue to spark national interest.
This Bristolian Singer-Songstress fills your heart with words and melodies that nourish both body and soul. Weaving Indie-Folk into Americana, her performances are like a reunion. Share a room with her, and she’ll give you her story. All of it. The joys and sorrows. You will love her for it, and she will love you back.
Harnessing the flavours of her second album release, and cooking up her third sensory delight. The ingredients for her follow up album ‘Safe Place’ are simmering away nicely, and will be brought to the table in Spring 2021.
LUCY WARD
Named ‘Brit-Folks most vibrant and forthright new young talent’ by MOJO, ‘Impressive and original’ by The Guardian and ‘Inspiring’ by Billy Bragg, BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Winner Lucy Ward is a critically acclaimed singer songwriter and folk musician hailing from Derbyshire, UK. Her songs are a sweet mixture of evocative imagery and quiet, involving beauty; passion, protest and tradition all rolled into one. A recurring figure in the UK official independent charts, this captivating and powerful performer has a unique ability to inhabit the heart of each song she sings. Lucy Ward has performed all over the world, in folk clubs, arts centres and theatres, and at top music festivals including main stage performances at Glastonbury Festival (UK), Stimmen Festival (D), Nuremberg Festival (D) and Vancouver Folk Festival (CA).
Lucy plays guitar, ukulele, concertina and harmonium but it is her voice, with its rich warmth and power, combined with her stellar song-writing and charisma that captivates audiences. This formidable performer oozes authenticity, she possesses a ‘breath-taking presence on stage’ and is a true storyteller for our times.
As well as being one of the hottest acts on the UK folk scene, Lucy has also written for film, television and theatre and in 2019 premiered new folk ballet ‘The Sisters Of Elva Hill’, which she wrote in collaboration with BalletFolk, at Cambridge Folk Festival.
LUKE CONCANNON
Chart topping influential songwriter releasing new album.
‘One of my three main influences along with Van Morrison…’ – Ed Sheeran (speaking about Luke)
‘Political, intense, angular, and beautiful…the guy who wrote the JCB song’ – BBC Radio 1
‘His humanising songs, his way of drawing in the whole floor, and activist love, are so needed.’ – Alastair Mcintosh
Luke has early memories of the lively music sessions his Anglo Irish family threw. He’s been sharing music in community ever since. In 2016 Luke moved to Boston Massachusetts for love, and is ready to release his new album ‘Ecstatic Bird in The Burning’ about the power of active hope, in a burning world.
SAM CARTER
In the ten years since winning Best Newcomer at the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Sam Carter has earned a reputation for vivid, narrative-driven songwriting and captivating live performances. Renowned as “the finest English-style fingerpicking guitarist of his generation” (Jon Boden), Sam made a spell-binding appearance on Later… with Jools Holland in 2012 and has toured the world, sharing stages with some of the finest guitarists and songwriters, including Nic Jones, Martin Simpson, Richard Thompson, and Chris Wood.
Released during lockdown in May 2020, Sam’s fourth album Home Waters has been heralded as “an album of quiet pleasures made by a musician at the top of his game” (R2 Magazine). Recorded in a converted church in rural Northumberland, Home Waters captures the full force of Sam Carter’s vivid, narrative-driven songwriting. Featuring the specially-assembled Home Waters String Quartet, the album’s rich emotional landscapes are exquisitely illustrated by producer Ian Stephenson’s cinematic string arrangements.
Alongside his solo work, Sam continues to break new ground with Folk Award-nominated electro-folk band False Lights, who released their second album Harmonograph to wide acclaim in early 2018. In demand as a session player, Sam was enlisted for a string of festival dates with Eliza Carthy’s Wayward band and for a national tour with Bella Hardy. In late 2019, Sam joined the ensemble for the touring folk theatre show ‘Rising Up: Peterloo 2019’, arranging and performing songs written by the Young’uns’ Sean Cooney alongside Lucy Farrell (Furrow Collective) and Jim Molyneux (Four Square, Kitty MacFarlane).
THE MAGPIES
The Magpies formed in their hometown of York in 2017. Initially a duo project between Bella Gaffney and Polly Bolton, 2018 saw the lineup expand to a quartet, with the original pair joining forces with acclaimed cellist Sarah Smout and fiddle ace Holly Brandon.
Based on a deeply felt musical friendship, they work collaboratively, arranging material led by powerful vocals and glittering instrumental ornamentation. They each draw on their transatlantic influences to create a unique blend of Celtic and bluegrass folk, transporting audiences to distant lands and capturing imaginations with their enthralling live show.
Over the summer of 2018 they were exceptionally well received, performing at festivals such as Cambridge Folk Festival, main stage at Wickham Festival, Towersey Festival, Deer Shed Festival, Grassington and a sold out EP release show at The Great Yorkshire Fringe. The first transatlantic trip for the band took place in February 2019, when they performed at Folk Alliance International in Montreal. This was followed by a successful tour in Ireland in March 2019. The summer of 2019 saw them perform at many festivals including Glastonbury, Larmer Tree, Warwick, Costa del Folk, and Shambala. And in June 2020 The Magpies released their debut album – Tidings – to critical acclaim: “One of those effervescent albums you’d be happy to recommend to people who might not consider themselves folk fans” (The Sunday Times); “folk with finesse” (The Daily Mail); “a very accomplished debut” (The Daily Express); “Check that album out!” (Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2).
THE SHACKLETON TRIO
A highly original and energetic musical force just as likely to move you to tears as to move you to your feet.
Frequently referred to as one of the hardest working bands on the scene, The Shackleton Trio is gaining significant UK and international exposure, becoming an in demand name on the folk circuit. The trio have been featured on Mark Radcliffe’s Radio 2 Folk Show and BBC Radio 4, with ★★★★★ reviews, an appearance on Cambridge Folk Festival’s main stage alongside a host of UK and European festivals and international tours. Having wrapped up 2019 with a main stage performance at the Great British Folk Festival they are looking forward to a busy 2020.
The Shackleton Trio are Georgia Shackleton (fiddle, vocals), Aaren Bennett (guitar) and Nic Zuppardi (mandolin). Natural talents of the folk tradition, their self-penned material blends seamlessly with their imaginative yet authentic re-workings of traditional folk standards, influenced by British, American and Scandinavian folk traditions, with a regional twist from the group’s native East Anglia.
The unique, distinctive songwriting style of Georgia Shackleton, combined with the vibrant instrumental brilliance of Aaren Bennett, Nic Zuppardi and Georgia’s pure and original voice have developed and matured through two critically acclaimed albums: The Dog Who Would Not Be Washed and new release Fen, Farm and Deadly Water.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ‘Beguiling. A charismatic performance that holds your attention and isn’t afraid to make you think’ – Northern Sky Magazine
★ ★ ★ ★ ‘Excellent’ – R2 Magazine
‘Sparky, charismatic and intensely assured’ – fRoots
‘A great sound altogether’– Bruce MacGregor, BBC Radio Scotland
