Young folk duo award hopefuls play Lamlash
An up-and-coming band, who have been nominated in the BBC Radio 2 folk awards, are playing on Arran next month.
Young folk duo The Drystones are bringing their unexpectedly big sound to Lamlash on the Scottish leg of their We Happy Few album tour.
Ford Collier and Alex Garden, both 21, will set off on tour immediately after attending the BBC Radio 2 folk awards 2018 in Belfast on April 4, where they are one of just four UK acts nominated for the prestigious young folk award.
After an initial round of gigs in the south of England they head north and will play at the Pierhead Tavern in Lamlash on Sunday April 15 at 4pm.
Ford said: ‘We’re looking forward hugely to playing on the beautiful Isle of Arran. It’s The Drystones’ first Scottish trip and I’m having to keep a lid on Alex’s excitement - his family are from Scotland and he heads north of the border every summer but we’ve never performed there. We Happy Few was featured on BBC Radio nan Gaidheal as an album of the week and now we can’t wait to play live on Scottish soil.’
With Alex on fiddle and Ford on whistle and guitar the duo are able to navigate different traditions, introduce instantaneous changes of pace and stitch together tunes and songs into an eclectic live set. The Drystones’ seemingly telepathic communication has always kept audiences on their toes.
The Drystones’ tour is promoting their latest album, We Happy Few, which was a Songlines magazine top of the world album selection in October 2017 and the track, My Son John, went on to become part of British Airways’ inflight entertainment.
Based in the Somerset village of Priddy, The Drystones have been performing since they were 15 and have played at major festivals across the country. At the 2013 Glastonbury Festival they were Steve Lamacq’s ‘recommendation of the day’, they won the 2015 Larmer Tree breakthrough music award and have supported folk legends such as Steeleye Span and Seth Lakeman.
They face competition from Jack Warnock, Josiah & Ludwig and Mera Royle to lift the young folk award.