Our usual "third Friday of the month" concert happens to fall on St Patrick’s Day this year, so the evening will have a distinctly Irish theme for an event that will also be live-streamed in partnership with LIVE TO YOUR LIVING ROOM.
Innovative Anglo-Irish quartet THE HAAR matches the fresh talent of traditional Irish singer Molly Donnery with three of the most exciting instrumentalists on the folk and traditional music circuit: Cormac Byrne (Uiscedwr, Seth Lakeman), Adam Summerhayes and Murray Grainger (The Ciderhouse Rebellion, Words of a Fiddler’s Daughter). The band’s music is characterised by ‘live reactive composition’ – an improvised space from which Molly’s pure and unadulterated vocals can emerge, spontaneous and never to be repeated in exactly the same way.
Their eponymous debut was heralded as "a splendid balance of swirling instrumental magic and beautifully sung narratives” by Folk Radio UK, and their new album Where Old Ghosts Meet brings more magic from a collection of songs that grew from a desire to explore old favourites, to dig into traditional Irish gems for new inspiration and insights and intuitively follow the spark of new ideas.
This is music that is not afraid to transcend borders. Born of the traditional musics that all members have grown up with and absorbed, it is unapologetic in pushing at the edges in order to create the band’s own unique and compelling sound.
Joining The Haar on the bill will be award-winning duo SOLARFERENCE. Since 2008 Nic Janaway & Sarah Owen have been developing a genre-defying mix of traditional folk and live electronics - the duo have spent a couple of years peeling back the electronic layers to acoustically explore a strong new collection of original & traditional songs. Nic, based in Bristol, is a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and sound designer. Sarah is a versatile vocalist from East Devon with a background in sonic art and composition. Solarference perform with an intense live energy, with voice and harmony at the heart of the music.
Tickets for the concert, which takes place at CHRIST CHURCH DOWNEND on Friday 17 March 2023, are available online HERE and from MELANIE'S KITCHEN in Downend (cash only). They are priced at £14 each in advance or £16 on the door. Doors open at 7.30pm and the entertainment starts around 7.45pm. Tickets for the online stream are available HERE, with a range of prices available.
In the venue, there will be a bar, stocking cider, soft drinks, wine, hot drinks and locally-brewed real ale from locally-based HOP UNION BREWERY. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own glass/mug/tankard, as well as reusable bottles for water, as part of the drive to be more environmentally aware. There is a 50p discount for those that do. There will also be sweet treats available at the bar courtesy of Radstock-based THE GREAT CAKE COMPANY, as well as a prize draw, which helps to fund the support artists for each concert. Refreshments for the online version are down to you!