Details

“Rising stars of the folk scene” – BBC Radio 3 

Owen Spafford and Louis Campbell met as teenagers, as part of the first cohort of the National Youth Folk Ensemble. Since forming their duo in 2018, they have: supported Martin Hayes (at EartH and Band on the Wall) and Mammal Hands (at the Barbican); been nominated for the BBC Young Folk Award; released their critically acclaimed debut album, ‘You, Golden’ with five star reviews and had national airplay on BBC Radio 2,3 and 4 alongside RTE1 in Ireland and BBC Scotland. Their EP ‘102 Metres East’ was be released on Peter Gabriel’s Real World X in March 2024.

As there music has developed, the duo have drifted away from the expectations of an English folk fiddle and guitar duo, with dynamic range, atmosphere and intimacy becoming more present in their own compositions, re-examining what it means to be ‘authentic’ as two male, middle-class English folk musicians.

Owen has performed for the leaders of the commonwealth states, toured with Giffords Circus and has received a scholarship to study composition at the Royal Academy of Music. His installation ‘Welcome Here, Kind Stranger’ has been performed at the Rainy Days festival in Luxembourg alongside Sam Amidon, Brighde Chaimbeul and Annabelle Blott. Owen is also an All-Britain Fiddle Champion in the Fleadh Cheoil na Breataine and BBC Young Composer Competition nominee. Alongside the duo, his band ‘The Weaving’ with Méabh Begley and Cáit Ní Riain explores his deep love for traditional Irish music.

Louis joined Sam Sweeney’s band at 19, going on to record the albums ‘Unearth Repeat’ and ‘Escape That’ and performing at venues including the Royal Albert Hall. He also performs with Mercury-nominated singer Sam Lee and works frequently with guitar virtuoso Martin Simpson, with whom he performed at the Bert Jansch 80th Birthday Concert at the Royal Festival Hall and recorded on the album ‘Skydancers’. He has been cited as ‘a talent to watch’ by the Sunday Times and was a featured artist in Guitarist magazines fretbuzz column.

The duo allows Owen and Louis to distill their love of traditional and experimental music into powerful, intricate and intimate music. Their music manages to orbit many different sound-worlds from traditional English dance tune to chamber music and post-rock with influences ranging from field recordings, to The Gloaming, Bill Frisell, Ravel and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

“Beautiful, swirling, modern English folk music” – Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2

“Gorgeous Music” – Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, RTE 1

“They display a mastery and vision that, for a debut, is truly remarkable.” – Folk Radio UK

“Brave, brilliant, deeply musical and creative. Listen to this….” – Martin Simpson

“This is a beautiful, moody and tasteful recording that defies classification. The arrangements and playing are truly subtle and the sounds are pristine.”- Martin Hayes

Support from Remorae (Formerly Folkatron Sessions)

Remorae are a collective of folk and electronic musicians who bonded over a love of ‘genre-bending’ [Folk Radio UK] folk music.

Their ‘unique soundscape’ [Songlines Mag] refracts trad folk through the lens of experimental and ambient electronica. An intricate, atmospheric blend of electronics, strings, guitar and vocals for fans of Jarlath Henderson, Kan, Lau, Lankum, Furrow Collective and the olllam.

They have released 3 records as Folkatron Sessions, which have been featured by Songlines Magazine, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 2, 6 Music and Folk Radio UK and selected for residencies at Britten Pears Arts (2022) and Glasshouse International Centre for Music (2023.)

They met in 2017 at Upcycled Sounds’ experimental folk residency Folkatron Sessions, spending an intense week arranging, performing and recording their debut EP. Enthusiastic reviews from Folk Radio, Eliza Carthy and Ian Stephenson spurred them on to create their ‘pioneering’ 2020 album Skiver in this same residency format, written and recorded in just 6 days. 2021 saw the release of their EP Home No More under the Folkatron Sessions banner, produced remotely and in live sessions, and featuring Mercury prize nominee Sam Lee as a guest vocalist.

In this new stage of their evolution, Remorae’s sound is born from what they can create live. Using live effects and synthesisers, exploring improvisation and soundscapes, they’re delving into the resonances of old songs and discovering their connections to them.