Performers
Plack
BRITTANY
Progressive traditional music group PLACK is a marriage of musicians who individually bring to the Breton tradition a diverse tapestry of influences, notably traditional jazz, baroque, Celtic and world music, with just a touch of non-conformist rock.
Between them they have decades of experience on the festival stages and TV studios of North America, Europe and Japan, have released a number of albums, and have even featured in cinema releases. The fusion of clarinet, flutes, accordions, mandola, bagpipes, guitar and percussion crystalizes into tightly-knit, dynamic, detailed arrangements which grabs your attention and invites you to dance.
At Lowender 2023 you’ll find them on stage on Friday night at Redruth School, bringing a Breton Fest Noz as part of our music and dance session!
avanc
WALES
AVANC is Wales’ National Youth Folk Band, and represents the brightest, most dedicated and talented exponents of our musical traditions from the incoming generation. They specialise in unearthing forgotten musical gems from ancient manuscripts and dusty library vaults, and reworking them in their own energetic image. Their powerful 11-piece lineup, complete with triple harps, bagpipes and five clog dancers is a sight and sound to behold!
Hailing from all four corners of Wales, and having grown up playing in sessions and twmpaths before honing their craft on Trac Cymru’s ‘Gwerin Gwallgo’ total immersion courses in Bala, this elite cohort have been together for three years, charting a career pathway into the folk and traditional music business for future generations to follow.
At Lowender 2023 Avanc will be leading a Welsh twmpath at Redruth School on Friday as part of our music and dance session!
mike o’connor & Barbara Griggs
CORNWALL
Mike O’Connor (OBE) and Barbara Griggs have been delighting audiences with evocative storytelling with music for many years. Their ‘Return to Lyonesse’, won a British Award for Storytelling Excellence: ‘a storytelling BAFTA’. They have headlined at Sidmouth, Whitby, Festival at the Edge, and many more folk and storytelling festivals.
At Lowender 2023, the duo will be performing ‘The Prophecy of Merlin’ at St Andrew’s Church on Saturday 28th October.
The Prophecy of Merlin is a fast-moving adventure story rooted in Cornish history and folklore. Set in 936, when the Cornish were burned out of Exeter, it tells the tale of a Cornish family and the recovery of a precious Cornish book stolen by the Saxons. Suitable for all ages.
Bagas Fellyon
CORNWALL
Bagas Fellyon are quickly establishing themselves as ones to watch in the ever expanding world of Cornish Music. Rooted in tradition but not bound by convention, Bagas Fellyon embraces the sublime and the ridiculous and are guaranteed to get you up and on your feet.
KANA
CORNWALL
Having been friends for years, the members of Kana were already pretty used to sharing and performing music together.
Regular attendees at a popular acoustic music night – an evening that often ended up with impromptu acapella performances – they shared a natural talent for building up harmonies that swell and soar.
So, it was a natural progression when they decided to form Kana in 2022. Led by Silvia, chief arranger, they started putting together versions of popular songs, writing some of their own and taking any opportunity to inject some contemporary ideas here and there.
What began as a lockdown dream has turned into a fabulous reality. Gigs are flooding in with support, festival and headline slots filling up the calendar, and it’s fair to say the band’s future is looking bright.
rICHARD TRETHEWEY
CORNWALL
Richard is a singer and musician with a fierce pride for the traditions, history and culture of his native Cornwall. Richard is passionate about bringing to life the amazing stories of people and events that have shaped the Cornish identity and make Cornwall such a special place to call home.
Taran Spalding-Jenkin
CORNWALL
Taran Spalding-Jenkin is a poet, performer, and translator with a background in drama and folk tradition. Their work explores the spaces between identities, disability, queerness, and hireth – the longing for a lost home or one which has never existed. Taran was Kernewek consultant for Cornish Modern Poetries, and is a winner of the Gorsedh Kernow Awen Medal for Creativity in 2023. His debut pamphlet Health Hireth was published by Broken Sleep Books in June 2023.
The Cabar Fèidh Collective
SCOTLAND
We’re delighted to welcome Alison back this year with a full complement of Highland Dancers, Pipers and a Ceilidh Band!
Alison is BATD (British Association of Teachers of Dancing) qualified, and a Championship Level Dancer who performed in Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo from 2006-2011.
More details coming soon!
Elizabeth Davidson Blyth & Daniel Quayle
ISLE OF MAN
Combining the rich tradition of Manx music with the vibrant sounds of the Irish, Scottish and Estonian traditions, Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe (fiddle) & Daniel Quayle (Irish bouzouki) have forged a sound that is both dramatic and compelling.
The Isle of Man-based duo released their highly anticipated debut album, The Coast Road, in September 2022. The Coast Road has been hailed as “a hell of an album” by Folk Wales Magazine and “an exhilarating journey from two bright and inspired talents” by At the Barrier. The duo began touring together in Summer 2021, performing in France and Estonia as part of music festivals, as well as cultural events and standalone concerts. Their travels helped to shape their distinctive sound — blending old melodies with new rhythms and ideas that are presented with a powerful conviction that continuously brings audiences to their feet. A recent review of their album wrote that the traditions “flow seamlessly in glorious union”.
Elizabeth and David will be performing as part of the festival and also offering workshops on fiddle technique and guitar accompaniment – don’t miss your chance to learn from these fantastic musicians!
