A Very Folky Christmas!
NewsLeading folk acts A Winter Union and The Albion Band dust down their Christmas songbooks for two concerts at Warwick Arts Centre this month.
A Winter Union (Thursday 12 December 2024) sees The Willows' Jade Rhiannon reunite with Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts (aka Gilmore and Roberts) and fellow duo Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage.
Borne out of a regular festive meet-up between friends in a Cambridge pub, the five-piece have been an annual musical prospect since 2015.
After 2023's acclaimed Transatlantic-feeling Sooner After Solstice ('spellbinding' said KLOF), A Winter Union have just released a limited edition live album, Live Before Solstice, which is only presently available at gigs.
Ben describes the band as "a month-long office Christmas party for the folk scene" and perform "a big range" of songs.
Says Ben: "Some carols (well-loved and lesser known), some self-penned (we're lucky to have five songwriters in the band so a big variety here), and some carefully chosen covers. I guess stylistically we like to take in folk traditions from both sides of the Atlantic."
Meanwhile, the very next day sees The Albion Christmas Band (Friday 13 December 2024) appear at the same venue.
Celebrating their 25th anniversary, the esteemed band is the festive spin-off from one of the great acts from the early-70s folk-rock explosion, The Albion Band.
Expect a mix of traditional, and lesser known, Christmas tunes from Albion Band found Ashley Hutchings, Fairport Convention's Simon Nicol, Kellie While and Edward II's Simon Care.
For tickets and more information, see:
A Winter Union (12 Dec 2024, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry)
The Albion Christmas Band (13 Dec 2024, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry) - tickets limited