THE MAGPIES + KARI MACLEOD
Friday 14 June, 2024. 7.30pm doors.
£12, £10 concession
A booking fee of 6.5% + £0.49 per sold ticket is included when booking a ticket online through our Eventbrite platform.
Transatlantic folk band The Magpies are quickly becoming one of the most exciting and innovative acts on the contemporary roots scene. Combining sublime harmonies with exquisite musicianship and impressive songwriting, The Magpies traverse Anglo and American roots, drawing inspiration from traditional Celtic folk, bluegrass and Appalachian trails, to create an effortless melting pot of music.
Accomplished musicians in their own right, founding members Bella Gaffney (award winning singer-songwriter, guitarist and banjoist) and Holly Brandon (acclaimed fiddle player and tunesmith) perform alongside gifted singer-songwriter and guitarist Ellie Gowers. These talented young musicians work collaboratively to create their fresh brand of transatlantic folk and champion gender equality in the music industry, with a vibrant thread of feminism running through their music.
Following the release of the band’s critically acclaimed debut album in 2020, The Magpies released their second album, Undertow, in October 2022. A rich and varied showcase of their live sound, flawless instrumentation provides an elegant canvas for intricate harmonies and engaging storytelling. With a sound that pushes boundaries and brings a fresh voice to the current milieu, the album’s success comes as no surprise, with a quarter of a million streams on Spotify, a place in the Official Folk Albums Chart Top 40 and a live session on BBC Radio 2.
In their live performances, The Magpies have been exceptionally well-received, touring extensively throughout the UK, with festival highlights including Glastonbury, Cambridge, Larmer Tree, Shambala, Towersey and Deer Shed and international performances in the USA, Canada, Ireland, Portugal and Luxembourg. Their live shows are known for their high energy and wry delivery, transporting audiences to distant lands with ethereal voices and glistening instrumentals.
The Magpies have made their mark as hosts of their fast-growing The Magpies Festival. Set in the parkland of York’s Sutton Park Stately Home, the festival boasts top-quality line-ups and advocates inclusivity in the industry.
Fresh from a 3-week tour of Canada and a midwinter UK tour, The Magpies return to the road this Spring for a time of Scotland and Northern England.
‘One of those effervescent albums you’d be happy to recommend to people who might not consider themselves folk fans’ - The Sunday Times
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‘Folk with finesse’ - The Daily Mail
‘Check that album out! Perfect mix of songs and instrumentals - they’re great players!’ - Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2
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Kari Macleod
After an extended hiatus following the release of her debut self-penned album "The Fugitive" in 2015, during which time she joined folk-americana band The Mile Roses and toured with singer-songwriter Jez Lowe, Kari is ready to venture back onto the music scene on her own again. Born and raised in the rural Highland town of Tain, nestled between the hills, forests and rugged shore lines of the north sea, Kari found a deep well of inspiration in the wild landscapes in which she grew up.
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Kari's broad range of musical influences has enabled her to distinguish and navigate her way through developing her own style in both her singing and writing. She names Texan based singer-songwriter Patty Griffin and bluegrass singer and fiddle player Alison Krauss as two of her biggest influences. But her upbringing playing and singing traditional Scottish music, is heard undeniably throughout all of her music.
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With an ever-growing catalogue of new songs under her belt, she has begun working on releasing some of them with the hopes of the recording of her second album by the end of 2024. She will be releasing the first single from this album called "You Don't Know Me" in early Spring.