Date/Time Sun 12 Mar 2017 7:45 PM

Price Online - £10 + £1 booking fee; On The Door - £10

Website: http://www.harpandamonkey.com/

Harp and A Monkey made their London début at TwickFolk in 2015, and it’s great to welcome them back after two years that have seen their star rise across the country.

The harp ‘n’ banjo driven electro-folk-storytelling of Martin Purdy (vocals, glockenspiel, accordion, harmonica and keyboards), Simon Jones (harp, guitar, viola) and Andy Smith (banjo, melodica, guitar and programming) is imbued with a deep Lancashire sensibility that shines through in their beautifully crafted and sometimes spooky vignettes of northern life, love and remembrance.

Since their last visit, the band’s third album, War Stories, was released in July, 2016, as part of their ongoing project (part-sponsored by Arts Council England and The Western Front Association) to mark the centenary of the First World War. The band have been  performing new material and re-worked traditional songs (which strive to challenge stereotypes of the conflict) in unusual venues related to the war on British shores. The album has received outstanding reviews, with the likes of The Observer describing it as “bold and brilliant”. Support from BBC Radio 2 has been substantive, including sessions and interviews with Clare Balding (Good Morning Sunday) and Mark Radcliffe (The Folk Show).

The video above is from a 2015 performance at The Met, Bury, where our roving talent scout foirst saw the band. Below is an older clip from The EST Donkey Sanctuary in Gorton, August 2012.

You may have seen Jenni Gould and Richard Carter playing a few times at TwickFolk last year. This will be their second support slot for us. Jenni’s songs have often been compared to those of Carole King and Joni Mitchell, combining folk, jazz, blues, country and more than a little hint of rock n roll, with raw emotional lyrics. With this classically trained pianist with strong theatrical leanings, every song is a story.