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https://squareandcompasspub.co.uk/what-s-on/1647Brothers James and Sam Gillespie found their sound growing up in the fells and valleys of Northumberland, their songs often describing relationships with wild places and the experience of finding oneself in a world alive with soul. Theirs is a music of encounter, of lark song and crow call, ash leaves and hidden ways, rooted in the earth and arising most strongly for them when they are out walking in the borderlands with their packs and instruments. Bringing together visionary mythopoetics with a deeply radical spirit, the brothers tread an older path whilst singing with fierce tenderness to the present time in all its grief and luminosity. Their live performances are known for their intimacy and the spontaneous ways they weave tales around the songs and invite audiences into the heart of the music.
The brothers have travelled far and wide with their music and have played Cambridge, Sidmouth and Moseley Folk Festivals and opened for Lankum and Sam Lee. In Spring 2022 they released ‘The Merciful Road’ (‘pure magic’, Living Tradition), inspired by the grace of life in troubled times and recorded in a cottage by the banks of the river Tweed. Like their previous album ‘The Fell’, it blends rootsy, acoustic elements to create a rich warm sound with a touch of vintage magic. 2024 saw them release the collaborative album ‘Hirondelle’ (featuring string ensemble Trio Mythos and Occitanie vocal group Tant Que Li Siam) and they are currently touring throughout the UK and getting ready to record a new album for release in 2026.
‘Our music is inspired by the still wild soul of the land in which we live, a land alive with presences, not owned by anyone. It is about seeing with the eye of the heart and recovering our imaginations. It is about finding home, belonging and each other in a world which is singing to us as we sing to it’.
Links:
thebrothersgillespie.com
facebook.com/brothersgillespie
instagram.com/brothersgillespie
youtube.com/@thebrothersgillespie7547
thebrothersgillespie.bandcamp.com
soundcloud.com/the-brothers-gillespie
vimeo.com/user80208479
spotify.com/artist/4lerilWSePgKJLRBiLGtq5
Press:
"Anyone who has seen the brothers live will surely attest that it is an experience that will stay with you. There is a feeling of warmth that exudes from them and affects everyone in the room" ~ Folk London.
"The stars of the show were The Brother's Gillespie - more than an hour of fantastic musicianship. Imagine the guitar work of the early Nic Jones, the close harmony work of the Dransfields and the commitment and honesty of Bob Davenport rolled into two brothers and you'll get some idea. Their new album The Fell is totally brilliant." ~ Mike Harding
"Warning to all folk fest and club orgs. book these lads while you still can because I have a feeling that they aren't going to be short of work. At the moment the buzz is mainly around the North and the borders. But - watch this space" ~ Mike Harding
'The Fell' Album Reviews:
"The Fell is a moving and surprising album. Stunning songs beautifully sung and played. Without doubt a classic in the making from a duo potent with potential." ~ Northern Sky
"The Fell shows off British acoustic music in its best possible light." ~ Folk Radio UK
"Every song on this album brings a separate and pertinent story which burns brighter with every listen. A definite musos album, 'The Fell' could be lost treasure from the British Folk Revival or a modern day contemporary Folk classic. An album of visceral beauty, striking for the heart and as part of the earth, land and landscape as the title suggests. Highly recommended" ~ Fatea Magazine
"The Fell taps into themes and tunes that I feel I have known all my life (but haven’t because they’ve only just been written) and, like all updates to the tradition, are simultaneously part of the music of past centuries and also entirely new and relevant" ~ Folking.com
"One of the most integrated, enjoyable, counterculture acts around" ~ Dirty Linen Magazine, USA
"Bluegrass, punk-rock and a palpable dose of soul" ~ The Pitch, Kansas City MO
"Tales of cheating spouses, bad attitudes, short-change romances, endless asphalt and dodgy diners, all told with a 'psychobilly' sense of playfulness, ringing banjo and a bass as certain as a highway centerline" ~ The Herald, Newcastle, Australia.
"They spit on enough conventions to keep things interesting" ~ The Onion, Madison WI
"Charming, incisive and funny" ~ Sing Out Magazine, USA
"It’s gritty, grisly and guttural, and makes for damn fine music" ~ Where Y’at Magazine, New Orleans LA
"Truckstop Honeymoon got the the chops" ~ The Stranger, Seattle WA
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Worth Matravers, BH19 3LF Worth Matravers, United Kingdom, Worth Matravers, Swanage, BH19 3, United Kingdom, Wareham
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
