Eliza Carthy

If there is one musician who embodies the dynamism and vitality of the current English folk revival, it’s Eliza Carthy MBE. As the daughter of folk legends Martin Carthy & Norma Waterson, Eliza grew up immersed in the world of traditional music and from an early age was championed by John Peel, Andy Kershaw and Billy Bragg. Beloved of staunch traditionalists and iconoclasts alike, Eliza’s music effortlessly crosses boundaries of genre and style. Whether solo or fronting a big band, performing a centuries-old ballad or a self-written song, her powerful, nuanced voice, fiercely beautiful fiddle-playing, and mesmerizing performances have influenced a whole generation of young musicians. Twice nominated for the Mercury Prize, and winner of innumerable other accolades over her thirty-year career, Eliza has performed and recorded around the world with a diverse array of artists including, Paul Weller, Rufus & Martha Wainwright, Patrick Wolf, and Jarvis Cocker. Describing herself simply as a modern English musician, she is one of the most impressive, engaging, and important performers of her generation. ‘Unarguably the queen of English Folk’ The Observer Eliza will be supported by Jenn Reid, who performs 19thC Lancashire dialect work songs, Manchester broadside ballads and clog steps. She played Barb in Shane Meadows’ critically acclaimed period drama The Gallows Pole on the BBC. She works across academia, folk performance, heritage consultation and media to bring industrial history back to the people. Eliza Carthy says: “I am so pleased and excited to be touring with the incendiary Jenn Reid on this tour. Since I heard of her at Chetham’s Library in Manchester, working with the broadside collections, I have wanted to experience her visceral, natural approach to traditional song.”