Shovel Dance Collective are a group of nine musicians united by a passion for the beauty, force, and political charge of the traditional musics of Britain, Ireland and beyond.
They are committed to Folk music not as an archaeological artifact to be unearthed, but as a living communal activity – inviting and generous to those it speaks to.
“Folk song is a living tradition, not a museum piece.” — Pitchfork
Their music appears as a patchwork as pieces are stitched together, rearranged and recontextualised. The yarn is threaded with their sense of aesthetic innovation, and with a deep sense of the ways in which traditional music holds the voices of the oppressed.
They have performed sold out shows across the UK, with headline concerts at venues such as Cafe OTO, Kings Place and Cecil Sharp House. The collective have appeared at many major festivals including: Glastonbury, Roskilde, SXSW, Rewire, Green Man and End of the Road festivals.
“Live they’re a singularly powerful, joyful experience.” — NARC. Magazine
Their live performances have been acclaimed by The Wire, NME, Financial Times and The Times.
Their albums ‘The Shovel Dance’ and ‘The Water is the Shovel of the Shore’ have been championed by MOJO, Uncut, KLOF, Songlines et al. and both were named albums of the year by The Quietus.
This concert forms part of Bristol Folk Festival. Book for this individual show, better still, join us for the whole weekend with a Weekend Pass available from www.bristolfolkfestival.org
If you are a wheelchair user, please drop an email to tickets@bristolfolkfestival.org after booking and we’ll reserve space for you.
