Description
This hybrid gig is being livestreamed in partnership with Downend Folk & Roots. You can go along to the gig in person at Christ Church Downend, near Bristol, or watch online from wherever you are. Tickets to go along in person are available from the Downend Folk & Roots website, or from Melanie’s Kitchen in Downend. Find out more here.
This gig will begin with support from Leo MacKenzie, before The Wilderness Yet take to the stage.
About The Wilderness Yet
Taking their name from a Gerard Manley Hopkins classic, The Wilderness Yet fuse the clear, charismatic vocals of former BBC Young Folk Award finalist Rosie Hodgson with the fine, sensitive fiddling of Rowan Piggott and the deft guitar and flute playing of Philippe Barnes. Independently, they have earned audiences’ esteem as consummate musicians; together, they weave an eclectic tapestry of traditional and original songs and tunes; from a cappella three-part harmonies to luscious instrumental arrangements.
The band’s eponymous debut album was released in 2020 to critical acclaim, closely followed by a short EP of commissioned covers called John O Dreams. Their latest studio album, What Holds The World Together, was released in July 2022 and was lauded widely by reviewers, with airplay on BBC Radio 2, 3 and 6 and an appearance in the Official Folk Albums Chart.
Lockdown saw the trio record Turn The Year Round, a winter album featuring secular re-writes of classic carols and carefully arranged seasonal favourites. The album has proven to be hugely popular, with the band even playing live on BBC Radio 3 on Christmas Day 2022. Now, they’re taking the album on tour, so join us this December as we turn the year round together.
“Simply exquisite”
Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6 Music
Photo credit: Elly Lucas
About Leo MacKenzie
Leo MacKenzie is a singing cellist and is unique in using the baroque cello to accompany his own voice. Drawing on an eclectic mix of styles and almost two decades of live performance, he is now embarking on his first solo project. His cello playing leans into previously lost techniques and the mellow warm sound of the baroque cello, reviving and refreshing fascinating insights hidden in historical treatise and updating them for modern performance. Leo explores the rich treasure trove of the British folk song tradition whilst also being inspired by the music and song of our Scandinavian neighbours.
Leo has been performing as a cellist and singer for over 17 years, appearing regularly as a member of indie and folk bands including The Last Inklings, Kadia and Fearne. Highlights from his time with these bands include an Official UK Folk Chart Top 40 album with The Last Inklings and an inclusion in the Telegraph Top Folk Albums of the Year list with Kadia, along with numerous festival performances including being invited to join the legendary Brian McNeill Session at Cambridge Folk Festival. As a session musician, he has often appeared as part of the Ninebarrow Band alongside John Parker and Evan Carson, featuring on a number of albums with the ensemble.
