There have been so many amazing supergroups in the history of folk music. The Albion Band, Waterson:Carthy, Bellowhead, Daphne’s Flight… The list goes on!
We’re excited to welcome a brand-new supergroup to the Live to your Living Room stage this November in the form of Sāwol.
Taking their name from the Old English word for ‘soul’, Sāwol consists of five leading lights in the fiddle world: Fi Fraser, Jess Arrowsmith, Nancy Kerr, Rosie Butler-Hall, and Sarah Matthews – all wonderful and talented artists in their own right.
We caught up with the fab five before the gig to find out more about how the group got together, their involvement in the Folk Who Roam project, and their plans for the future.
There’s nothing we love more than a folk supergroup at Live to your Living Room, and Sāwol is one of the biggest and brightest around! Can you tell us a little bit about how you got together?
Sarah was the catalyst behind Sāwol, as she’s had a hankering for playing in an all-strings band for some time now!
In March 2024, she sent a message to the rest of the group to ask if we wanted to play together in an all-female, all-strings line-up.
Of course, we were all busy with our own projects, so we had to take time to carefully consider whether we had enough time to commit. But who could resist the call to try something that had never been tried before?
Our first rehearsal was in September 2024, and we all brought a couple of musical ideas to get started. Our first gig was Upton Folk Festival in May 2025 – there’s nothing like an imminent deadline to ensure you’re gig-ready!
We saw you at Warwick Folk Festival earlier this year when you put on an impromptu gig, and we must say, it was one of our highlights of the weekend! You’ve played many of the big folk festivals over the last year; what is it about festivals that are so appealing as a folk group?
Oh, that was such fun – very last minute and spur-of-the-moment!
We all appreciate the English Folk festival scene for its sense of connection and sharing in traditional and contemporary folk arts.
These festivals are like the coming together of one big, quirky, welcoming family for joyous annual celebrations. There’s always an opportunity to learn, try something new, participate, relax and have fun.
You played at the premiere of “Folk Who Roam” earlier this year, a film that explores the juxtaposition between nature, folk music, and instrument making. In fact, the very first person who played the shared violin in the film was none other than Rosie Butler-Hall!
What inspired you to get involved with the film, and where are your favourite places in the countryside to recharge and reflect?
We are all very passionate about access to the land, and think that the film highlights a serious issue: that the land is being slowly closed off to us under our noses by landowners.
We all take comfort and inspiration from spending time out in nature, whether it’s the Northumbrian coast or the craggy edges of the Peak District. All humans should be able to experience this as we are intrinsically connected to the earth and the land that surrounds us.
What are your plans for the rest of 2026 and beyond?
Our gig with Live to your Living Room marks our last performance for 2026 as Sāwol.
We’ve had many concert performance offers open up to us for 2027 and 2028, which we’re really delighted about and looking forward to!
Our lovely fans keep asking us for an album, and at some point in the near future we’d love to spend time capturing our music on a recording. It’s just a question of finding the right moment when we can all be available to make it happen.
Find out more about what Sāwol are up to on their Facebook page.
Sāwol take to the Live to your Living Room stage in partnership with our friends at Live At Sam’s on Friday 20 November. Buy your tickets from our website.
