Elfin Bow brings pastoral psych-folk to the Epstein Theatre with the launch of her stunning debut album.
Elfin Bow's music has been described as a fairy tale experience for grown ups; pastoral psych-folk with an undercurrent of electronic ambience. A truly 21st Century folk artist she is a storyteller of the finest kind, with one foot rooted in tradition and the other venturing into the future. A songwriter, musician, artist and teacher from Liverpool, she is a jack-of-all-trades, and master of them all, and turned her back on a career in teaching to pursue her creative dreams. The result of which is a brave new album of original songs, brought together by a diverse team of musicians and producers, most notably Tom Kitching (fiddle, Pilgrims Way, Interloper), Jamie Francis (banjo, The Sam Kelly trio), Saydyko Fedorova (traditional Sakha nature vocalisations), Gary Lloyd (production mix and mastering) and Gary Edward Jones (co-producer with Elfin Bow.)
With imagery that blends her twin passions of music and art, Elfin Bow’s songs and stage presence exude colour, charisma and a gentle charm. Dreamy songs like ‘The First Red Leaf of Autumn’ and ‘Daffadilly Down,’ firmly place this album in the genre of pastoral, psych-folk, whilst the pulsing ‘Grimshaw and the Fingerclaw’ and whistful ‘Edith’s Song’ play out the story of ‘The Witch of Melling,’ a character inspired by Elfin’s childhood. ‘Holler in the Hollows’ is a beautiful, yet dark, single chord lament whilst ‘The Wisdom’ is quietly uplifting, urging us to find our own voice and learn to trust our own inner wisdom.
Elfin Bow’s star has certainly been rising and she has supported Robin Williamson, the Sam Kelly Trio, Harp and a Monkey, James Findlay, Tom Kitching and Mississippi artist, Bronwynne Brent. She has been regularly supported by local and national TV and radio including BBC Radio Merseyside, Bay TV, That’s Manchester TV, Fab Radio International, Eden FM Radio and BBC Radio Shropshire. This summer she was selected to play the main stage at Folk on the Dock Festival, hosted by Janice Long and her video for The Narrowboat Sessions reached in excess of 24K views and 200 shares in a few short weeks. She has just been selected for Fatea Magazine’s Spring Showcase Sessions.
“An album that sets the mind thinking, the body moving and the spirit soaring.”
Neil King, Fatea Magazine
