Described by Folk Radio UK as ‘weaving an especially compelling magic’, Northumbrian duo The Brothers Gillespie combine the glorious tones of sibling harmony with brilliant instrumentalism and visionary songwriting. They are inspired by the lineage of the folk revival as well as the wildness of the older tradition and have been likened to Leonard Cohen, Simon & Garfunkel and The Incredible String Band among others.

Brothers James and Sam Gillespie grew up in the small village of Wall on the old Roman frontier bounded on one side by a faery hill and on the other by the wise old river they call the North Tyne. It was in this valley that music took hold of them. They found a world that was still alive, that breathed magic and which became the inspiration for their song. Their’s is a music of borderlands, of the thresholds between worlds. The brothers have travelled widely and sung their songs at campfires, concert halls, Parisian circuses, folk clubs and a range of UK festivals including Cambridge Folk Fest. They have also opened concerts for Sam Lee and Lankum.

The Fell is the duo’s newly released second album, recorded during the Summer of 2018 by Tim Lane at Stable Project Studio in East Lothian. The window was open, the light was dancing, you can hear the birds calling. The tone is rich and warm with a vintage feeling, the sound centered around guitar and fiddle with the brothers voices singing in ‘the glorious tones of their blood harmony’ (Sam Lee). Highland clàrsach player Siannie Moodie adds some beautiful harp to two of the tracks whilst Tim Lane also makes a guest appearance on percussion. The songs are richly poetic with a sense of the romantic and the mystical, as well as a strong current of political radicalism.

The Brothers Gillespie say of The Fell:

‘The album is inspired by the still wild soul of the land in which we live, a land alive with presences, not owned by anyone. It is an album about seeing with the eye of the heart and recovering our imaginations. It is about finding home, belonging and each other in a world which is singing to us as we sing to it’.

The Fell was released on the 11th December at a sell-out launch show at the Queen’s Hall in Hexham and is now available to buy from www.thebrothersgillespie.com

www.thebrothersgillespie.com