“Music has a unique ability to challenge established precepts, and the Shovel Dance Collective are more aware of this ability than practically any other band currently working in the folk idiom.” (klofmag)

Shovel Dance Collective is a group of nine musicians united by their passion for traditional music from the British Isles, Ireland and beyond. They approach folk not as an artefact to be excavated, but as a communal activity. A sort of musique boue, a patchwork of sounds, reassembled and rearranged.

Maybe you were there when this folk collective paid tribute to Harry Smith’s iconic collector Anthology Of American Folk Music in 2023. Or maybe you were awed by their visit to the Church of Our Lady of the Rich Clares during our BRDCST festival in 2024. On Wednesday 9 April Shovel Dance Collective will return to AB.

Here are 5 things you probably didn’t know about Shovel Dance Collective:
 

• Shovel Dance Collective consists of nine musicians drawn from an inspiring mix of young artists, students of Slade Art College, and dissident anarcho-punks.
• No one is the boss. On stage, they form a democratic semicircle, without an obvious leader. This approach allows them to experiment.
• Although they are often labelled an ‘experimental’ folk band, they don’t work with electronica, noise or free improvisation; rather, their sound is tender and almost considered. They combine historical songs with experimental elements, creating a sound that bridges past and present.
• They use pre-classical and pagan instruments, including bagpipes, guitars, harps and Celtic percussion, supported by the sustained drone of a pipe organ and a shruti-box.
• Shovel Dance Collective have visited AB before. Maybe you were there when this folk collective paid tribute to Harry Smith’s iconic collector Anthology Of American Folk Music in 2023. Or maybe you were awed by the their visit to the Church of Our Lady of the Rich Clares during our BRDCST festival in 2024.