Urban Folk Quartet to play mac.
Acclaimed acoustic four-piece the Urban Folk Quartet present their new line-up to a hometown audience for the first time on Saturday 1st November 2014 at mac Birmingham.
Formed by Joe Broughton (guitar, fiddle, mandolin), Paloma Trigas (fiddle, vocals), Tom Chapman (percussion, vocals) and Frank Moon (oud, guitar) in 2009, UFQ have since toured across Europe and released four lauded albums.
With Frank retiring from touring late last year, his shoes have been filled by clawhammer banjo player and vocalist Dan Walsh. Touted as one of the UK’s finest banjo players, Dan has previously released two solo albums and one with duo Walsh and Pound. He’s also guested with Seth Lakeman and the Levellers. The forthcoming show will mark his Birmingham debut with the band after warming up with a successful run of headline shows and festival appearances over the summer.
“Having a banjo has opened up loads of musical possibilities in the new material,” says Tom of the inclusion of fellow West Midlander Dan. “He relishes the opportunity to play the banjo in new and unusual ways and that’s a perfect fit with our ethos. He’s also known as a singer, so it’s also really nice to have someone come in and liven up the vocal numbers alongside picking up Frank’s old guitar parts in the instrumentals, which we’re more known for.”
UFQ combine Celtic folk music traditions with jazz and funk grooves, Middle-Eastern melodies, Afrobeat and North Indian rhythms, and more. As musicians, they have worked with acts as diverse as folk big band Bellowhead and soul singer Joss Stone, while Joe and Paloma are currently mentors for the BBC Young Folk Award 2015.
The quartet’s last appearance in Birmingham was a sell-out show at The Yardbird in spring 2013 – a performance recorded for 2013’s UFQ: Live II album.
The forthcoming mac Birmingham theatre show will see the band perform two sets.
“We’ll be doing a mix of old favourites and new stuff we’ve been working on with Dan, as well as brand new versions of stuff from UFQ: Live II,” says Tom. “Although we play theatre venues regularly, this will also be the first time we’ve done a theatre show in the city.”
Following the show, the quartet will begin work on their fifth yet to be titled album, due for release mid-2015.
Tickets for the mac Birmingham show are £10, available from 0121 446 3232 or www.macbirmingham.co.uk
