Saturday 1st August: Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker/ Samantha Whates

Winners of the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Duo, the Isambard Folk Award, the FATEA Awards for Best Album and Female Vocalist of the Year 2013, and the Spiral Award for Best Duo, Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker are hailed as the ‘the green shoots growing from the very top of the English folk family tree’ Whether interpreting words centuries old or singing her own authentic lyrics, Josienne Clarke’s jewel-like voice finds the nuance in the simplest phrase and sends it, effortlessly, straight to your heart. Ben Walker’s musical tact and flair for arrangement provide the perfect setting, allowing the song centre-stage. Their first major album together ‐ Fire and Fortune ‐ confirmed their place among the very best musicians of their generation and reached No.1 on the UK Amazon folk chart. Their next album Nothing Can Bring Back the Hour was one of the most anticipated releases of 2014 and was launched with a sold out show at The Purcell Room at London’s Southbank Centre. The following spring they were nominated for two BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and went on to win the award for Best Duo. The chapel-like acoustics of The Winemakers’ stone arch and it’s candle-lit ambience provide the perfect setting for Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker’s masterclass in contemporary English folk.

“Extremely Compelling” The Independent/ “gorgeous” Daily Telegraph/ “A major album, from major players’Americana UK / ‘Stunning’ Maverick Magazine/ ‘.. a classic in the canon of contemporary UK folk music’ Folk Radio UK

Samantha Whates is a London based singer and songwriter. Despite living in the capital since her mid-teens, her heart, voice and songs retain a strong affinity with her Scottish roots, cultivating a sound that is at once thoroughly contemporary, rooted in tradition and uniquely her own. Recent performances include sharing the bill with Olivia Chaney at Kings Place in May, and the Purcell Rooms in the Royal Festival Hall with Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker. She recently released her debut album Dark Nights Make For Brighter Days, which has enjoyed both critical acclaim and extensive radio play on BBC 6 Music, KCRW and Resonance FM. She will be playing tonight as a trio, with violin and clarinet accompaniment.