Hammered dulcimer curlicues, entwined singing voices, trombone echoing across the gentle roar of the Thames—with close attention, all of it has the capacity to make your hair stand on end’ – Pitchfork
📷 Profile pic by Jordan Reyes
Shovel Dance Collective are a group of nine musicians brought together by a communal passion for the folk music of the British Isles, Ireland and beyond. They nurture and synthesise this material with sensibilities drawn from drone, free improvisation, contemporary classical and metal; weaving this through with a deep sense of the ways in which traditional music holds queer histories, proto-feminist narratives and the voices of those who, by their labour, create the wealth of the world. They are simultaneously traditional and experimental; seeing folk music, not as an archaeological artifact to be unearthed, but as a living communal activity. Inviting and generous to those it speaks to.
They have performed across the UK, including a sold out UK tour and headline concerts at venues such as Cecil Sharp House, Kings Place and Cafe OTO. The collective have appeared at many major festivals: Glastonbury, SXSW, Green Man, End of the Road, Supernormal and Supersonic festivals. Publications such as Loud and Quiet, NME, Financial Times and The Times have heralded their live performances across the years. Their latest critically acclaimed record ‘The Water is the Shovel of the Shore’ has been championed by The Wire, Folk Radio, Tradfolk and was named one of the albums of the year by The Quietus. It is their third public release. They are currently working on their fourth release, as well as many other nebulous projects and ideas across the collective.
