An Evening With the Brothers Gillespie

The songs of Northumbrian folk alchemists The Brothers Gillespie
(James and Sam Gillespie) are animated by lyrical poetry, fluid
fingerstyle guitar, multi-instrumental musicianship and the
glorious tones of their blood harmony (Sam Lee). Theirs is a music
of encounter, of lark song and crow call, ash leaves and hidden
ways. It is rooted in the earth and arises most strongly for them
when they are out walking in the borderlands with their packs and
instruments. Bringing together visionary mythopoetics with a radical
spirit, the brothers tread an older path whilst singing with fierce
tenderness to the present time in its grief and luminosity. Their
live performances are known for a rare intimacy and the spontaneous
ways they weave tales around the songs and invite audiences into the
heart of the music.In 2026 the brothers are busy touring and recording, preparing for
the release of their fourth studio album Kingfisher on 10/10//2026
with UK and international touring planned throughout 2027.
Kingfisher is a collection of songs borne of deepening into the
kingdom of life and it's terrain of love, loss, grief and longing.
These are songs dreamed into being on the banks of two Northern
rivers, the Tweed and Tyne, and are suffused with riverine life,
light and image. The album is a song to the old ways, to the quiet
wisdoms of the wild, a rallying call to the praise makers.
The brothers have travelled far and wide with their music and have
played Cambridge, Sidmouth and Moseley Folk Festivals and opened for
Lankum and Sam Lee. In Spring 2022 they released The Merciful Road
(pure magic, Living Tradition), inspired by the grace of life in
troubled times and recorded in a cottage by the banks of the river
Tweed. Like their previous album The Fell, it blends rootsy,
acoustic elements to create a rich warm sound with a touch of
vintage magic. 2024 saw them release the collaborative album
Hirondelle (featuring string ensemble Trio Mythos and Occitanie
vocal group Tant Que Li Siam)Over three albums and much touring, The Brothers Gillespie, two
siblings from Northumberland, have won hearts with a combination of
close vocal harmonies and songs carved from the rock, turf and skies
of their homeland The GuardianThe music of The Brothers Gillespie feeds the soul, shining like a
light through these dark times. Jackie Morris