The Breath - Thursday 30th April

Doors 7pm show starts 8pm

The Breath is guitarist Stuart McCallum and singer/flautist, Ríoghnach Connolly. Based in Manchester their unique take on alt-folk journeys from lush, stirring ditties to uplifting, punch-the-air anthems. At its heart lies Ríoghnach’s utterly engaging, stop-you-in-your-tracks voice and extraordinary storytelling alongside Stuart’s understated brilliance and their exquisitely crafted, personal songs. Yet it’s the emotional depth of the songs and the remarkable connection the duo share on stage that make the Breath’s live performance so compelling.

"Quietly, inexorably, The Breath have become one of the UK's most exciting folk acts... Only Stories (Let the Cards Fall Revisited).. an acoustic recording that unfolds like a paper flower" The Financial Times *****

“an affecting blend …. McCallum provides the grandeur and artifice and Connolly the intimacy and purity” Uncut

“Spacious, nuanced and skilfully crafted... songs performed are all the more affecting for their simplicity. (‘Only Stories’) has a quiet, shimmering beauty... a treasure. Evening Standard ****

“deeply lovely... spectacular songs, beautifully sung” BBC R2: The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe

“folk roots but different horizons... the jaw-droppingly stunning, woozy voice of Ríoghnach Connolly”The Guardian

“my favourite original ballad of the year, Ríoghnach Connolly’s voice as tender as the grasp of a child’s hand” The Guardian, 2018’s Best Folk Albums