ASHBURTON: Arts Centre

Sunday 8th October, 2023

7:00pm

Event information

ANDY CUTTING • SAM SWEENEY • ROB HARBRON

Leveret is a unique collaboration between three of England's finest folk musicians. Andy Cutting (button accordion), Sam Sweeney (fiddle) and Rob Harbron (concertina) are each regarded as exceptional performers and masters of their instruments. Together their performances combine consummate musicianship, compelling delivery and captivating spontaneity. Leveret’s music is not arranged in the conventional sense and the trio rely on mutual trust and musical interaction to create new settings of their repertoire in the moment, with no two performances alike. Their playing is relaxed and natural, drawing audiences in and inviting them to share in music making that is truly spontaneous and yet deeply timeless.

Fiddler Sam Sweeney was the 2015 BBC Folk Awards Musician of the Year and the inaugural Artistic Director of the National Youth Folk Ensemble. He is known for his work in Bellowhead and The Full English, and his solo recordings including 2022’s Escape That. Box player Andy Cutting, a three-time BBC Folk Awards Musician of the year, is a compelling solo performer and works with Blowzabella, Topette, Anne Niepold, and Roger Daltrey. Concertina wizard Rob Harbron leads the English Acoustic Collective Summer School, released his own solo album Meanders in 2019, and is known for his work with Emily Portman, The Full English and Emma Reid.

Leveret will celebrate 10 years on the road in 2023 with Forms, a new album featuring new and traditional tunes played with the band’s trademark interaction and inventiveness. Leveret's music is firmly rooted in the English tradition but sounds fresh and new and over the years their intimate presentation style has charmed countless audiences, helping the trio build a loyal following and demonstrating the enduring appeal and endless potential of the folk tune. Listeners new and old can expect incredible musicianship and compelling presentation from a band at the top of their game.

“What was remarkable was the delicacy and quality of their playing and the empathy between the three men, watching each other intently as they progressed from repeated melody lines to subtle, spontaneous variations. It was a magical set.” Robin Denselow, The Guardian ****

“This is all about the joy of playing and the intoxicating thrill of three masters of their craft … the empathy between them as the music ebbs and flows is exceptional; you can also see the smiles and winks between them. The feel-good warmth they generate is palpable.” Colin Irwin, fROOTS

“Classy players…their intuitive way with tunes is glorious” Mojo

“You won't find English folk music played better than this” R2

“Inspiringly good” fROOTS

“In folk music you need to hear the human. Leveret have got that trance-like thing – I’ve taken people to Leveret concerts who don’t necessarily have an interest in folk and they’ve totally got it. There’s so much in those tunes and it takes real skill to see it and bring it out. There’s a variation there between the three of them that goes on constantly. Even if you don’t appreciate what traditional music is you can still be blown away by it…”
Verity Sharp [BBC Radio 3 Late Junction]

“The intimacy and the intensity of this in the round experience was unlike anything I had heard all year. In folk, it’s the sound of what’s to come” TheArtsDesk.com

“Music of a rich, sinewy immersion, guided by a mutual sense of exploration, space and a very English kind of swing. It’s an intimate, contemporary reinvention of the source material”
The Guardian

“This glimmering set of instrumentals cuts unfailingly elegant lines”
The Sunday Times

“Sublime, exquisite music – don't miss them”
Martin Simpson

WWW.LEVERETBAND.COM