Our Atlantic Roots - Glastonbury (Avalon Acoustic Sessions)

Event information

- OUR ATLANTIC ROOTS -

Cornwall based transatlantic duo ‘Our Atlantic Roots’ fuse together poetic lyrics and cinematic instrumentation, creatively presenting a blend of the cultures they are individually from, by merging genres characterized by their country and folk roots. Audiences consistently praise the duo for their tight vocal harmonies, honest storytelling and for Mac’s impressive guitar performance.
In recent years, the duo has seen playlisting success with millions of streams under their belts, BBC Radio 2 airplay, regular BBC Introducing features and a very full tour calendar! They’ve shared the line up with the likes of Ward Thomas, Passenger and Tom Odell, and performed on the main stages of festivals such as Between The Trees, Cornwall Folk Festival and Beardy Folk Festival as well as making appearances at The Americana Music Week, The British Country Music Festival and more. The fully independent and self-managed duo have taken sonic inspiration from artists such as The Civil Wars, The Hollow Coves, The Paper Kites, Novo Amor and The Oh Hellos.

Our Atlantic Roots have steadily been building a catalogue of songs that have been praised by the likes of hit songwriter Mark Cawley (Tina Turner, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack) who called their work ‘a sonic reflection of their passion for each other and their roots’ stating that he loves the blend of their voices and everything he’s heard them do! The duo’s latest EP ‘Memories Live On’ is a project that leans more into the traditional, with fiddle by Sam Sweeney, cello by Kath Buckler and bass by Ben Nicholls. It was recorded with BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winning producer, Andy Bell (Bellowhead, Martin Simpson, The Lost Spell Songs) and celebrates the Celtic land of Cornwall where the couple currently reside.
As for what’s next … a debut album and UK headline tour are on the cards among some other very exciting next steps in their career. There’s one thing for sure, Our Atlantic Roots are gaining momentum and have no plans to slow down anytime soon! As folk musician Geoff Lakeman stated after seeing them perform at Cornwall Folk Festival, ‘expect to hear more of them!’

QUOTES
“The audience were mesmerised” – Cornwall Folk Festival
“When ‘Our Atlantic Roots’ play live, you listen” – BBC Music Introducing
“An emerging folk act who certainly have our attention.” – Ear To The Ground Music
“Engaging songs sung beautifully with the closest of close harmonies, Our Atlantic Roots delivered one hour of pure magic.” – Cornwall Folk Festival
"One of the pleasant surprises of my summer music festival season was seeing "Our Atlantic Roots. "Mac and Laura were a " warm-up" act on the main stage at Cornwall Folk Festival, but certainly deserved to be there in their own right. Their unique trans-Atlantic combination - she's from Yorkshire and he's from Carolina, USA-- made for a synergy of poetic songs and intense harmonies. And they exuded an effortless and charming, natural stage presence. Expect to hear more of them." – Geoff Lakeman

Website link:
https://www.ouratlanticroots.com/

SUPPORT - MANDY WOODS -

​Award-winning singer-songwriter Mandy Woods has spent most of her life in music giving in to wanderlust, crafting songs and performing them wherever she has happened to find herself on her unconventional journey. Many of them tell stories: about the ups and downs of relationships, about her own and other people’s struggles and quests, and about the myriad other twists of fate that have inspired her imagination.

Mandy grew up near Oxford, England, but spent a decade in Austin, Texas, where she sang with fellow singer-songwriter Lara Linette. After a number of years back in the UK, she made a return visit to the States in 2010, drawn to Nashville, Tennessee, where she wrote several songs with singer-songwriter Terri Calderon. She has since been back to Nashville several times to write and perform.

The title track from Mandy’s CD All Along, recorded in London and Florida, earned an Honorable Placement in the International Song of the Year competition, and the following year her song ‘Bitter and Twisted’ found recognition with GD78 Music.

Mandy’s most recent album, Free Spirited Like Me, contains 12 original songs, including her single ‘The Possibility of You’, which was nominated as Best Original Song in the 2024 FAB Chart Music Awards, and features a wonderful piano part by Bert Louissen.

In February 2025, Mandy won 'Best on the Night' in The Page is Printed 2025, an international writing competition organised by the Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre, for her composition and performance of 'Pragmatic Love Song'.

Through her Wags Lyrical website, Mandy also writes customised songs about dogs and their besotted humans. Her commissions include a song she wrote for a canine-loving couple in Florida that subsequently became popular on YouTube, and one about two large, lovable rescues from North Carolina. Both songs can be heard on the Wags Lyrical website.