“Beautiful harmonies. Two excellent singers” – Genevieve Tudor,
BBC Radio
Evocative and distinctive, folk duo Suthering (Julu Irvine and Heg Brignall) transport audiences with their exquisite vocal harmonies and their message of hope during hard times. Soaring above the cascading piano and delicate, fingerstyle guitar, it’s the duo’s beautifully matched voices and their fresh approach to folk which make their traditional and self-penned songs stand out.
Known for their chemistry and humour on stage, they effortlessly intertwine their important messages about the state of our climate, social conscience, and the importance of community and connecting with nature. They champion female characters, creating new narratives for women and unearthing the female heroines of folk.
Suthering have toured extensively with their debut album If We Turn Away (Feb 2022 – co-produced with Lukas Drinkwater) and are currently working on a second studio album, produced and recorded by Sean Lakeman, which will be released in late 2024.
Suthering found their duo name in a book called Landmarks by Robert MacFarlane. The word, meaning “the sound of the wind through the trees” comes from a John Clare poem and it perfectly captures the duo’s love of nature, a theme which can be found woven into their music. They moved from Bristol to Devon in 2019, just before the pandemic hit, in a bid to create a more connected life on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. The wild expanse and history of Dartmoor, influences and inspires their music, which is rooted in the landscape that surrounds them. Their debut album explores themes of community, connection, environment, and conscience is very much a reflection of the times we are living in and has been influenced by the duo’s experiences during the pandemic. The album received radio play across the country and glowing press reviews.
Suthering have received recognition and features from the BBC, R&R magazine, FATEA Magazine, Folk Wales, Folk Expo, folking.com and more. They were featured as artists at the EFDSS concert series at Sidmouth Folk Festival in 2022 as well as appearing at many festivals across the country in 2023. They have previously appeared at Costa Del Folk, Priddy Folk Festival, Beardy Folk Festival, Fire in the Mountain, Green Man Festival and many more. In August 2022 the duo took part in the next Songs of Separation project called All Sing! on the Isle of Lismore, recording a cappella versions of the original 2015 Songs of Separation album.
They have also been selected for the Rural Touring and Applause schemes, taking gigs to rural locations across the country. Alongside their duo, they delight in bringing communities together; they run two community choirs (Wheelhouse Folk Choir and The Great Sea Choir) and also run their company Suthering Singing Retreats which offers singing workshops for adults.
