Spiers & Boden

Two of the most celebrated figures in English folk music, John Spiers and Jon Boden bring their exhilarating live show to the stage for a special matinee performance.

Since first meeting at an Oxford pub folk session in 2000, Spiers & Boden have become one of the defining partnerships of the modern English folk revival. Combining Boden’s powerful vocals and fiddle playing with Spiers’ extraordinary command of the melodeon, the duo breathe fresh life into traditional songs and tunes with performances full of energy, invention, humour and musicianship.

Their debut album in 2001 propelled them to the forefront of the folk scene, before the pair went on to become founding members of the hugely successful Bellowhead. Across six studio albums as Spiers & Boden, they have built a reputation as fearless and imaginative arrangers, keeping traditional English music vibrant, accessible and – above all – enormous fun.

Their most recent album, Fallow Ground, reached No.3 in the UK & Ireland Official Folk Albums Chart and was named among MOJO magazine’s Top 10 folk albums of 2021. The Observer described the record as “bursting with ideas”, while The Scotsman praised the “perfectly balanced” combination of Boden’s fiddle and Spiers’ melodeon.

Live, their chemistry remains irresistible. From intimate traditional songs to rousing instrumental sets and favourites familiar from their Bellowhead years, Spiers & Boden prove that two musicians can generate an extraordinary amount of sound, excitement and joy.

“It’s all exquisitely played – the pair are still the dons.”
The Observer

“This is traditional folk delivered with modern verve.”
EDS

“Bellowhead’s Sloe Gin Set is one of the great sets of folk tunes and, together, Spiers and Boden show that they don’t need another nine musicians to make it brilliant.”
Bristol24/7

Estimated set times

4.00pm Set 1

5.10pm Set 2