Jay Hammond is a musician, sound artist, and cultural anthropologist. Described in The Guardian as "delicately played modern Americana. .... starts as a simple folk song to fingerpicked guitar before mutating into a shimmering homage to nature, with Rhodes piano and pedal steel creating a pulsing, imminent atmosphere. Will Stratton is an American songwriter living in New York's Hudson Valley. His eighth album, Points of Origin, comes out March 7th on Bella Union. An understated delight, Will Stratton's sixth album is beautifully written, beautifully played, and beautifully arranged, its gorgeous, cosseting sound masking a series of deeply uneasy songs in which even the most personal moments feel tainted by paranoia brought on by global events. - Alexis Petridis, The Guardian's Best Albums of 2021 So Far

Making his second visit to Weirdshire, we are delighted to welcome Johnny back. 2024 saw Campbell release True North, an album of traditional northern folk songs recorded on their respective county summits. From Northumberland and Durham, to Lancashire and Merseyside, Campbell has travelled the length and breadth of the north of England to collect these recordings on or close to the summit of each spot. Each recording documents a moment in time, captured for posterity on a fell or desolate moor, with the album as a whole capturing a tapestry of the north. These recordings are not refined to perfection or studio-polished, but living and breathing songs, just as theyve been passed down through the generations. Through these songs, Campbell explores the symbiotic connections between the land, the music, the stories and the history that has shaped northern identity from chartism and co-operatives, to the Labour movement. The landscapes of the north are inextricably linked with our social history. The hills and streams that powered the Industrial Revolution in turn played a key role in social hierarchy and even the transatlantic slave trade. The album is also the final part of a trilogy of releases that explore our connection (and disconnection) to the land around us. Alongside his music-making, Campbell's knowledge of radical histories, landscape and geography have earned him a freelance writing role with Britain's most popular walking magazine, Country Walking, as well as praise from author Nick Hayes, a feature on BBC Radio 4 Open Country and an episode of the award-winning Folk on Foot podcast.

Toby Hay is a revered guitarist, improviser and composer - his last trip to Weirdshire was in a duo with Holly Blackshaw, this time he is back to playing solo to support the release of his new album. New Music for the 6 String Guitar is his 7th studio album and is a follow up to 2019's New Music For The 12 String Guitar. Since then, he has released two collaborative albums, 2023's self-titled Jim Ghedi & Toby Hay released on the legendary Topic label, and 2024's After a Pause, with Aidan Thorne, released on his own, Cambrian Records. Like it's 12 string predecessor, the concept for the new record was dreamt up by London label The state51 Conspiracy. The idea was to ask Roger Bucknall of Fylde guitars to build a new custom instrument specifically for a guitarist to write and record music for. The Curlew custom 6 string is made from Macassar Ebony & light coloured Cedar and is set up to play in Toby's unique tunings. The album was recorded over three days in the Wood Room at Real World Studios. All tracks are live performances with no overdubs. The natural world is a recurring theme across these 12 tracks, with inspiration ranging from Hay's time working for the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, to his recent Masters in Music & The Environment from the University of the Highlands and Islands. Inspiration also comes from Hay's connection to his local landscape, his home in the Cambrian Mountains, and his sheep dog Bear. But ultimately this is an album that explores the relationship between musician and instrument, and that is what we will be experiencing in the live setting.

Steve Malley, in his Horse Loom manifestation. Dark folk tales from Northumbria. Incredible solo guitar and voice. For fans of Davey Graham, Bert Jansch and John Fahey. Northumberland's best kept secret. The Wire Unique marriage between British folk music, avant-garde guitar-playing and punk rock spirit. Supersonic Festival

This is a really unique show - we are so lucky to have this opportunity! Henry McPherson is a composer-improviser, artist, and researcher from Herefordshire (UK). His work explores human-environment relationships and plant ecologies, through sound, text, movement, and visual media. He is interested in interspecies kinship and forest choreography, moss music and microbiomes, deep sea listening, sonic collage, and dancing with instruments. His developing approach to ecological improvisation aims to cultivate inclusive listening and environmental empathy in and through performance. Henry's work has been performed and recorded by internationally acclaimed ensembles and artists, broadcast on national and local radio, and presented in festivals, galleries, and performance events across the UK, France, Switzerland, Greece, the USA, the Netherlands, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Austria, Ireland, and China. Past premieres include the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (Uhte, 2016), Scottish Opera (Maud, 2017/2023), Eugene Difficult Music Ensemble (How to play Mariana, 2024), the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra (Foutraque, 2021), Ensemble Modern (Mannequin, 2016), Ed Bennett's DECIBEL Ensemble (Opening Hands, 2018), and RedNote Ensemble (Tides, 2015). Recent installation and audiovisual works have included Colagens at Fruitmarket Gallery (Edinburgh, 2019) and Despina Gallery (Rio de Janeiro, 2018), Bryographs and Moss Verses at Galérie Analix Forever (Geneva, 2024), More Than One Thing at hcmf// (Huddersfield, 2021), and How to be a forest at Fox Yard Studios (Lowestoft, 2024), In recent years, Henry's focus has shifted from large ensemble composition toward more intimate, process-led collaborations with other artists - often improvised, site-specific, and interdisciplinary - where listening, place, and shared creativity guide the development of the work. Recent collaborative projects include IMMERSIONS (2022), an eco-arts residency with dance artists Kirstie Simson and Michael Schumacher exploring improvisation in sites at risk of sea level rise (supported by Creative Scotland); Herbarium (2023), an exploration of botanical illustration notation with Austrian composer Florijan Lörnitzo (supported by Stadt Wien and AustroMechana); Dancing with Colours (2022), an inclusive improvisational sound, movement, and painting production directed by JoAnne Haines, and produced by Mind The Gap; and Empty Dreaming (2025, forthcoming), a co-composition for piano with Joshua Brown, focusing on the performer's sensibility towards cyclical gestures and experiences of stretched time.