AMY THATCHER & FRAN KNOWLES

‘Accordion star’ and ‘fearless experimenter within British folk music’, Amy Thatcher has teamed up with drummer Fran Knowles. Together they are putting themselves at the forefront of experimental instrumental sounds in a cocktail of folk-inspired melodies and rambunctious rhythms interspersed with electronics. Expect to hear progressive melodies interspersed within the familiar realm of jigs and reels. With a satisfying mix of toe-tapping tunes and gorgeous harmonies, this virtuosic all-female piano accordion and percussion duo will expand your definitions of the instruments and leave you fired up to hear more.

Amy Thatcher is an accordion virtuoso whose reputation as one of the UK’s leading folk performers and composers is garnered from her work with such luminaries as Kathryn Tickell, Sting, The Royal Northern Sinfonia, The Shee and Monster Ceilidh Band.

Francesca Knowles is a gifted musician from the North East of England, specialising in drums, percussion and keys. Since studying in Leeds & Sheffield, where she earned an MA in Ethnomusicology in 2014. She has performed with a huge variety of musical projects around the North, toured across the globe with international drumming street theatre show Spark!, and currently gigs and records with a number of Newcastle-based projects.