The Breath (UK) / Spafford Campbell (UK)

The impetuous singer/flutist Ríoghnach Connolly and the brilliant guitarist Stuart McCallum form the creative heart of The Breath. For them, everything revolves around the song. Connolly sings about summers from her youth and first loves but just as well about cultural uprooting, post-colonial injustice, and grief. Her deeply lived-in and compelling voice, in combination with Stuart's subtle musicality, give the songs an intense and emotional layering. Their latest album Land Of My Other is incredibly beautiful and manages to touch. Live, the duo is an absolute recommendation. Violist Owen Spafford and guitarist Louis Campbell founded their duo Spafford Campbell in 2018, and after that, things went fast. They toured as support for the world-famous Irish violinist Martin Hayes, were nominated for the BBC Young Folk Award and their latest album Tomorrow Held was named one of the best folk records of 2025 by The Guardian. This innovative instrumental duo brings traditional melodies with influences from minimalism, post-rock, and jazz. Inspired by Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden and the vibrating soundscapes of early Bon Iver.