“I was absolutely slain. Fans of ambitious folk should check this out.” – The Telegraph
“There’s a palpable electricity to a UFQ gig that surges through the band and into the crowd.” – Songlines
“Big-hearted music. Breathtaking.” – R2 (Rock’n’Reel)
“Pure innovation.” – Folk Radio UK
Following the success of their fifth album, The Escape, The Urban Folk Quartet (UFQ) return to the live stage with their third UK tour in 12 months.
Though rooted in folk traditions, UFQ are very much 21st century musicians. Constantly writing and arranging, their ever-expanding repertoire calls on such varied influences as jazz, Americana, Afrobeat, funk, rock and dance music, blending in the melodies and rhythms of North India, Middle East, Europe and the Mediterranean.
A Telegraph Best Of Folk 2015 album, The Escape showcases how far the quartet have come in the two years since their previous release, the dazzling UFQ Live II. Shaped by a heavy headline touring schedule that saw the band perform extensively across the UK and Europe (where they typically performed two sets per night), the 10-track collection embraces soaring string arrangements and African-inspired cajón grooves.
The Escape was also a Folk Radio UK Album of 2015, while the band’s BBC Radio 2 live version of The Breakthrough and Barnstorming is featured on the Mark Radcliffe Folk Sessions 2015 album.
Formed in 2009, UFQ are Galician fiddle player Paloma Trigás (Joss Stone, The Chieftains, Sharon Shannon, Altan, Carlos Nuñez); guitar, fiddle and mandolin player Joe Broughton (The Albion Band, Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, Joss Stone); percussionist Tom Chapman (The Old Dance School, Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, Gilmore and Roberts, Cerys Matthews); and Dan Walsh (Seth Lakeman Band, The Levellers, Walsh and Pound). Regarded as one of this country’s best claw hammer banjo players, Dan is nominated for Best Musician in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2016.
UFQ’s spring 2016 UK tour sees the ensemble perform material from across their five album career alongside several new tracks. Concerts will also be recorded for the quartet’s next album, provisionally titled UFQ Live III and pencilled in for an autumn 2016 release.
The headline tour will be followed by a summer of festival appearance in the UK and Europe, including Towersey Festival and Shrewsbury, in August.
For more information, see: www.theufq.com
LISTINGS
The UFQ Spring Tour 2016 dates include:
Thursday 24 March 2016
Huntingdon Hall, Crowngate, Worcester WR1 3LD
8pm
£16
Tel: 01905 611 427
www.worcesterlive.co.uk
Friday 25 March 2016
The Old Fire Station, 40 George Street, Oxford OX1 2AQ
8.15pm
£10 (adv), £12 (door)
Tel: 01865 305 305
www.oldfirestation.org.uk
Friday 8 April 2016
mac Birmingham, Cannon Hill Park, Edgbaston, Birmingham B12 9QH
8pm
£14 (£10 conc)
Tel: 0121 446 3232
macbirmingham.co.uk
For full spring tour and festival dates, see: theufq.com/gigs
The band also play Towersey Festival 2016.
Note: Winners of The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2016 will be announced on 27 April 2016. Dan Walsh is shortlisted in the Best Musician category.
The UFQ are available for selected media interviews, live reviews and sessions. For details, contact us:
Four Four Eight 