Arianne Churchman & Benedict Drew + Jacken Elswyth (Shovel Dance Collective) + Fenland Drone Workshop

Friday, 8 May 2026 at 19:00 at The Holloway, Norwich

Part of our 'Folk Experimenta Series' Funded by Arts Council England Arianne Churchman & Benedict Drew Both multi-disciplinary artists with roots in the English countryside and a fascination with folklore, AC&BD tap into the multifarious manifestations of folk music across eras throughout the British isles, pushing it towards a new, noisy din with their experimental approach. This might represent a further dimension of “British visionary music” as described by Rob Young in his pivotal Electric Eden book. Perhaps an Electronic Eden? Opening track “The Cuckoo” begins with an atmosphere reminiscent of the more pastoral moments of Broadcast before devolving into a trance-like wall of noise, binaural beats and whispered incantations. “The Green Bushes” sets Churchman’s multi-tracked vocal harmonies atop a pulsing, single-chord foundation. MAY’s varied reference points include Anne Briggs, The Copper Family, Cyril Poacher, Steeleye Span and Shirley Collins, to name just a few. Jacken Elswyt…