Acclaimed folk band Whalebone will be traveling to the Cotswolds on Friday 16th November to perform at the North Cerney Memorial Village Hall.

Formed in 2005, the band consists of Steve Downs (Guitar, Mandolin), Charlotte Watson (Guitar, Bouzouki) and Sarah Ibberson (Fiddle). Having just released their sixth album the band are looking forward to playing songs from that track when they visit North Cerney on 16th November.

The performance in North Cerney forms part of the band’s pre-Christmas tour where they will be playing at venues all over the Midlands and the South of England. “We’re excited to be visiting North Cerney, it’s a part of Gloucestershire we haven’t visited before. We’ll be playing songs from our new album and some of our favourite songs from years gone by,” said Steve Downs.

The band, who recently celebrated their 13th anniversary, have been described as one of the best folk bands in Britain. Their sound is a mix of Celtic folk, with hints of other musical genres thrown in.

Steve continued: “It started all those years ago with quite a lot of Irish influence. None of us are Irish but we just like that Celtic style. As we’ve progressed we’ve developed hints of Americana and even some Eastern European influences as well.

“When we played our first gig thirteen years ago we could have never dreamed that we’d still be together all these years later. We’ve recorded six albums and played hundreds of gigs, it’s been a dream come true to be honest. To see our videos get thousands of views online is quite humbling and the messages of support we receive are what keeps us going.”

The desire to create imagery without the need for words has long been a feature of Whalebone’s writing, combining melodies and harmonies to create a sense of place.

Steve continued: “At first some people think that’s a negative but when we perform they tell us that they prefer the instrumental side of things and don’t mis the vocals. Not having lyrics gives the audience a chance to conjure up their own images. One of the best bits about performing is speaking to people after the gig and hearing how our music affected them and what images they created listening to our music.”

Having spent 13 years in the band Steve says his desire to continue performing remains as strong now as it was back when the band first got together.

He added: “The day we don’t enjoy what we’re doing will be the day to stop but that seems a long way off at the moment because we’re having so much fun. It sounds corny, but we enjoy every performance. The thing that stands out, rather than any individual performances, is seeing how we’ve developed as a band over the years. Looking back to some of our early gigs there’s a definite sense that we’ve evolved and are a bit more polished nowadays.”