One of folk's 'great odd couples' are coming - and you won't want to miss it
Belshazzar's Feast to bring unique performance to ACE Space on Thursday
THEY have been described as 'one of folk's great odd couples' due to their ability to entertain their audiences with scintillating live performances and witty banter.
This Thursday, to celebrate 21 years of music-making together, Radio 2 Folk Award nominees Paul Sartin and Paul Hutchinson - better known as Belshazzar’s Feast - will be coming to ACE Space in Newbury as part of their ‘Coming of Age’ tour.
Unique among the line ups of the vibrant English folk scene, the much-loved duo of Sartin (Bellowhead, Faustus) and Hutchinson (Beauty & The Beast, Pagoda) are renowned as consummate live performers who mix humour and intricate traditional English folk music in equal measures.
It's no surprise they have received worldwide acclaim - Hutchinson is regarded as one of the top accordionists in the country due to his unique and refreshing approach to playing.
He is the Resident Accordion Tutor at Cecil Sharp House, the home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, and at Halsway Manor in Somerset, the Centre for English Traditional Arts.
As a singer, oboist, violinist, composer and arranger Sartin is a man, if you pardon the pun, with more than one string to his bow.
He performs and records extensively with BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Winners and Nominees Bellowhead, Belshazzar’s Feast and Faustus. He also edits publications of music manuscripts, delivers workshops, and is Consultant and Director of the Andover Museum Loft Singers.
Speaking to N2 ahead of the gig, Sartin said: "I'm really looking forward to playing Newbury again. Paul has played at ACE Space before with another band and he's looking forward to going back too.
"Weirdly we actually met in a band called Life of Riley and we had a song about the Newbury Bypass, it was called Newbury Jam.
"We played in Victoria Park for the BBC right in front of the A339 but typically there was no traffic at all at the time. Newbury is the place where it all started for us."
Asked why people should some along, Sartin added: "It's fun and informal and there is a lot of interaction and banter, it is sort of an organised chaos.
"We love performing, particularly the smaller venues. They are honest and intimate."
Belshazzar’s Feast will play at 8.00pm, Thursday 14 May at ACE Space, Newbury
Early bird tickets are priced at £10 and are available by calling 07905 590 214 or emailing events@acespace.org.uk
A limited number of tickets are available on the night priced at £12.