Bellowhead

Born in England around Jon Boden and John Spiers, Bellowhead took shape in 2004 as a large folk ensemble of ten, later eleven, musicians, conceived to rearrange the traditional English repertoire on a grand scale. The band blends popular songs, dance tunes and sea shanties with expansive instrumentation, where brass, strings, woodwinds and percussion produce a sound that crosses English folk, folk rock, folk jazz and progressive folk. After a first EP in 2004, Bellowhead released Burlesque in 2006 and Matachin in 2008, around the time the group also appeared at the Southbank Centre and the Proms—signs of an established presence on the British folk stages. Hedonism (2010), Broadside (2012) and Revival (2014) continued this approach, built on carefully constructed collective arrangements and a strong taste for the energy of dance music. Bellowhead ended its activities in 2016 after a final concert in Oxford, before reforming sporadically from 2020 for several reunions and anniversary tours. The band’s recent history is also marked by the death of musician Paul Sartin in 2022, shortly before a new series of concerts.