The first of our evenings featuring two New Roots finalists The Rookery and Hyem. Do come and give them your support and encourage these young performers as they start out on their musical journeys into the Folk World..
Recommended donation – £12.50 (Cash or Card)
Hyem are a Newcastle-based fiddle trio ( Sol Sayal, Eleanor Kerr & Grace Weerakoon ) bringing together the musical traditions of North East England with a shared enthusiasm for European bal folk. Formed while the three musicians were studying music in Newcastle, the group have developed an energetic and intricate approach centred on the distinctive possibilities of three fiddles.
Their repertoire blends North East influences with European dance music, creating arrangements that are predominantly upbeat, despite the trio’s acknowledged fondness for minor keys. The unusual three-fiddle line-up allows Hyem to explore close harmonies, interlocking melodies and rhythmic accompaniment without relying on a conventional rhythm section. Their performances can also incorporate vocals and clog dancing, adding further connections to the traditional music and dance culture of northern England.
In 2026, Hyem were selected as finalists in New Roots, the long-running initiative for young musicians working in traditional and contemporary folk, roots and world music. Their selection places them among a new generation of performers developing traditional music through their own musical experiences and interests. They have been described as “fresh, intricate and full of energy.”
North-East based folk trio The Rookery create ‘choral magic’ through their arrangements of traditional and modern tunes and songs. The trio comprises Newcastle University students Eleanor Kerr, Poppy Bedford and Amy Gill, all singers who between them play a plethora of instruments (fiddle, flutes, banjo, foot percussion).
They have performed at well-known folk festivals and North-East venues and are always well-received performing a vibrant mix of traditional and self-penned works ranging in theme from history and mythology to birds and politics, propelled by a diverse mixture of instruments and vocal harmony and have been described as “truly [winning] the hearts of many.”
Recently performing in the New Roots final, Folkish Explosion, and Richmond Mayfest, The Rookery is a folk trio made up of Eleanor Kerr, Poppy Bedford and Amy Gill. The North-East based trio perform a vibrant mix of traditional and self-penned works ranging in theme from history and mythology to birds and politics, propelled by a diverse mixture of instruments and vocal harmony.
