By the time John Spiers & Jon Boden had hung up their highly regarded hats as the Spiers & Boden duo in 2014 they had earned a place in the hearts of the folk audience that few could rival.
Described by The Guardian as ‘the finest instrumental duo on the traditional scene’, Spiers & Boden first rocketed onto the music scene in 2001, quickly winning a clutch of BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and went on to become one of the best loved duos on the English folk scene and beyond. John and Jon were also founding members of the pioneering and hugely successful folk big band Bellowhead, whose stellar career increasingly came to dominate their time. But now, after exploring solo projects, the duo returned in 2021 with a brand new 13 track album Fallow Ground, plus festival appearances and renewed UK touring.
The title Fallow Ground is not only a reference to the duo’s choice to put Spiers & Boden to one side for a time, but also, to the huge impact that the pandemic has had on live music. The decision to return with an album in 2021 was made pre-pandemic and as a result ended up being recorded between lockdowns. It’s an album bursting with ideas as well as a new-found confidence to let the material speak for itself.
The songs and tunes selected for the record are overwhelmingly traditional – a clever mix of rambunctious melodies and contemplative ballads – and are the classic Spiers & Boden mixture of morris tunes, pieces brought back to the 21st century from dusty manuscripts and, of course, a rare ability to conjure their own remarkable tunes.