The Brothers Gillespie

The songs of Northumbrian folk alchemists The Brothers Gillespie are animated by lyrical poetry, fluid fingerstyle guitar, multi-instrumental musicianship and ‘the glorious tones of their blood harmony’ (Sam Lee). They make a music of encounter, of lark song and crow call, ash leaves and hidden ways, drawing from the deep old well as they sing to the luminosity and grief of the present times.

The brothers have travelled far and wide with their music and have played Cambridge, Sidmouth and Moseley Folk Festivals and opened for Lankum and Sam Lee. In Spring 2022 they released ‘The Merciful Road’ (‘pure magic’, Living Tradition), inspired by the grace of life in troubled times and recorded in a cottage by the banks of the river Tweed. Like their previous album ‘The Fell’, it blends rootsy, acoustic elements to create a rich warm sound with a touch of vintage magic. 2024 saw them release the collaborative album ‘Hirondelle’ (featuring string ensemble Trio Mythos and Occitanie vocal group Tant Que Li Siam) and they are currently touring throughout the UK and getting ready to record a new album for release in 2026.

‘Our music is inspired by the still wild soul of the land in which we live, a land alive with presences, not owned by anyone. It is about seeing with the eye of the heart and recovering our imaginations. It is about finding home, belonging and each other in a world which is singing to us as we sing to it’.

‘Over three albums and much touring, The Brothers Gillespie, two siblings from Northumberland, have won hearts with a combination of close vocal harmonies and songs carved from the rock, turf and skies of their homeland’ The Guardian, 2024