There are not many voices more powerful than BBC Folk Singer of The Year award winner, Ríoghnach Connelly. Together with guitarist Stuart McCallum, they present a passionate take on Celtic Folk, led by an extraordinary stop-you-in-your-tracks voice.
The Breath is Manchester-based guitarist Stuart McCallum and singer/flautist Ríoghnach Connolly. They met on the city’s gig circuit in the late noughties. An unlikely pairing though it was, he an acclaimed guitar whiz, ex long-time member of The Cinematic Orchestra and a softly spoken Manchester urbanite, she a folk singer with a larger-than-life personality and a powerful voice to match. Their connection was immediate; they formed The Breath in 2016, a singer-songwriter duo to present their contemporary take on alt-folk.
For them, it’s all about the song. Connolly is a storyteller and their exquisitely crafted, honest, personal, heartfelt songs are as likely to touch on childhood summers and first love as cultural dislocation, post- colonial injustices and grief. But it’s Ríoghnach’s impassioned delivery and extraordinary stop-you-in- your-tracks voice, coupled with Stuart’s understated brilliance that is so engaging.
The Breath have released three albums on Peter Gabriel’s Real World label. Their breakthrough album, ‘Carry Your Kin’ (2016) delved deeply into the spaces between rock, ambient and Irish folk, where layered vocals, mesmerising guitar riffs and expansive folk arrangements created a big sound. ‘Let the Cards Fall’ followed in 2018, and, like the first, was recorded with a full band granting a multi-textured kaleidoscope of sound with a cinematic sensibility. References to Celtic history and cultural loss are woven into a bewitching collection of songs that span beguiling ballads and punch-the-air anthems. In support of the release, Stuart and Ríoghnach performed a series of shows – just the two of them. Stripped bare, they found a new depth and beauty in their songs allowing their extraordinary connection to shine through.
The duo returned to the studio in 2019 to record ‘Only Stories (Let the Cards Fall Revisited)’ reimagining previous work (alongside two new songs) taking it back to its acoustic roots. This new direction would see Ríoghnach Connolly receive an RTÉ Folk Award nomination for Best Folk Singer and win Folk Singer Of The Year at the 2019 BBC R2 Folk Awards for which the duo were also nominated as Best Duo/Group.
During the pandemic of 2020/2021, The Breath returned to the studio to record a set of songs in remembrance of American lost folk icon, Karen Dalton. In the spring of 2021, they released a two-track single, ‘Something On Your Mind’ and original song, ‘Remembering Mountains’. They release their third studio album on Real World Records in 2023.
The Breath in Autumn 2023 build to their new album, ‘Land Of My Other’. Ten original tracks of raw, gorgeous, acoustic-minded music. Songs that tell stories in ways that soothe, stir, exalt, and touch emotional chords that will bring tears of lamenting joy, to your eyes.
“An affecting blend... McCallum provides the grandeur and artifice and Connolly the intimacy and purity.” Uncut
“The Breath rolls across the senses like clouds caress low hills – always moving, changing, evolving; and utterly fascinating.” Folk Radio.com
“Folk roots but different horizons... the jaw-droppingly stunning, woozy voice of Ríoghnach Connolly.” The Guardian
THEO BARD
Theo Bard is a gifted musician with the uncanny ability to interpret his life into universal themes through song.
Creating music has always been a therapeutic practise, allowing him to process his own emotions through trance and poetry. His return to the acoustic guitar has deepened and reaffirmed his connection to the instrument, and through this to music itself, focusing on appreciation and beauty.
Becoming a father recently has enabled him to appreciate the positive impact his music creates, through sharing with those around him both at live shows and in the intimate setting of the home.
His music has featured across BBC Radio, on Italian TV, and he has written songs with major label artists, and a new album will be completed in 2025.
“The multi-talented artist” - The Line of Best Fit
"I loved it.” - Phil Taggart, BBC Radio 1
ANNA MCLUCKIE
Anna McLuckie is a Scottish singer, songwriter and Clàrsach player. Raised on classical and traditional music, Anna’s writing draws on her musical beginnings and also takes influence from her love of popular music and more experimental sounds. Her music sits in a world of contemporary folklore; her songs layered with interweaving harmonies, story led lyricism and free form structures. Based in London, she has performed in places around the world from Rockwood Music Hall NYC, to a concert series in Russia, to house shows and folk sessions. She’s appeared at festivals across the UK and supported the likes of Jake Xerxes Fussell, Rozi Plain and Richard Hawley. In 2024 Anna took part in the Making Tracks residency and toured the UK with renowned global roots musicians. She is currently being mentored by English Folk Expo (Soundroots UK) and Kick Arts UK. Her first full length album ‘The Little Winters’ is set to be released at the start of 2026.
“lush indie-folk at its finest, with Anna backing her dexterous picking with some equally sublime vocals” - Klof Magazine
"a voice like birdsong" - Bella Caledonia
"a haunting collection of nu-folk poetry set to music" - Only A Northern One