Bella Hardy, the inimitable voice of modern folk, is set to embark on a highly anticipated UK tour. Hardy, a singer-songwriter with a gift for storytelling, has earned a reputation as a boundary-pushing artist whose work continues to evolve while staying deeply rooted in the traditions that shaped her.
Fans can expect a show that spans her remarkable career, with new songs (two to be released this Autumn) sitting comfortably alongside classics from her extensive back catalogue. This is folk music for the modern age – rooted in tradition but unafraid to venture into new, uncharted, and very personal territory
For anyone who’s seen Bella live, it’s clear that she’s an artist who knows how to captivate an audience. Her voice – at once powerful and delicate – has a way of drawing listeners in, making each performance feel like a conversation between old friends. And with award winning guitarist Jenn Butterworth by her side for the first time, this tour promises to be something truly special.
Hardy’s debut album Night Visiting (2007) established her reputation as a talented songwriter when her first original composition Three Black Feathers earned a BBC Folk Award nomination. Since then, Bella has sung unaccompanied ballads at a sold out Royal Albert Hall, and learnt the songs of Chinese farmers during her time as British Council Musician in Residence in Yunnan Province. She’s sat on the moors of her beloved Peak District with only her fiddle for company. She spent a year in Tennessee as a ranch hand, looking after horses, fiddle-singing in the diners, and immersing herself in the music culture of Nashville. And she’s released ten solo albums along the way.
With the ability to conjure and twist stories that call straight to the heart, her themes of displacement and home, lost and found love, heartache and joy, are delivered with her unique, disarming honesty, and, of course, the acclaimed crystalline voice that won her BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Singer of the Year.
“Brit folk's finest” –Mojo
“A fine, no-nonsense interpreter of traditional music and an excellent songwriter” -The Guardian
“Few are as adventurous and intriguing” –Songlines
“Stunning… there is an aura of sophistication that will win over listeners who never set foot in a folk club” -The Sunday Times
Otley Courthouse
Courthouse Street
Leeds
LS21 3AN
United Kingdom