Artists 2025
Saied Silbak
jan 30th - White rock studio, hastings
Saied Silbak is a Palestinian composer and oud player born in Shafaa`mr, in the lower Galilee of occupied Palestine. He began training in classical piano at the age of four, before moving onto the oud in his early teens to delve deep into the nuances at the base of Arabic music. Silbak has a unique understanding of different types of music, from Arabic, Turkish and Indian to classical Western styles.
His signature sound, created through his artful ability to fuse these styles together, has seen him perform around the world at festivals and concert series in the UK, Belgium, France, Palestine, Morocco, Argentina and beyond.
Thursday Jan 30th
White Rock Studio, Hastings
Doors 7pm, Music 8pm
Fran & flora
feb 27th - Crown house
Multi-award-nominated experimental/folk duo Fran & Flora captivate audiences with their reinventions of traditional Eastern European melodies and songs. Francesca Ter-Berg (cello/vox) and Flora Curzon (violin/vox) draw inspiration from archival recordings, recovered manuscripts and studying with traditional masters, infusing source material with drones, loops, free improvisation and electronics to create a 'border-defying' aesthetic (Mojo).
Following their acclaimed debut album Unfurl, Fran & Flora released their 2nd studio album Precious Collection on Hidden Notes Records in April 2024 to critical acclaim, receiving a 4 star review from the Guardian, and ‘Folk Album of the Month’ (time-travels brilliantly between solid folk origins and avant garde play with a surprise at every corner - Jude Rogers) and 4 stars in Jazzwise (impressive musicianship and creative originality - Tony Benjamin).
Thursday Feb 27th
The Crown House, Marina, St Leonards
Doors 7pm, Music 8pm
JASDEEP SINGH DEGUN
MAR 26th - WHITE ROCK STUDIO, HASTINGS
Composer, arranger and improviser; consummate soloist and generous collaborator; custodian of tradition and restless innovator, multi-award winning sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun is an anomaly indeed. Unconstrained by genre, the Leeds-born virtuoso’s extraordinary skill and creativity are reshaping the musical landscape for his peers, and for generations to come.
Amid artist residencies and fellowships, an international concert schedule, royal command performances and the well-deserved laurels of recent years, Jasdeep’s lifelong training in gayaki ang – a lyrical approach to the sitar that mimics the human voice – has remained his anchor and his passion. “In our tradition, you're always a student”, he explains. “My teacher, Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE, shows me how big the music is, and how much we still have to explore.”
Wednesday 26th March
White Rock Studio, Hastings
Doors 7pm, Music 8pm
Owen Spafford & Louis campbell
Apr 17th - The Crown House
Owen Spafford and Louis Campbell met as teenagers, as part of the first cohort of the National Youth Folk Ensemble. Since forming their duo in 2018, they have: supported Martin Hayes (at EartH, London and Band on the Wall, Manchester) and Mammal Hands (at the Barbican, London); been nominated for the BBC Young Folk Award; released their critically acclaimed debut album, ‘You, Golden’ with five star reviews and had national airplay on BBC Radio 2,3,4 and 6 alongside RTE1 in Ireland and BBC Scotland. Their EP ‘102 Metres East’ was released on Peter Gabriel’s Real World X in March 2024.
As their music has developed, the duo have drifted away from the expectations of an English folk fiddle and guitar duo, with dynamic range, atmosphere and intimacy becoming more present in their own compositions, re-examining what it means to be ‘authentic' as two modern English folk musicians.
Owen & Louis are also experienced tutors and will be teaching a workshop for budding folk musicians before their concert. Tickets to the workshop & combination concert tickets available via the website.
Thursday April 17th
The Crown House, Marina, St Leonards
Worskhop 5.30pm-6.30pm
Doors 7pm, Music 8pm
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LAURA CORTESE & BERT RUYMBEEK
May 29th & 30th
White Rock Studio, Hastings
Laura Cortese (fiddle) & Bert Ruymbeek (accordion) capture the atmosphere of meaningful moments and turn them into memorable tales of sound. Sometimes with lyrics, sometimes instrumental.
Laura Cortese has built a distinguished career as an Americana fiddler, songwriter and vocalist. She studied at Berklee College of Music, immersing herself in the city’s vibrant indie music scene and enjoying a busy touring-and-studio career. In 2018 she moved to Ghent Belgium. She tours internationally with her band, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, and is highly in demand as a collaborator. “Strings are at the core of what I do,” she says. “Genre is secondary to that palate.”
Bert Ruymbeek is an accordion player from Ghent whose groovy energy and lyrical playing is influenced by Northern-European folk music. He studied accordion with Eddy Flecijn and was influenced by folk bands from all over Europe in Music Club ‘tEy in Belsele, his home town. He tours internationally with WÖR, a quintet that re-interpretes 18th century music from Belgium and regularly takes part in several projects.
Thursday 29th May
White Rock Studio, Hastings
Doors 7pm/Music 8pm
Tickets £15
Kids & Parents Concert
Friday 30th May
White Rock Studio
10.30am Family Ticket £10