The Breath | Bristol Folk Festival at Bristol Cathedral
Headfirst Editor's Pick

"Sell out warning! Fingerpicking guitar and the pure, raw, folk-soul of the unstoppable voice behind Honeyfeet and Band of Burns. Ríoghnach Connolly is simply the best folk singer in the British Isles. "

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See event details

A gig on Friday 3rd May. The event starts at 19:00.


The Breath open Bristol Folk Festival 2024 as they take on the majestic surrounds of Bristol Cathedral.

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“Quietly, inexorably, The Breath have become one of the most exciting folk acts. (Their music) unfolds like a paper flower.” The Financial Times *****
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The Breath is, singer/flautist Ríoghnach Connolly & guitarist Stuart McCallum.

Formed in 2016, an unlikely pairing of a softly-spoken guitar whizz (The Cinematic Orchestra) & a folk singer with a larger-than-life personality & a powerful voice to match, the connection was immediate. And for them it’s all about the song.

Connolly writes the only way she knows how; a stream of poetic consciousness giving rise to honest, heartfelt songs as likely to touch on childhood summers & first love as cultural dislocation, post-colonial injustices & grief. But it’s her deeply soulful, utterly engaging, stop-you-in-your-tracks voice – whether delicate & hushed or powerful & gutsy – coupled with Stuart’s understated brilliance & their exquisitely crafted songs, that give The Breath such emotional depth.

Their recent rise is stratospheric, Ríoghnach Connolly was named Folk Singer Of The Year at the 2019 BBC R2 Folk Awards. They’ve just completed a Sold Out tour, & return to Bristol with third album ‘Land Of My Other’, ten original songs that tell stories in ways that soothe, stir, exalt, & touch emotional chords that will bring tears of lamenting joy, to your eyes.

‘folk roots but different horizons. The jaw-droppingly stunning, woozy voice of Ríoghnach Connolly” The Guardian

Firm favourites with Festival audiences, we are thrilled to welcome The Breath to our city’s finest venue for the opening of Bristol Folk Festival 2024.
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ABOUT THE CONCERT
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This concert takes place at Bristol Cathedral, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TJ. Individual seating is unreserved. A bar will be available for refreshments at the venue.

Entry requirements: no age restrictions

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