Cuculi Presents a double bill of locally sourced songcraft and joyful collaboration featuring Rachael Dadd and Hands of the Heron in the gorgeous acoustic of St Ambrose Church (BS5 7AW). Rachael Dadd is one of the UK's most prolific songwriters, whose output of original music over the last decade is impossible to pin down into a single category. Comprising lush harmonic arrangements that spiral around compelling melodies, she asks hard questions in playful poetry that strikes at the very centre of the joy and pain of being human. Hands of the Heron are a trio of songwriters - Bec Garthwaite, Bethany Roberts & Claire Vine - with a knack for writing vocal harmonies that chase each other in unpredictable currents, often unaccompanied, sometimes on a rich bed of psychedelia-infused instrumental layers.

We expect this show to sell out, so we strongly recommend buying tickets in advance from our three tiers: general release (£11); low income (£8); community supporter (£15). Having multiple ticket tiers makes the event accessible to people on different incomes while still making sure the artists take home a decent wage. Please consider which tier is most affordable for you - the low income option is capped, but talk to us if we've sold out of that option and a higher tier is not accessible for you.

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RACHAEL DADD

The loneliness of lockdown propelled Rachael Dadd to seek connection through songwriting. The deepest kind of connection to self and to others, rooted in truth and love. Her seventh studio album ‘Kaleidoscope’ was released in October 2022 on Memphis Industries, and her hope is that when people listen, they feel held and find space to breathe, grieve and celebrate. Japanese aesthetics are subconsciously woven into her songs, from her times living in Japan, but overall this is an album of homecoming, returning and reconnecting to the earthy land, to herself, to love and connection and a sense of belonging. It's her second record via MI, after 2019’s critically acclaimed record ‘Flux’ which gained her the PRS Momentum Fund, wide radio support including 6 Music's Album of the Day and live sessions for Radio 4's Loose Ends and The Roddy Hart Show on BBC Scotland, and was added to a handful of Spotify playlists. ‘Kaleidoscope’ includes musical collaborators such as Marcus Hamblett (Villagers, James Holden, The Staves), Maja Lena (Low Chimes) and Emma Gatrill (Willy Mason).
Over the years Rachael has toured across Europe and Asia including performances at Greenman, Cambridge Folk and Glastonbury Festival. She has performed alongside Rozi Plain, This is The Kit, Alabaster DePlume, Francois and the Atlas Mountains and Michael Kiwanuka.


“This Is The Kit-aligned singer-songwriter with a similar gift for vocal melodies and proggy-folk virtuosity”★★★★ MOJO


“a record full of bold, literate folk songs" –8/10 Loud & Quiet

“gloriously hypnotic folk-pop” - Clash

“contender for the best of the year list... Brilliantly unusual, unexpected tracks, you never know what she’s going to do next.”

- Lauren Lavern
, BBC Radio 6Music

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HANDS OF THE HERON

Hands of the Heron is a dreamfolk trio from Bristol, UK. Their instantly recognisable vocal harmonies are delivered by three frontwomen - Bec Garthwaite, Bethany M. Roberts & Claire Vine - each of whom brings a signature writing style to the band's mercurial sound. They move effortlessly between sparse choral folk and spellbinding chamber pop, richly layered with an assortment of strings, drones and reeds. Their long-awaited second album 13 Moons was released in February 2021 on their own DIY label Cuculi Records, and has been praised as "a wondrous collection of curious story-songs, choral singing and carefully layered instrumentation" (Joyzine) with "songwriting mastery that perfectly delivers reverberating folk-pop" (Tap The Feed). Esteemed jazz critic Ted Gioia recommended 13 Moons as one of his top recordings for 2021.

During 2022, they headlined a sold-out night at Bristol’s Boiling Wells Amphitheatre as part of the prestigious Outlandish Nights gig series, alongside artists such as Lisa O’Neill and Mikey Kenney, and played well-received shows at festivals including Purbeck Folk Festival and Green Man. They also sold out every show on their February 2023 headline tour, including The Barrelhouse in Totnes and Plymouth Aquarium.

@handsoftheheron
cuculirecords.com/artists/hands-of-the-heron

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CUCULI RECORDS

Cuculi Records is a DIY label based in Bristol, run by a woman-led collective of musicians and songwriters with the aim of helping grassroots artists navigate the complexities of releasing music independently. We work with bedroom composers, folk singers, ambient explorers and unusual ensembles, often creating beautiful sounds that don't have a name yet.

Cuculi Presents is an opportunity to hear both local & national artists live in listening spaces around Bristol.

@cuculirecords
cuculirecords.com/events

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