Loïc Bléjean & Tad Sargent

The musicians of Brittany and Ireland have long held each other in high musical esteem and nowhere is this admiration more fully apparent than in the fiery uilleann pipes and whistles of Loïc Bléjean and the bouzouki and bodhrán of Tad Sargent.

The duo first hit it off during a session in West London in 2013. Since then they've played in Bléjean's beloved Brittany, as well as at a variety of gigs in France and England. Their self-titled new album is an infectious mix – full of sweaty reels and exhausting jigs – but there is much more here too. A couple of fetching covers – Richard Thompson's ‘Beeswing’ and John Spillane's ‘Dunnes Store Girl’ – showcase Sargent's fine voice, but it's the tunes that are the main attraction. ‘Fromage Antics’ perfectly captures the duo's passion for the Irish tradition and ‘Reeling in Colman’ provides a spirited finale to a rather fun release – exciting, accomplished and toe-tappingly vibrant. If you want to hear some fine Irish tunes beautifully and skilfully played with gusto and style, you can't do much better than this album from Sargent and Bléjean.