The Brickfields

This fourth studio album from the British folk trio is one of many albums born out of the pandemic that finds its essence in the live experience. The musicians felt a need to get back to basics in more ways than one. Firstly, they returned to their roots as an instrumental folk act, and secondly, they sat in a room and just played together. The result is a beautifully intimate collection of instrumentals, blending their own compositions with traditional material. They sought the ‘in the room’ folk session feel and there is a sense that you are only just along the settee from them as they play. This is as far from a tech-driven AI music session as you could come.

The trio is violinist Lewis Wood, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne on Anglo concertina and melodeon and George Sansome on guitar. On both lively jigs and mournful airs, each instrument is picked out with clarity. The album was made possible by a micro-grant from the English Folk Dance & Song Society, a heartening sign of support for music-making after the long hiatus.