Rob Harbron and Emma Reid
Monday 15th October
Doors 7:00pm, Live Music 8:30pm
“Two highly regarded musicians … an intensely uplifting experience that fully conveys the joys of informal music-making: fresh, sparky and uniformly intelligent, the way the two musicians intuitively intermingle the individual lines and parts on these is but one of the many delightful features of their playing.” FRoots
“The idea of Emma Reid and Rob Harbron playing together seems a natural one. Both players like to delve deeply into the music they play, perhaps playing an English tune we’ve heard a hundred times before, but drawing out beauty and nuances not touched upon by more boisterous players. The combination of their playing is, as you would expect, and as evidenced on their collaboration New Dogs, Old Tricks (ROBREC CD01) – a sensuous treat.” The Living Tradition
Robert Harbron and Emma Reid are renowned instrumentalists and compelling performers. Their duo performances combine their individual characters and influences with their shared roots in English traditional music, and also incorporate other styles and traditions including Emma’s expertise in the music of her motherland, Sweden. Their performances together are fresh, spontaneous and engaging.
Together Rob and Emma bring their natural, uplifting sound to bear on a varied repertoire which includes their own new music alongside traditional songs and tunes. The core of their repertoire is in the dance tunes of England, which they bring to life and adapt to the stage, inspired by archive recordings and contemporary musicians to expose the vitality, swing, lift and articulation at the core of each tune. This is honest, upbeat, optimistic music to listen to in an intimate, acoustic setting — where the audience can enjoy the intricate details, spontaneous harmonies and arrangements that stem from a close interplay between the players, and the ongoing dialogue between artist and audience.
Rob Harbron is a sought-after multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, and a uniquely skilled player of the English concertina. He has recently composed for, recorded and toured with Sam Sweeney’s acclaimed Made in the Great War project; he is also part of the new trio Leveret with Sam and Andy Cutting, and has performed with The Full English, Fay Hield and the Hurricane Party, Jon Boden and the Remnant Kings, Kerr Fagan Harbron, and others.
Emma Reid was brought up in the north-east of England and started playing the fiddle at the age of three with her Swedish mother. At eighteen she moved to Stockholm to study Swedish folk music performance with Ellika Frisell and Sven Ahlbäck at the Royal College of Music, graduating in 2003. Emma has also completed a Masters degree in Music at Newcastle University. Emma tours and teaches regularly in Scandinavia and Britain; as well as performing solo she works extensively in several duos and is a member of the groups Methera, Ditt Ditt Darium, Malin Foxdal Band and Tandoori Hill.
Together Rob and Emma bring their natural, uplifting sound to bear on a varied repertoire which includes their own new music alongside traditional songs and tunes. The core of their repertoire is in the dance tunes of England, which they bring to life and adapt to the stage, inspired by archive recordings and contemporary musicians to expose the vitality, swing, lift and articulation at the core of each tune. This is honest, upbeat, optimistic music to listen to in an intimate, acoustic setting — where the audience can enjoy the intricate details, spontaneous harmonies and arrangements that stem from a close interplay between the players, and the ongoing dialogue between artist and audience.
