(headline image: The Trials of Cato – photo by Esme Mai)
Innovative Welsh folk music act The Trials of Cato is set to perform at the influential Folk Alliance International conference. Their official showcase will be Friday, Feb 23rd, 2024, at 6pm at in Century C. at Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City.
The BBC Radio 2 award-winning trio has garnered significant critical acclaim in the UK folk scene. Their contemporary Celtic music pays homage to tradition while infusing it with modernity through lively tunes, innovative elements and compelling narratives.
Originally formed in Beirut, the band relocated to the UK in 2016, embarking on extensive nationwide performances. Their debut album, Hide and Hair, received widespread attention in British media, earned regular airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, and clinched the Best Album award at the 2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
After a year of intensive touring across the UK, Europe, and North America in 2019, their momentum was abruptly halted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Trials of Cato re-emerged, welcoming multi-talented instrumentalist and singer Polly Bolton into the band.
Their second album, Gog Magog, released in January 2023, draws its inspiration from the mythical giant of Arthurian legend and the Cambridgeshire hilltop where it was conceived during lockdown.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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