Moonshee

Moonshee released their debut album last October bringing their unique world vision to a wide and eclectic audience. Together the six members encompassed a literal world of music, from the ancient sounds of the East to the influence of Modern English song writing, via Irish folk and South American percussion.

What is incredible is just how natural Moonshee make this global melting pot sound both on record and in their live shows. It may have something to do with the similarities that exist across musical boundaries, but it also is a tribute to the talented individuals who steer this project. With in the band there are two ladies from across the Irish Sea. Amy McAllister is an Irish harpist and fiddle player who has toured the world and Emma King is a talented Cajon player. Then there is Jonathan Mayer who is one of the world’s most renown sitar players, having appeared alongside the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller, while Rachel Button is the English rose who is a product of the burgeoning acoustic scene. Lisa Fitzgibbon brings sunstoppable Aussie “Power-Folk on guitar and rounding the group up is Mitel Purohit one the most sought after Indian percussionists in the UK.

The material of Moonshee more than reflects this culturally diverse combination. Much of it will be familiar, especially to those from the traditional world. ‘Bold Riley’ and ‘Polly Vaughan’ are English songs from the heart of that nation’s culture but in the hands of this unique band they are transported to a brave new world, a world where it is impossible to tell where one tradition ends and the other begins. Elsewhere there are Irish songs, original compositions and even a version of the Beatles’ ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ that takes the Eastern influence of the original and brings it to the fore. As with Afro-Celt Sound system and Imagined Village, Moonshee put the music of the British Isles in a global context, tying it in with cultures that have both inspired it and been inspired.

The Band have already played some great shows in the last six months including Cecil Sharp House with Ashley Hutchings, the Wycombe Arts Festival and the Leamington Peace Festival and now have an exciting time a head with performances set for Off The Tracks Festival in Castle Donington and The Great British Folk Festival in Skegness.