Bird in the Belly

As part of the Metronome Folk Sessions – bringing together the best folk musicians from around the world, for intimate seated performances.

Brighton-based Folk group consisting of folk-duo Hickory Signals (Laura Ward and Adam Ronchetti), alt-folk singer-songwriter Ben Webb (Jinnwoo, Green Ribbons), and multi-instrumentalist and producer Tom Pryor. Together they collect little known and forgotten lyrics, poems and stories from around the UK, and set them to their own “hypnotically original compositions” (fRoots)..

Their sound is raw and bare-boned with “distinctively contemporary and earthy vocalising” (R2 Magazine) – and harks back to the 1960’s Folk Revival sound. Their debut album ‘The Crowing’ (March 2018, GF*M Records) was met with critical acclaim, the Sunday Express giving the album 5/5 and calling it folk album of the year.

Their debut album The Crowing was released 23 March 2018 and the group is back with their much anticipated second album Neighbours and Sisters released October 2019. Third album After the City was released 25 February 2022 to critical acclaim, with The Guardian & The Observer calling it “an album of well realised ambition” ★★★★

Following a showcase at Manchester Folk Festival in 2018, the band enjoyed a busy summer in 2019, playing folk festivals including Moseley, Purbeck, Warwick and Gate to Southwell. Following a couple of years of Covid standstill gigs-wise, the band are now planning a busy schedule of live shows.

Alongside recording, the group has been working on a feature length documentary to support the album, interviewing the likes of June Tabor, Frankie Armstrong, Stick in the Wheel, Fellside Record, Rootbeat Records, Ian Anderson (fRoots Editor), Lisa Knapp, Gerry Diver, Naomi Bedford and The Rails about the contemporary folk scene.