16–17 February 2027
Delighted to host a residency with the duo of Scottish folk musician Alasdair Roberts and Norwegian experimental musician Fredrik Rasten ahead of the release of their new album, Seven Weathers. Across two nights, Roberts and Rasten will perform both solo and as a duo, alongside appearances from Brigid Mae Power and Burd Ellen.
On Seven Weathers, their forthcoming double album for Drag City Records, Roberts and Rasten focus on traditional Scottish narrative ballads, typically of long duration, where slowly evolving musical materials build up throughout the strophic verse-structure to emphasise the storytelling. They choose ballads with care, favouring time-transcending narrative themes that both bear witness to the day and age of their origin and are relevant to our times, be that politically, culturally or ethically. Both sing and play a variety of acoustic and electronic instruments, Roberts’s clear and unadorned vocal delivery blending with Rasten’s sensibilities of just intonation tuning and timbral qualities of sound.
Acclaimed by Folk Radio UK as 'one of our most talented, important and relevant songwriters and song-adapters', he has released several critically acclaimed albums of his music via Drag City Records since the late nineties, as well as a book of selected lyrics, Library of Aethers, published by Boatwhistle Books in 2024.
Alasdair is known for his own idiosyncratic and evocative compositions and songs, as well as for his fresh interpretations of traditional songs and narrative ballads from Scotland and beyond. He enjoys a wide range of collaborations with fellow musicians, as well as with artists from other disciplines. He plays in the groups Furrow Collective and Current 93 and has toured extensively in Scotland and worldwide, both solo and with various musical companions.
Fredrik Rasten is a guitarist and composer primarily focusing on just intonation harmony and related acoustic phenomena. Reaching for an active state of listening and an intuitive exploration of the complexities of tonal interaction, his work draws on influences from minimalist styles, folk musics and other exploratory modes of sound making. Besides his solo projects, he both performs and composes as a member of the Berlin based ensemble Harmonic Space Orchestra, and the long-lived experimental groups Pip and Oker. In recent years he has also explored experimental approaches to traditional songs in duos with Alasdair Roberts and Seamus Cater, and various projects with Australian guitarist Oren Ambarchi.
Rasten's music has been presented on music festivals including All Ears (Oslo), Frequency Festival (Chicago) and Sound of Stockholm, and his recording output has been published on labels such as SOFA, Edition Wandelweiser, Ftarri, Aspen Edities and INSUB.
Spanning more than a decade of performing, composing and producing, Brigid Mae Power traverses the rugged landscapes of psychedelic folk, swaying between traditional Irish song and echoes of American folk music, anchored by her transcendent vocal melodies. Now, Power has begun to explore more experimental territories, using her voice and experience as her compass.
Her music confronts our most vulnerable and emotional facets, with songs that meander through deep introspection and invite listeners to interrogate memories that are deeply personal yet somehow universal. In song and on stage, she lays herself bare through her melancholic lyricism: like shimmering, dappled moonlight cast across the restless surface of an obsidian sea.
Burd Ellen is a project featuring Debbie Armour (Alasdair Roberts, Green Ribbons) and Gayle Brogan (Pefkin, Electroscope). The group uses traditional song to explore and evoke dark landscapes and deep stories. Innovative instrumentation, drone and sound-wash support detailed vocal work to create a unique sonic atmosphere. They are twice featured in The Guardian’s Folk Albums of the Year, 2020 and 2022
Their fourth album, as yet untitled, was recorded in June 2026 at the Unitarian Chapel in Whitby, supported by Arts Council England. The record tells the story of a mother, her baby, the sea and the moon as they travel the night together. The forthcoming release will be produced by Brighton based Agnes Haus and feature Paul Hamlyn alumnus Jayne Dent (Me Lost Me), and Scottish composer and vocalist Rylan Gleave (All Men Unto Me, Ashenspire).
