The Poozies

Grayshott Folk Club presents:
The Poozies

On Friday 15th March 2019 @ 7.30pm

At: St. Alban's Church, Tilford Road,
HINDHEAD, Surrey GU26 6TZ

About The Poozies

The Poozies first burst onto the folk scene in 1991, when folk music wore elaborately patterned woolly jumpers and was only seen in dingy back rooms and very late at night on BBC2.

The folk scene was then, as now, very male-dominated and so it was a conscious decision back then to be an ‘all-female’ band. As with all bands that have been on the road for so long there have been various line-up changes but throughout the years The Poozies have toured worldwide, and attracted recognition and appreciation for their eclectic choice of material, unusual and exciting arrangements, and heart-tugging vocal harmonies. Both Kate Rusby and Sally Barker (The Voice) are former members of the band.

They comprise:

Mary Macmaster: Electro-harp, vocals
Mary has always been a Poozie. She was an original member and has remained the steadfast skipper through its impressively long history. With a gloriously fat, bassy sound from her Camac electro-harp, and vocals that range effortlessly from sweet and pure to wild and compelling, she is a legend on the scene. She toured with Sting in 2010 and was inducted into the Scottish Music Hall of Fame in 2013. During the last twenty years she has been at the forefront of the Scottish harp revival and an official ambassador of Scottish music.

Eilidh Shaw: Fiddle, vocals
Eilidh has been a Poozie since 2000 (we think). She’s originally from a small village called Taynuilt, near Oban, on the West coast of Scotland, but spent her twenties in Edinburgh, where she led many of the fantastic, ground-breaking sessions and was involved in a huge number of projects with musicians across the genres. Although her fiddling style has remained firmly rooted in the West Coast of Scotland she plays regularly with Scandinavian, African, Breton and French musicians. Now living in West Lochaber she teaches fiddle, plays for many local dances, and runs the annual festival, Fèis na Mara, and has recently become the new fiddle player in Shooglenifty.

Sarah McFadyen: Fiddle, banjo, guitar, vocals
Sarah is new to the Poozies but not to Eilidh and Mary as she was also heavily involved in that intoxicating Edinburgh session scene of the late Nineties and early Noughties. At this point Sarah was doing a degree at Edinburgh College of Art, and she continues to be a visual artist to this day. She is from the island of Hoy in Orkney, and has a lovely laid-back fiddle and 5-string banjo style akin to the North American old-timers, which perfectly suits her soaring lark-like vocals. She is also a fiddle maker and children’s entertainer so there actually is no end to this woman’s talents!

Tia Files: Guitar, percussion, fiddle, vocals
Tia is the youngest Poozie. She is also a West-coaster from Oban, and at age 12 was accepted to study at the prestigious National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music. While still only 16 she co-founded the band Bodega with 5 of her fellow students, which went on to win the 2006 Radio 2 Young Folk Award. This led to Radio 2 recording sessions, high-profile appearances at Cambridge and Cropredy Folk Festivals, and extensive UK, European and American tours.

Listen to The Poozies here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGGBq8CJptY&t=16s

The range of experience collectively realised by The Poozies is massive!

Tickets £16 Adults/£8 Under 16s
Available from Des O'Byrne
on 01428 607096