Catherine Rudie, Lizzy O'Connor, Freya Ward

New Roots presents The New Roots Boutique, a brand new night Upstairs in the legendary Betsey Trotwood celebrating the very best in new and upcoming contemporary roots and alt-folk artists and bands. With three acts on one superb triple bill, we ask that all attending stay for the full line-up - the ethos of the night is to introduce musicians and artists to each other's audience , and to introduce the audience to great new artists. We'll also be asking for no talking during performances, and for social media devices to be switched off so the music gets the full attention it deserves!

From the North Coast of Scotland, Catherine Rudie was originally a bagpipe player and traditional Gaelic singer before switching to writing in English, developing a uniquely experimental approach to songwriting and arrangements. Recently she's been picked by BBC3's The Late Junction as 'One to Watch' for 2019.

Her debut album The Mobius Kiss combines contemporary digital instruments such as the Roli Seaboard with unorthodox harmonies and traditional folk-style melodies. A special edition of the album in vinyl is available to pre-order now (qrates.com/projects/16739-the-mobius-kiss) and physical copies will be available to buy (for the first time!) on the night itself. Catherine will play with accompaniment from Barbara Bartz on violin and Chris Brambley on guitar.

Cerys Matthews debuted a track from Lizzy O'Connor's album 'Best Intentions' on her Sunday morning show mixed with some wintry words of Rob Macfarlane. - It was a match made in heaven and a source of great inspiration!

That homemade recording not only made it onto BBC 6Music but is now also officially housed in The Sound Archives of The British Library.

Since then she has been developing her own songs and style with a full band. There's no escaping the Northern folk at the roots but it feels fresh and uninhibited by convention. Her dark and tender tales are sung sweetly over finger-picked guitar and swirling synth, a lively balance somewhere between folk, prog, rock, and pop. A wonderfully sympathetic musician, Lizzy has also over the years played with Troubadour Rose, MG Boulter and Dana Immanuel and the Stolen Band.

Freya Ward is a folk singer songwriter from Devon, known for her delicate melodies and intricate guitar style. She released her debut EP in November 2018 and is already making waves in the folk circuit, having achieved BBC and Folk radio airplay. As a member of the London Contemporary Voices choir she has performed with Imogen Heap, Laura Mvula, The Staves, Alt-J and Manu Delago, artists she counts as important influences.