About

It shouldn’t work, it really shouldn’t. A seven-piece acoustic band harnessing influences as diverse as trad folk, indie rock, classical, gypsy jazz and old-time to forge a unique-yet-classic alternative folk sound? It shouldn’t work. Yet with well over a million streams on SoundCloud alone, and with a reputation for ferociously entertaining live shows cemented by over 90 gigs across the UK, London alternative folk band Ringlefinch are proof that although it shouldn’t work – it really does.

Since emerging in 2013, Ringlefinch have developed a style all their own. Their debut album Tall Tales – released in June 2021 by  boutique label Folkroom Records – received rave reviews from the folk music press in the UK and beyond, and was nominated for a prestigious Debut Album Of The Year award by Fatea Magazine. Influential indie music blog Moths & Giraffes called the album “the perfect folk record ”; Folk Radio UK said “Drawing on a variety of musical cultures, but English folk music down to its roots, these are tall tales to be recounted over and over with a smile on the face and a glass of Peak District craft beer in your hand.” 

With two previous EPs (2014’s Mass Trespass, produced by Radio 2 Folk Award Winner Ben Walker, and 2019’s Gory Stories) and a 2016 film soundtrack under their belts, Ringlefinch has long been a core part of the burgeoning London folk scene, and their energetic 30-string sound has been described variously as “buoyant and joyful“, “heart-warming music with a reverence for life” and “joyful, joyful rambunctious glory!”.

Dark-humoured, wittily introspective lyrics set to upbeat, quirky earworm tunes – the toe-tapping rhythms of swing and jazz manouche, but with a thoroughly folk sensibility – exciting, rabble-rousing live shows, peppered with moments of genuine tenderness and uplifting beauty – this is one musical casserole that’s far more than the sum of its ingredients.