Bellowhead

Bellowhead is an English folk band, presented in London at the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank. The group's concerts are built around traditional English song and dance music.

Bellowhead was formed in London in 2004 and is a large folk ensemble led by Jon Boden, who sang and wrote much of their material, with John Spiers, a concertina player, as another central figure. Their music draws on English folk tradition, including songs and tunes from the English folk repertoire, arranged for a big band rather than a small acoustic group.

On stage the band performs with a large line-up that combines folk instruments such as fiddle, melodeon and concertina with brass, and the arrangements give the traditional songs a full, driving sound. Their concerts mix sung ballads with instrumental dance tunes.

The Royal Festival Hall is a concert hall on the Southbank, part of the Southbank Centre, and hosts a wide range of concerts and shows in London. The evening suits listeners who already know English folk music or who want to hear it arranged for a large ensemble.