The Haar

About

Contemporary folk band The Haar return to Maidenhead

The Haar bring their radically fresh, boundary-pushing take on traditional songs to Norden Farm Centre for the Arts on Friday 17 October at 8pm. Tickets are £22.

The band features the formidable singing talent of All-Ireland Scór na nÓg winner Molly Donnery. Her vocals are combined with three of the most exciting instrumentalists on the folk and traditional music circuit: Cormac Byrne (BBC Folk Award / Show of Hands / Seth Lakeman), Adam Summerhayes and Murray Grainger (both of the FATEA award-winning Ciderhouse Rebellion).

This is music that is not afraid to transcend borders. Whilst recognisably born of the traditional music that all members have grown up with, The Haar are unapologetic in pushing the boundaries to create a unique and compelling sound.

The origins of the band go back to a chance meeting between Adam, Cormac and Molly at a session at the Craiceann Bodhran Festival. This resulted in an improvised performance recorded by the shipwreck of the Plassey on the west coast of Ireland. It was to become typical of the unique ‘live reactive composition’ that characterises their music. With the addition of master accordionist Grainger, they entered the studio at the end of 2019 to record their first album.

Their self-titled debut, released in June 2020, is a collection of traditional Irish songs tackling love, poverty and oppression. It was heralded as ‘a splendid balance of swirling instrumental magic and beautifully sung narratives’ by Folk Radio UK and garnered attention from Mike Harding who described it as ‘absolutely amazing’.

Known for taking a familiar tune and turning it into something breathtakingly fresh and ambitious, this band of high level improvisers produce ever-changing musical soundscapes - while Molly lets her sublime vocals flow to stunning effect.

Expect a magical evening of stunning, made-in-the-moment renditions of some of the world’s most incredible songs.