Headfirst Editor's Pick
"Cross-cultural folk traditions meet the whimsically avant-garde for a springtime summoning! Genre-mangling electrified mummers Mermaid Chunky, acoustic-turned-art-rock songstress Nuala Honan and old time Americana reimagined by The Pegwells, gleefully gathered in pagan ceremony by bard absurdist Buoys Buoys Buoys."
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A gig held at Exchange on Sunday 4th February. The event starts at 19:00.
Heidi Contagious presents:
Mermaid Chunky
Nuala Honan
The Pegwells
Hosted by Buoys Buoys Buoys
+ more
Free during the day
£15 adv/£5 low income from 7pm
Crawl with us out of the depths of winter and towards the light of spring. sew your seeds and your intentions and sniff the new growth in the air. The great thaw has begun and the days are starting to feel longer. The bountiful spring is in sight and strange and beautiful things are burgeoning.
2pm - 7pm FREE
Stalls, food, music & more in the cafe
A shamanic shambolic collage of ancient folk films, forgotten recorded musics and a live meditative performance by Black Crow Zodiac in the basement
7pm onwards - £15 adv/£5 low income
Mermaid Chunky
‘Ceremony is something that helps us exorcise the weight of Popey pagan guilt we both felt from a young age’
Tackling subjects that aren’t easy to broach didn’t stop there, Mermaid Chunky’s most recent tracks cover issues such as The Herb Hierarchy, Newbury Bypass and Lonely Chaperones. Born in the soft and homely valleys of Stroud from the same egg, they find themselves now straddling with one foot in Stroud and one foot paddling in North-East London’s murky experimental music scene.They aren’t afraid of asking their audience difficult questions such as’ where is your umbilical cord right now?’ or ‘ do you love your tiny dog as much as you love yourself?’ Secrets are beguiling, that’s hard-hitting factfullness.
Nuala Honan
Originally from rural outback Australia, Nuala Honan is a romantic storyteller, with an astonishing voice and a gift for timeless songwriting. Scaling new heights of noise and pop production, the Bristol-based songwriter is driven by post-punk rawness, yet still lets fly with moments of audacious, operatic singing over the tumultuous drums. With a reputation for highly charged live sets, Honan leads a killer band in a pop-drama, exploring the strength in vulnerability and human connection.
The Pegwells
A band of folk playing the old time tunes of the Appalachian mountains. Our aim is to present another untold story of American folk music, one that challenges and dismantles the myth of an intrinsic whiteness. We understand the history of Old Time and Appalachian music to be one of the colonial experience, blending British Isles and Celtic tunes with West African rhythms.
The band was formed in 2021 by Bianca Wilson (Banjo) and Rebekah Bouche (Guitar) as a space to protest the tokenism of existing as a marginalised gender in a traditional music scene while also applying a queer lens to the sound. Since then Annalise Lam and Ray Aggs have joined the fold, each bringing their unique musical backgrounds and identities to the sonic tapestry we aim to build.
Exchange has a small ramp entrance from the street. Our bar and main event space are on the ground floor and we have an accessible toilet.
Please note the basement where the screenings will be is not wheelchair accessible. For more accessibility info, please email [email protected]
All ages welcome 2pm-7pm
Entry requirements: 14+ (under 18s must be accompanied by an adult)
Mermaid Chunky
Nuala Honan
The Pegwells
Hosted by Buoys Buoys Buoys
+ more
Free during the day
£15 adv/£5 low income from 7pm
Crawl with us out of the depths of winter and towards the light of spring. sew your seeds and your intentions and sniff the new growth in the air. The great thaw has begun and the days are starting to feel longer. The bountiful spring is in sight and strange and beautiful things are burgeoning.
2pm - 7pm FREE
Stalls, food, music & more in the cafe
A shamanic shambolic collage of ancient folk films, forgotten recorded musics and a live meditative performance by Black Crow Zodiac in the basement
7pm onwards - £15 adv/£5 low income
Mermaid Chunky
‘Ceremony is something that helps us exorcise the weight of Popey pagan guilt we both felt from a young age’
Tackling subjects that aren’t easy to broach didn’t stop there, Mermaid Chunky’s most recent tracks cover issues such as The Herb Hierarchy, Newbury Bypass and Lonely Chaperones. Born in the soft and homely valleys of Stroud from the same egg, they find themselves now straddling with one foot in Stroud and one foot paddling in North-East London’s murky experimental music scene.They aren’t afraid of asking their audience difficult questions such as’ where is your umbilical cord right now?’ or ‘ do you love your tiny dog as much as you love yourself?’ Secrets are beguiling, that’s hard-hitting factfullness.
Nuala Honan
Originally from rural outback Australia, Nuala Honan is a romantic storyteller, with an astonishing voice and a gift for timeless songwriting. Scaling new heights of noise and pop production, the Bristol-based songwriter is driven by post-punk rawness, yet still lets fly with moments of audacious, operatic singing over the tumultuous drums. With a reputation for highly charged live sets, Honan leads a killer band in a pop-drama, exploring the strength in vulnerability and human connection.
The Pegwells
A band of folk playing the old time tunes of the Appalachian mountains. Our aim is to present another untold story of American folk music, one that challenges and dismantles the myth of an intrinsic whiteness. We understand the history of Old Time and Appalachian music to be one of the colonial experience, blending British Isles and Celtic tunes with West African rhythms.
The band was formed in 2021 by Bianca Wilson (Banjo) and Rebekah Bouche (Guitar) as a space to protest the tokenism of existing as a marginalised gender in a traditional music scene while also applying a queer lens to the sound. Since then Annalise Lam and Ray Aggs have joined the fold, each bringing their unique musical backgrounds and identities to the sonic tapestry we aim to build.
Exchange has a small ramp entrance from the street. Our bar and main event space are on the ground floor and we have an accessible toilet.
Please note the basement where the screenings will be is not wheelchair accessible. For more accessibility info, please email [email protected]
All ages welcome 2pm-7pm
Entry requirements: 14+ (under 18s must be accompanied by an adult)
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