Roman Candle is delighted to welcome Sabine McCalla to St Mary's Creative Space, Chester, on Wednesday, 3rd September. Spec

Special guests Caitlin Gilligan and Zoë Bestel.

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Tickets are £13 in advance from Grey n Pink Records or See Tickets.

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SABINE MCCALLA

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While Sabine McCalla is living and creating during modern days, this nuanced artist’s songwriting takes the listener back several decades to pre/post-war eras brimming with the sounds of the Folk Music Revival. Combining elements of gospel, folk, soul, blues, and Americana, Sabine spins stories of heartbreak and hope through intimate arrangements and honest inflections. With lyrical poetry that speaks to the soul and musical agility that spans decades of genre, McCalla takes her listeners on a journey through the depths of the human experience. Whether it’s a lamenting ballad or a rollicking dance number, McCalla keeps you enchanted with superb storytelling and melodies to make your heart melt. Having amassed a loyal following in her hometown of New Orleans and beyond, Sabine’s music has netted her spots at major festivals, like Newport Jazz, Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and Brooklyn Folk Festival, national tour dates, and collaborations with like-minded peers, such as Eli “Paperboy” Reed & sister Leyla McCalla.

 

Sabine released her first collection of songs, entitled Folk, in 2018. Her debut album is due 2025.

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CAITLIN GILLIGAN

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Scottish folk musician Caitlin Gilligan hails from the rolling hills of rural Galloway. Though now based in Liverpool, her songs still echo the wildness of her youth. Weaving age-old folk songs into sets of bare-boned and poetically-crafted originals, she demonstrates refreshing insight whilst simultaneously summoning the voices of times gone by. She draws much inspiration from folk giants such as Anne Briggs, Nick Drake and Lankum as well as traditional vocal music of Scotland, Ireland and America. ​

 

She has recently joined forces with viola player Charli Wild creating a live experience full of soulful drones and stirring melodies to accompany Caitlin's skilled guitar playing and haunting harmonium.​

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Caitlin has played alongside artists such as Martin Carthy, Nora Brown, The Unthanks, Sam Amidon and Jerron Paxton. 2024 saw the release of her highly anticipated EP 'Thin Places'which draws inspiration from her childhood home of Galloway, Scotland as well as her time spent living on a traditional, wooden sailing ship in Cornwall. ​

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Caitlin and Charli toured the UK in 2024 playing prestigious venues and festivals such as Camden's Green Note, Liverpool's Philharmonic Music Room and Northgate Folk Festival as well as her sold out EP launch at Salford's iconic Eagle Inn.

 

“Scottish folksinger Caitlin Gilligan creates an array of truly timeless ballads, varying from good old-fashioned storytelling to the occasional protest song. A celebrated performer wherever she pops up..." - RGM -

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ZOË BESTEL

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Ethereal vocals, poignant melodies and stirring lyrics describes award winning nu-folk singer/songwriter and musician, Zoë Bestel, hailed as one of Scotland’s most exciting emerging talents. With her first EP, 35 Missed Calls – released in 2012, when she was just 14 – reaching number three in Amazon’s folk chart, two years later her self released debut album, Sir Lucas and the Moon awarded Album of the Week by the Scottish Daily Record, followed by the critically acclaimed album, Transience, released on vinyl on record store day 2018, Zoë is winning admiration nationally and internationally with fans eagerly awaiting a fourth release.

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With plans to self release a third album through crowdfunding, Bestel is enthusiastic to share her new writing which she claims is more self reflective than previous work. “The past four years have been a journey of discovery to unearth who I am as a person, as with all people in their early twenties.” The album is set to explore themes of mental health, guilt surrounding heartbreak, and modern folk tales of the elusiveness of a creative spirit.