Emily Slade is one of Britain’s foremost female fingerstyle guitarists. Emily took up the acoustic guitar at the age of nine, making her stage debut that same year. At eighteen, Emily studied English and Education at Cambridge University. During her final year she launched her record label ‘Rustic Thorn Records’ to release a limited edition EP called ‘Small Talk’. Her debut album, ‘Shire Boy’, followed, gaining a BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award nomination for best newcomer. Emily took to the road, promoting the album by travelling internationally, carving out a staggering reputation amongst fellow musicians and support at grassroots level from the audiences at her concerts.
The partnership between her intricate guitar playing and enchanting vocals are rarely found in one person, making Emily an enthralling performer. She is a woman quite clearly at ease with her audience. Her winning personality and presence have endeared her to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
Kelly and Woolley are an acoustic duo who hail from Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge respectively. They sing songs and play tunes from a wide variety of styles, but particularly Cajun, folk, bluegrass and country. They have been playing together for ten years and perform regularly in venues and at Festivals across the region. They will be opening at The Ely Folk Festival this year, having won the festival’s Best Band competion.
Matt Kelly is a multi instrumentalist and plays in a number of orchestras as well as Thursday’s Band.
Gary Woolley co-ran Salisbury Folk Club in the 90s and since moving to Cambridge to work at The Junction in 1994 he has played regularly at the Mayflower and Cambridge folk clubs. Their recently-released album, The Cuckoo Tree, has been receiving hugely positive reviews.