Some snaps taken during sound check by @coffeewithjoe at @watfordpalace on Sunday ahead of our performance at @EnrichFestival. What a beautiful venue - and such a wonderful event too! Thanks to @HertsInclusive for having us along - and thanks to Joe and Kai Carter for joining me

@coffeewithjoe @wr_audio Huge thanks to the full crew: Kai Carter (clarinet / guitar / banjo), Joe Mansfield (violin / viola), Bill Frampton (double bass), and @mattmcnic (drums). Can’t wait to share this new music with you soon!

@coffeewithjoe @wr_audio On Wednesday the 15th, producer Biff Roxby and I put together an ambitious plan: record all the core band parts in just four days. And I’m very happy to say… we absolutely smashed it

Some snaps taken by @coffeewithjoe during our first four days of recording in Manchester, 16th–19th October. We spent the days at @wr_audio and set up camp in Irlam — complete with a few rounds of cards in between sessions

@coffeewithjoe @wr_audio @mattmcnic Song I’m playing here is “Benevolent Hypocrite” — the track we chose to kick off these sessions. Wrote between 2010–2012, so one of the older pieces in this batch. Played it for years, sometimes as alternate opener when rooms are quiet… so felt like the right one to begin with

@coffeewithjoe @wr_audio Biff Roxby’s plugging everything in, @mattmcnic is poised at the drum kit, Kai Carter’s ready at his station, and Bill Frampton is somewhere just out of frame!

Little behind-the-scenes moment captured by @coffeewithjoe as we were setting up at @wr_audio  on our first day in the studio — 16th October

@wr_audio Had a super productive day setting up and making preparations. It feels great to be creating again — and to be back in my native Manchester for a few days too. Also, a kid on a bike in Irlam told me I look French. 🇫🇷 I’ll take it

It’s been almost a decade since I last set foot in a recording studio — but I’m delighted to say that I’ve reunited with my long-time producer and very good friend Biff Roxby at @wr_audio to finally start making some new music! 🎶

Hope you’re having a peaceful Sunday 🌞 Here’s a mellow moment from the outro of "Apples of the Earth" 🍎🎶 Guitar (in DADDAE tuning) and double bass (Bill Frampton) winding down in harmony, finding a calm flow together. With a fun slide at the end! 🛝

This was the very first time Bill Frampton (double bass) and I played it together. I’m on acoustic guitar in DADDAE tuning — here’s the instrumental intro as it begins to grow

First rehearsal, first take 🍎🎵 Where new roots begin... Our first run-through of "Apples of the Earth" — literally ‘potato’ in French (plus Dutch and German)! 🥔

I’m on guitar (in BEBEBE tuning — yes, really!), with @coffeewithjoe on strings and Kai Carter on clarinet. The song’s all about renewal and river restoration — this is where it begins to lift

From verse into chorus — a moment where River Revived finds its flow 🌊🎶 Every note another ripple of life returning to our depleted rivers

Mandolin (me), fiddle (@coffeewithjoe), and guitar (Kai Carter) shifting from the darker tones of E minor into the warmth of G major — closing the medley on a more hopeful note 🎻☘️

From darkness into light ☀️🎶 Rehearsing "Michael O’Brien", the final movement of my "Manchester Martyrs Medley"

Rehearsing "Michael Larkin", the middle movement of my three-part "Manchester Martyrs Medley" Mandolin (me), fiddle (@coffeewithjoe) and guitar (Kai Carter) exploring the darker tones of this Irish-inspired piece 🎻🇮🇪🎶

"Eternal Slumber" — the chorus takes flight... 🌙🎻 A short clip from the chorus of my new song "Eternal Slumber" 🎵 Rehearsed with mandolin (me), acoustic guitar (Kai Carter) and strings (@coffeewithjoe) A moment where rest becomes renewal. A glimpse into our recent rehearsal

New song taking shape... 🌙 Rehearsing "Eternal Slumber" 🎵 Mandolin (me), acoustic guitar (Kai Carter), and strings (@coffeewithjoe) exploring the textures of the intro and first verse. Can’t wait to share the finished piece with you soon!

From the sewers to the swing 🚇🎻 Part 2 of "The Jolly Tosher" brings a new feel — same tune, different flavour. Rehearsed here with Kai Carter (guitar), @coffeewithjoe (fiddle) and yours truly (mandolin) all weaving together

This melody carries a touch of Irish flavour, played on mandolin, guitar, and fiddle 🎶 With Kai Carter and @coffeewithjoe