Spiers & Boden

Spiers & Boden are arguably the most significant duo in the 21st-century English folk revival. Emerging in the early 2000s, they revitalized traditional material by stripping away the soft-focus arrangements of the 70s and replacing them with a raw, percussive intensity.

Their sound is built on the interplay between John Spiers' virtuosic melodeon playing and Jon Boden's fiddle and stomp-box percussion. This rhythmic approach became their signature, bridging the gap between traditional dance tunes and modern energy. They were the foundational core of the folk big-band Bellowhead, and their duo work serves as the concentrated essence of that project's mission: to make English traditional music feel dangerous and vital again. Critically, they are lauded for their deep research into Morris tunes and broadside ballads, which they interpret with a contemporary grit that has influenced a generation of artists like Jim Moray and Sam Sweeney. Their career arc saw a decade-long hiatus before a triumphant return in 2021, cementing their status as the premier exponents of 'Englishness' in the global folk scene.