Polly Bolton

Polly Bolton first picked up the mandolin as a child and has been touring internationally in various line ups on mandolin, Irish bouzouki, 5-string banjo and vocals since her teens.

She is known as a powerful performer with a charismatic stage presence and passionate live delivery. She has performed at festivals including Glastonbury, Shambala, Wilderness, Boomtown Fair, Deer Shed, Larmer Tree, Festa do Avante (Portugal), Musicport, Towersey and Warwick, and has supported artists including Molly Tuttle, John Smith, Tcha Limberger & Mozes Rosenberg, LAU and The Hot Club of Cowtown.

As a session player and a composer, Polly has an innovative approach to writing and arranging. She is influenced by a wide range of musical styles and instruments from across the globe including the American bluegrass and old time tradition, Celtic folk, Eastern European folk, Middle Eastern traditional music, Indian classical music, and metal and progressive rock.

Polly is in high demand as a tutor, with students at York St John University and regular one to one sessions with students of all ages in Yorkshire. She has run workshops at festivals including Towersey and Costa Del Folk, and was the guest tutor at Simon Mayor’s Mandolin Retreat at Kenwood Hall in Sheffield.

pollybolton.com

The Magpies

Polly began collaborating with vocalist and guitarist Bella Gaffney, fiddle player Holly Brandon and cellist Sarah Smout to fuse Celtic folk with old time and bluegrass in an exciting new collaboration. Over the past two years, the band has moved away from the conventions of genre, incorporating powerful Eastern flavours and progressive rock influences to create their own brand of contemporary transatlantic folk. Onstage, they are already establishing a fearsome reputation for their glittering live shows, rapport and genre-busting original and traditional material. This project is generously supported by Arts Council England.

themagpiesmusic.com