By Darren Grayer.
Acclaimed broken folk duo Lunatraktors stop off at the Railway Inn on Wednesday (4th) as part of a nationwide tour lasting most of June. Reimagining Anglo-Celtic folk music through a shared love of trip-hop, flamenco and post punk the pair comprise of choreographer and percussionist Carli Jefferson (she/her) and vocalist and researcher Clair Le Couteur (they/them). Noted for their visual performance that includes costume, installation and film as much as their music, which strips down folk to the basics of rhythm and voice.
Jefferson’s hybrid of tap dance, flamenco and body percussion meets Le Couteur’s self-taught overtone singing and 3+ octave range. Building on a foundation of somatic sound, their style expands from harmonic singing and dance into eclectic acoustic beats, accordion, whistles and analogue synth basslines, leading to the term ‘broken folk’. They are very much a double act in the old-fashioned sense, Le Couteur channels the voices of multi tragi-comic characters, matching Jefferson’s hyper-expressive performance style that sees a compulsion to dance while drumming with a custom made percussion kit that adds rhythmic and melodic elements to the performance.
Since their formation in 2017 they have created hundreds of performances, workshops and commissions for a wide range of theatres, festivals, galleries and museums across the UK and Europe, including the V&A, the Turner Prize opening weekend, the British Museum, and Waterford Gallery.
The duo’s DIY debut album This Is Broken Folk – drums and vocals recorded live in a viaduct arch- made Mojo Magazine’s Top Ten Folk Albums of 2019. Their second album The Missing Star explored a fuller, more cinematic sound, reaching #2 in Mojo’s 2021 list.
Tickets at: wegottickets.com/event/658941 railwayinn.pub/shows/lunatraktors-2025-06-04
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