Sproatly Smith / Weirdshire

Sproatly Smith are a band with an air of mystery about them, steeped as they are in Herefordshire’s folklore. Their music draws on traditional folk music, delving into its origins, reinventing it and spinning it out into the current day, so that when listening to it you find yourself transported, as if down one of the ancient green lanes that criss-cross the county.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with their story, Sproatly Smith began exploring our indigenous folk music around 2009, the musicians’ wide-ranging influences and diverse instrumentation breathing new life into old tunes and ancient folklore. Hints of Pink Floyd’s earlier more pastoral meanderings, sounds from foreign lands as if rummaged from the Incredible String Band’s instrument box and the folk rock of late ‘60s and early ‘70s can all be heard in Sproatly’s music.

Over time, a cottage industry has mushroomed with the band recording a slew of self-released albums including their first much loved recordings The Yew and the Hare (natch) and The River Wye Suite, which was premiered live on the banks of the Wye at the first Hereford River Carnival in 2014.  Sproatly Smith have appeared on many stages, including previous Wild Hare Club shows. Another memorable show took place one halcyon summer evening at Cecil Sharp House, the spiritual home of English folk music.

Along the way, through word of mouth, the band garnered a dedicated following of like-minded souls and in 2012, out of this semi-underground scene, Weirdshire emerged with the purpose of giving psych-folk and other artists outside of the mainstream music industry opportunities to play in and around Herefordshire. It goes without saying that the Weirdshire collective is made up of kindred spirits and as our musical mapping has overlapped, various ‘Weird Hare’ collaborations have come to fruition.

Should Rob Young ever revise his book Electric Eden – Unearthing Britain’s Visionary Music (a highly recommended read) he would be remiss not to include a chapter devoted to Sproatly and their fellow travellers from Weirdshire.