THE next concert in the Folk at the Unicorn series offers music fans the chance to hear a new band. Pilgrims’ Way, a three piece from Stockport, will be playing an acoustic set at the Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon, on Thursday, December 13. Named after the Rudyard Kipling poem, their line-up features Tom Kitching, Edwin Beasant and Lucy Wright. Brought together through a series of chance meetings at sessions around the north west of England, they say their aim is to present gimmick-free English folk. While their influences individually are many and varied, they share a respect for the tradition and are inspired some of the most influential bands from the 1960s/1970s revival. Pilgrims’ Way were 2011 BBC Folk award nominees. A Young Folk Award finalist, fiddle player Kitching, also mandolin and vocals, made his name on the British folk scene as one half of a duo with singer-songwriter and guitarist Gren Bartley, as well as performing nationally in a variety of other line-ups. Multi-instrumentalist Beasant (melodeons, guitar and bass) is best known as a box player and for his stint as the drummer with the acoustic dance music outfit Jabadaw. Singer Lucy Wright is an internationally acclaimed jews harp player and second fiddle player in the line-up.

Increasingly in demand as a session musician, she is a traditional singer with a repertoire of songs from the British Isles, Ireland and the United States. Doors for their Unicorn gig open at 7.30pm with the performance from 8pm to 10pm with an interval. Tickets are £10 in advance and are available from Folk at the Unicorn box office or Remade Guitars, Coxeter House, Abingdon.