SINGER Jim Moray will be bringing his cutting-edge folk music to Abingdon next month. The multi-instrumentalist will be playing a gig in the Roysse Room at the Guildhall on Saturday, March 9. After four acclaimed albums and a clutch of nominations and awards, he has found himself at the forefront of a new folk revival in the UK. Viewed as one of the most consistently inventive musicians in traditional folk music, Moray won the award for the best traditional track at this year’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for Lord Douglas and was also nominated for this year’s Spiral Earth Awards in the best album category. His fifth and latest album, Skulk, was released just over a year ago. Aside from working on his own music, Moray, has branched out as the producer of his sister Jackie Oates’ award-winning Hyperboreans album — Doug Oates being his real name and Jim Moray his stage name. Moray recorded his first album Sweet England in 2003 while still studying classical composition at Birmingham Conservatoire by day and playing drums in power-pop bands by night. He has since been awarded honorary life membership of Birmingham Conservatoire for outstanding achievement in music. His imaginative reimagining of English traditional music blended with orchestral flourishes, guitars and electronics saw him awarded the Best Newcomer and Best Album accolades at the 2004 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. After establishing a reputation for his live performances at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival and WOMAD, and alongside Richard Thompson and Oysterband, Moray followed this with the albums Jim Moray and Low Culture in 2006 and 2008. Awarded the fRoots critics’ poll prize for best album and Mojo magazine’s Folk Album Of The Year accolade, Moray assembled an all-star band, including Saul Rose (Waterson: Carthy, Eliza Carthy Band) and William Bowerman (La Roux), to headline summer festivals throughout 2009. Moray then took the unsual step of giving his fourth album In Modern History away on the cover of Songlines magazine before releasing a deluxe two-disc version in June 2010. Tickets for the 8pm gig are £12 in advance from Seahorse box office, WeGotTickets or See Tickets and, if still available, £14 on the door. Doors open at 7.30pm. l For your chance to win a pair of tickets to Jim Moray’s concert at the Guildhall, Abingdon, simply send your name, address and telephone number in an email labelled Jim Moray Competition to: Heraldcompetitions@nqo.com or send them on a postcard or back of a sealed envelope to: Jim Moray Competition, Herald Series, Promotions Department, Newsquest Oxfordshire, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0EJ, by the contest’s closing date of Wednesday, February 20