Shovel Dance Collective (UK)

Det unge folkkollektiv Shovel Dance Collective genopdager og gentænker folkemusikken i en nutidig politisk kontekst og med en eksperimenterende musikalsk tilgang. I fodsporene af grupper som Lankum, dykker kollektivets ni medlemmer ned i de britiske og irske folkemusiktraditioner – ikke som museale artefakter, men som en levende og pulserende praksis, der forholder sig til bl.a. queer modkultur og en postkolonial protest. Samtidig er deres musik dybt poetisk. Shovel Dance Collectives arrangementer er vævet sammen som et broget patchworktæppe af improvisation, feltoptagelser og eksperimenterende klange. På instrumenter som harpe, trædeorgel, banjo, strygere og fløjte, og med smukke, uforfinede stemmer, tilføjer kollektivet dybde til de historiske fortællinger.

Deres seneste album, "The Shovel Dance", har høstet stor anerkendelse for sin radikale tilgang til den britiske folkemusik og udkom på det anerkendte American Dreams Records i oktober 2024. Shovel Dance Collective har allerede begejstret publikum ved nogle af Europas største festivaler, herunder Glastonbury og Rewire, og – ikke mindst – Roskilde. Dem, der oplevede de ni folkemusikere, da de i en halvcirkel på Gaia-scenen genfortolkede arbejderklassens traditionelle protestsange i en levende, eksperimenterende praksis, kan bekræfte at Shovel Dance Collective spillede en af festivalens absolut bedste koncerter. Vi er begejstrede for at kunne byde dem velkommen på ALICE til foråret.

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In English:
Shovel Dance Collective revitalizes the traditional protest songs of the working class through encounters with queer counterculture and experimental sounds. The nine-piece folk collective from London has already captivated audiences at major European festivals like Glastonbury and Roskilde. This spring, they will take the stage at ALICE with aching, unpolished voices and instruments like harp, harmonium, banjo, violin, and flute.

This young folk collective reimagines and recontextualises folk music in a contemporary political setting with an experimental musical approach. Following in the footsteps of groups like Lankum, the nine members of Shovel Dance Collective delve into the folk traditions of Britain and Ireland—not as relics of the past, but as a living, breathing practice that engages with themes such as queer counterculture and post-colonial protest. Their music is also deeply poetic, with arrangements woven together like a vibrant patchwork quilt of improvisation, field recordings, and experimental sounds. Using instruments such as harp, harmonium, banjo, strings, and flute, paired with their raw and unpolished voices, the collective breathes new depth into historical narratives.

Their latest album, The Shovel Dance, has been widely praised for its radical take on British folk music and was released on the renowned American Dreams Records in October 2024. Shovel Dance Collective has already enthralled audiences at some of Europe’s largest festivals, including Glastonbury, Rewire, and—most notably—Roskilde. Those who witnessed the nine musicians forming a half-circle on the Gaia stage to reinterpret traditional working-class protest songs as a living, experimental practice can attest that Shovel Dance Collective delivered one of the festival’s standout performances. We are thrilled to welcome them to ALICE this spring!