Three world travelled musicians, all originally from Manchester and sharing Irish origins, have come together to create a dynamic, musical melting pot with powerful songs and fiery Irish fiddle, all set in an exciting multi-layered dimension.
Tim O’Connor, a singer-songwriter based in France; Andy Dinan, twice All-Ireland Fiddle Champion; and Maartin Allcock, internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist who has played with the likes of Fairport Convention, Robert Plant, Cat Stevens and Jethro Tull, have joined forces to form MANCUNIA.
Their debut album – Turn Towards The Sun – has seen the members record in Liverpool, Snowdonia and Savoie in south east France, garnering interest from across the UK and Europe.
Allcock, who is also guesting with Fairport Convention at this year’s Cropredy Festival, is seriously excited about the potential of this new trio:
“Tim O’Connor is a great songwriter and Andy Dinan’s fiddle playing is awesome. I’m adding other off-the-wall textures through electric and bass guitars and keyboards. This is eclectic. We’re tackling some home-grown songs, some folk music, some self-penned instrumentals, and rescuing some great songs from their previous cage of a prog-rock heritage.”
The album will be on sale in time for the trio’s first ever live shows, which will see them playing their hometown of Manchester on 30th July, before heading to Cropredy’s Brasenose Arms, followed by a visit to Abingdon in Oxfordshire and an appearance at the Wickham Folk Festival.
