ONE of the ‘Big Three’ of English folk rock has returned to its roots thanks to a line-up of fresh talent from a new generation.

The Albion Band were formed by bandleader Ashley Hutchings 40 years ago and its new, youthful composition fuse award-winning songwriting with contemporary rock and an indie vibe to create the new sound of 21st century English folk-rock.

Building on a summer of festival appearances, they appear at Worcester’s Huntingdon Hall on Friday, November 16 from 8pm.

After years of fielding fan requests to recharge the band, Hutchings has passed the baton to his son Blair Wesley Dunlop who has recruited an array of rising young musical virtuosos to form the current incarnation.

Dunlop is found on guitar and vocals, with Katriona Gilmore on fiddle and vocals, Gavin Davenport on vocals, concertina and guitar, Tom Wright on drums, Tim Yates on bass, and Benjamin Trott as lead guitarist.

The new line-up is said to recapture the spirit of the band’s heyday and draw inspiration from it with a rockier, edgier approach to traditional English folk music.

But it is not to be considered a tribute act, with the six-piece stamping its own trademark on arrangements of traditional material, covers of songs from stalwarts of the folk scene along with new compositions and covers of mainstream artists.

Often mentioned in the same breath as Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention, The Albion Band has seen some of the great names in English Folk appear in its ranks over the years, from Martin Carthy to Show of Hands’ Phil Beer.

Tickets are £16 (concessions £15).

For more information and tickets, go to worcesterlive.co.uk or call the box office on 01905 611427