FIVE-PIECE folk band Stick In The Wheel, comes to the Shelley Theatre at the end of this month. Stick In The Wheel is headed by singer Nicola Kearey, and guitarist/producer Ian Carter. Their debut, From Here, was fRoots magazine Album of the Year and a MOJO Folk Album of the Year, with four BBC Folk Award nominations since their inception in 2013.

A tour spokesman said: “Known for Kearey’s fierce, working-class delivery, this is culturally and politically switched on music, with the group being widely commended for their timely appraisal of English Folk, and their skill in telling stories through songs that reconnect modern audiences to the past – drawing unexpected parallels between then and now.

“Their second album Follow Them True was released in January last year. The songs within examine rituals and cycles, our inherent power to change ourselves and the world around us, the past repeating itself, ghosts and death, land and place, thieves and beggars. It continues to question the notion of what folk music is, and what it means in 2018.

“The new album expands the radical sound of their debut to include electronic and found sounds, using a broader sonic palette to create a greater depth full of layers and meaning, yet at the same time remaining totally connected with the tradition.

“Pushing the boundaries of this music hard, with such energy and intensity, has brought connections with new, modern audiences, who can’t get enough of this vibrant band.”

* Stick In The Wheel is at the Shelley on March 30.Tickets £16 (students £12). Call 01202 413600 or visit shelleytheatre.co.uk.