The Woodbine and Ivy Band

The Woodbine & Ivy Band is a group of Manchester musicians who came together to arrange and perform traditional songs whilst channeling the hazy spirit of classic country rock.Spencer the Rover (the download single) features guest vocals by Fay Hield, a folk singer from Sheffield, who recently released the critically acclaimed album The Looking Glass. The arrangement features warm pedal steel guitar, Sally Army-inspired trumpet, piano, and a twelve-piece choir, which creates an expansive sound that reaching beyond that usually associated with traditional song. Although the musicians involved are not all from a folk background, there is a sly tipping of the cap towards the electric folk revival of the 1970s.

Amongst their influences, the Woodbine & Ivy Band cite the music of Sandy Denny, The Band, John Martyn, Pentangle, The Byrds, Crazy Horse and the drone rock of Spaceman 3. This album is also perhaps one for fans of Joe Boyd’s Witchseason Productions and much of the music released on the Harvest, Leader and Transatlantic record labels.

Spencer the Rover was released as a download single from Amazon on 14th November and is taken from the album The Woodbine and Ivy Band, and featuring guest vocalists including Jackie Oates, Nancy Wallace, Jim Causley, Pinkie Maclure and Olivia Chaney.


We all give our spare time to run folking.com. Our aim has always been to keep folking a free service for our visitors, artists, PR agencies and tour promoters. If you wish help out and donate something (running costs currently funded by Paul Miles), please click the PayPal link below to send us a small one off payment or a monthly contribution.