Bio

Fritillaries is the original project of folk/Americana songwriter Hannah Pawson, a Bristol-based musician playing original songs on guitar and banjo. Her recent songs have their hands in the soil and take a compassionate look at the shadowy parts of ourselves. Fritillaries have been played on BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio 2, featured extensively in Folk Radio UK, reviewed by RNR magazine and Americana UK, nominated by FATEA in their best debut album category, were in receipt of the Drake YolanDa award 2022 and have been premiered on Ditty TV.

Hannah is often joined by Gabriel Wynne on mandolin and guitar, her musical collaborator for nine years, and is sometimes joined by Kit Massey on violin, Andy Hamill on double bass and Anna Colette on vocals. Fritillaries’ critically acclaimed debut album – about people missed, places found, and things unearthed from the spaces the light doesn’t reach – was released in July 2022 on Pear O’Legs Records. The album was made possible by generous funding from crowdfunders and Help Musicians.

Fritillaries’ music – sometimes upbeat and bold, sometimes slow and contemplative – is always original and engaging, combining Americana instrumentation and English folk roots with a pop song sensibility.

Over the last five years, Fritillaries have toured extensively in the UK and Australia. Their 2022 headline tour saw sold out dates at The Jam Jar (Bristol), Kitchen Garden Cafe (Birmingham) and The Blackmore (Exmouth Theatre). They’ve shared stages with Mama’s Broke, Sam Brookes, Madison Violet, Reg Meuross, Blue Rose Code, and many more. Their upcoming album and recent singles have been produced by Ru Lemer (Tom Grennan, Alfie Castley) and feature Andy Hamill (Annie Lennox, Martha Reeves) on double bass and Kit Massey (Aphex Twin, Anna Calvi) on violin. Folk Radio UK described their album as ‘touchingly poetic, Fritillaries is an enthrallingly scenic, tranquil and fruitful debut … capturing the purity, inventiveness and talent of the duo’s playing’. RNR magazine described one 2021 headline show as ‘a delight … theirs is an emotional and intense music that needs concentration and the audience obliges, hanging onto and appreciating every word.’ Cerys Matthews described their single Unearthing as ‘wonderful’ on her BBC 6 Music show.