MFF2027: Spencer Cullum, Hollow Hand & Erin Rae

Part of Manchester Folk Festival 2027 It’s 5am in Nashville, the birds are just starting to sing, which makes it 11am in Brighton. Max (aka Hollowhand) and Spencer Cullum are firing up another Zoom session to write some songs. With no particular plan in mind, this is how this new project began. “We’ve played music together for a few years but hadn’t managed to write, until now”, Max explains. “It was Winter, we were texting about Steeleye Span (as usual) and started watching the 1974 BBC “Electric Folk” banquet concert.” With a shared love for Clannad’s ‘Robin of Sherwood’ OST and children’s TV adventure shows from the early 1990s (Knightmare, Incredible Games), Max and Spencer continued to collect new songs and work towards recording together. Spencer: “It's always amused us that a few melodies on our records seem to have wandered in from the soundtracks of the programs we grew up watching”. At this time they invited Erin Rae to add her take to the project. “The demos Max and Spencer produced for the songs were so well put together that it was just a lot of fun for all of us to realise them, in the room together. It was magical to be there in January, and I feel honoured that I got to be part of the project with these amazing musicians and artists, who are also great friends.” The trio then recruited Dom Billett, Rich Ruth & Harry Bohay to record music at Chale Abbey on The Isle of Wight in the winter of 2026.