Spafford Campbell
Spafford Campbell by Lara Laeverenz
Spafford Campbell are a London-based post-folk duo whose sound merges traditional fiddle music with elements of post-rock, jazz and chamber music.
Rooted in the folk traditions of England, Ireland and beyond, their music reflects both heritage and contemporary life, creating an expansive, textured sound world. Their 2022 debut You, Golden received five-star reviews for its unadorned take on traditional and traditional-sounding tunes, followed by the 102 Metres East EP in 2024 on Real World X.
August 2025 saw the release of their acclaimed second album Tomorrow Held on Real World Records, praised as a “masterpiece” by Songlines and listed among the Times’ Albums of the Year so far. Championed by NPR, Mojo, The Guardian and The Arts Desk, Spafford Campbell now head to WOMEX 2025 to showcase as one of England’s most innovative instrumental duos.
“The english folk scene is quite wonderfully confused about what it is and should be, which we actually really enjoy as it allows for so much individuality”. - Spafford Campbell
Hello Louis (who is one-half of Spafford Campbell), how are you getting ready for WOMEX?
We are lucky that WOMEX 2025 lands in the middle of our UK album launch tour this October - so we should be warmed up hopefully! We love to build a sense of intimacy between us and the audience, so hopefully we can bring that to Tampere.
Can you paint us a picture of your music scene and the culture that has shaped your sound?
The english folk scene is quite wonderfully confused about what it is and should be, which we actually really enjoy as it allows for so much individuality. We have both been very lucky to have some amazing mentors in that scene, like Martin Simpson and Sam Sweeney who have shared so much with us about music and life. Owen is also very involved in the Irish music scene which is built on a much deeper and more celebrated tradition, having lived with the Begley family for several months. In South-East London we are very lucky to be surrounded by amazing musicians with backgrounds in all sorts of Folk Music’s, Jazz, Pop, and so much more which we find incredibly inspiring, it’s such a vibrant meeting of culture from across the world.
What inspires you to make the music you do, and what do you hope people take away?
Despite our different musical backgrounds we share a deep priority for space and dynamic in music, which we try to bring to everything we create. We also try to play as honestly and authentically to ourselves as we can, as we feel that people really connect with that.
What kind of journey do you want to take the audience on when they hear you at WOMEX?
We hope to bring a pause to their day, beyond that we hope they take their own meaning and emotion from the performance, which is one of our favorite things about instrumental music.
Why does showcasing at WOMEX 2025 feel like the right moment for you, and what doors do you hope it might open?
We have been very lucky to recently sign with Real World Records and receive lots of excitement for our new album ‘Tomorrow Held’, so we are very excited to be growing outside of the folk scene. We hope that WOMEX will lead to performance opportunities in Europe and further afield, something that’s always been on the bucket list for us.
Spafford Campbell are official showcasing artists at WOMEX 2025. If you are are a UK resident and want to attend WOMEX 2025, apply for Horizons discount tickets here. In the meantime, follow Spafford Campbell on Instagram and listen to their music via the Horizons 2025 playlist.