Photo by Caitlin Isobel Warren

Stornoway have a deep connection to the natural world. Their songs are buoyant and windswept, rich in colour, light and wild places. They released a string of three beloved albums from 2010-2015, then all went quiet as they went their separate ways. Notably, vocalist and songwriter Brian Briggs, swapping his guitar for a chainsaw, became a nature reserve warden on the Gower Peninsula.

After a six-year hiatus, in 2023 they released Dig the Mountain!, a heart-filling, kaleidoscopic record written in a makeshift studio on a remote coastal hilltop. Expect music from this, along with picks from their glorious back catalogue, on what will be a very special opening night of Festival 2026. 

Joining Stornoway is magical ambient folk artist, Alice Boyd. Her work blends immersive field recordings, ambient textures and folk-inspired melody to explore our connection with the natural world. 

She has performed everywhere from botanical gardens and woodlands to major venues including Kings Place, the Barbican Conservatory and the Eden Project’s Rainforest Biome, where she was artist-in-residence. She met Stornoway’s Oli Steadman when he came to see her play in Bristol, and a link was forged. 

Alice has local links, too. In 2025, she completed a residency with Britten Pears Arts, and it was there that she sowed the seeds that became this solo show.