Red Balloon Music presents a very special and intimate evening with Ålesund and Diving Station.

Ålesund return with ‘A Thread In The Dark’, a follow up to 2020’s ‘All Hail to Your Queen’. Following the untimely curtailing of their European Tour in Spring 2020 thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak, they came back home and used the lockdown as a time to write, demo up new ideas and record a four track EP.

Throughout the EP Alba’s intoxicating vocals take on totally different auras that interchange based on the musical landscapes they’re placed against; soaring atmospheric synth-laden soundscapes, shimmering guitars and tantalising grooves.

Lyrically, the songs were inspired by being so still and so quiet in lockdown and being able to hear and see things that would have previously passed you by.

‘The usual hustle and bustle of life can drown things out, but with everything and everyone stopping, it brought a magnificent clarity. Hearing the birds sing, watching the trees blossom, following the cycles of the full moon. Thinking more about what is real, what is important, human instincts, human interactions, the natural world and how we all work together within it’, states Alba.

‘Imagine a London Grammar and Florence + The Machine hybrid. Got it? Now add ethereal, Nordic imagery similar to that of AURORA, and you’re left with the atmospheric marvel that is Ålesund’ – Darlingzine

The Manchester band Diving Station  reference the growing re-emergence of guitar music met with the more delicate folk tendencies of the harp. Working with producer Hugo Meredith-Hardy (David Gray, Tallsaint, Caro), their arrangements are united by a well crafted and contemplative sound.

Exploring new creative processes, whilst honing in on simplicity with each release, upcoming EP ‘June Damp’ feels like the arrival point of five years of performing and writing together. The eponymous final single is a reflective, nostalgic, yet hopeful closing track to the EP. A sparing, more organic arrangement than the previous tracks, the song displays the band’s inclination towards simplicity.

Diving Station have appeared at Glastonbury, Bluedot and Dot to Dot Festivals, and made bills alongside esteemed bands such as Rozi Plain, Cherry Glazerr and Honeyfeet. Making headway on radio as BBC Introducing favourites, Diving Station have been shown support from Guy Garvey, Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson at Radio 6 Music, with Bob Harris also showing support at Radio 2.

‘Some of the most enchanting music coming out of Manchester’ – Creative Tourist

Born in the North-West of the UK, Hannah Ashcroft is a guitarist, singer and songwriter whose material and live shows have made her an indelible part of the Manchester indie music scene of today.

Her prowess on the guitar is equally impressive on the acoustic as the on the electric guitar, and they combine with her beautifully haunting vocals which are at once soft and powerful – creating a sound which effortlessly bridges indie, folk, singer-songwriter and rock.

She has gained initial acclaim from the likes of BBC Radio 6 Music’s Tom Robinson & Mary Anne Hobbs as well as tastemaker music sites such as Secret Meeting, For The Rabbits and Ear To The Ground.

Hannah then collaborated with Mercury Prize-nominated artist Beth Orton as part of Brighter Sound’s gender equality initiative Both Sides Now.

“The Manchester music scene is richer for her presence” – BBC Introducing

www.hannahashcroft.co.uk