“A shining light of a new generation of blues and folk” – Rolling Stone UK
Muireann Bradley shares her anticipated EP ‘Blackwood Pew’, which marks a defining new chapter for the Irish folk and blues prodigy. The new collection follows her acclaimed 2024 debut ‘I Kept These Old Blues’ and introduces Muireann as a songwriter for the first time, pairing her original compositions with fresh reworkings of classics that feel every bit as enduring as the tradition that inspired them.
Previously released tracks from the EP include ‘Dancing On My Grave’, her gorgeous take on Daniel Johnston’s seminal ‘True Love Will Find You In The End’ and her other original single ‘Not Going Back’. The EP takes its name from the guitar at the heart of every recording. Handcrafted from Australian Blackwood reclaimed from a 200-year-old church pew in Tasmania, it was gifted to Muireann by a fan who, having seen her perform, was inspired to build her a custom instrument.
From the themes of longing that shape ‘Not Going Back’ to the evocative, Velvet Underground-inspired ‘Clementine’, the record draws on a lifetime immersed in ragtime blues, American old-time and country sounds, alongside the Irish trad music Muireann grew up with. It feels like a door opening onto new ground; familiar in its roots, yet stepping into something more expansive.
Her live reputation has only continued to grow. Muireann has sold out headline shows on both sides of the Atlantic and, last month, was handpicked by Fontaines D.C.’s Tom Coll and folk collective Broadside Hacks to top the sold-out bill at Féile Moth, an Irish cultural festival at MOTH Club in London. She has also supported Brooke Combe at KOKO, joined Jeff Goldblum on select live dates, and performed as part of the star-studded Harvest Moon Gathering in California alongside Neil Young, Lana Del Rey and Beck.
With ‘Blackwood Pew’, Muireann’s story shifts. These songs no longer simply inhabit the perspectives of the artists who inspired her, but reveal something rarer – a singular songwriter beginning to build a body of work that can stand alongside them. Released alongside ‘Blackwood Pew’ is the physical double EP ‘Rose Dogs & Blackwood Pew’, pairing the new collection with all five tracks from her acclaimed 2025 EP, Rose Dogs. To celebrate the physical release of the record, Muireann embarks on a run of dates in UK record shops
Mon 26th Oct – Truck Store, Oxford
Mon 26th Oct – Rough Trade, Bristol
Tues 27th Oct – Jacaranda, Liverpool
Wed 28th Oct – Wax & Bean, Manchester
Wed 28th Oct – Crash Records, Leeds
Thurs 29th Oct – Vinilo, Southampton
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Photograph (c) Carina Kehlet Schou
