The Askew Sisters

This popular young duo performs folk music of considerable appeal to traditional fans. Sisters Emily (b. London, England; fiddle/vocals) and Hazel Askew (b. London, England; melodeon/vocals) were encouraged by their parents who were Morris dancers and through this they heard folk music as they grew up. Although they both studied music formally at school, their interests remained resolutely in the folk idiom and they were still in their very early teens when Emily decided to concentrate on fiddle, and Hazel on melodeon. They played as accompanists to Morris dancing troupes and other folk ensembles and drew attention as members of Rubber Chicken, a band they co-formed. The Askew Sisters have appeared at folk festivals in the UK, notably at Sidmouth FolkWeek and Cheltenham Folk Festival, and were semi-finalists in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards. Hazel, the strongest voice (and youngest by three years) of the duo sets out a distinctive vocal style that is admirably enhanced by Emily’s exceptional skill as a folk fiddler. After releasing an EP, Six By Two for WildGoose Records in 2006, they recorded their full-length album a year later.
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