I am a keen multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and performer – those years at The Central School of Speech and Drama were not in vain! I have been involved in a number of musical projects including the living-history-cum-musical-hall act, The Grand Union Canal Entertainment Company. This unique show combined the songs collected from boaters with traditional dance, history, and storytelling. It was a great success at canal festivals across England. You can see the trailer here:
In 2025 Innocent Hare released a tribute to Northamptonshire peasant poet John Clare. Innocent Hare are our family trio comprising my father Andrew Metcalfe on guitar and fiddle, and my husband Jake on Anglo-Concertina On this album I played lever harp, recorder, fiddle, and percussion and I also took lead vocals. You can listen and download/purchase a physical copy of our album from our bandcamp account available here (thanks a million!) and you can find up to date gig news etc. on our Facebook page here.
Between 2023 and 2026 I organised the Sheffield Family Folk Fringe (a Sheffield Sessions Festival event) running sing-arounds and ceilidhs. Since 2015 I have organised annual community carol singing, latterly in the guise of children’s events. I am currently working on a solo album of lullabies from England and the Isle of Man, arranged for the lever harp.
“The Windings of Their Wandering Song” – Reviews
“There are some banging tunes here – in one of my previous lives I would have enjoyed calling to them – and inventive and original arrangements. Well worth a wander in its direction.” Dai Jeffreys of Folking.com
“Poems, songs and instrumentals alternate in a varied patchwork of refined storytelling and traditional sounds; the overall effect is halfway between delicate nostalgia and whimsical innovation. The fact these three artists can play a great variety of instruments makes it even more compelling, as the atmospheres can sometimes suddenly change in many tracks when a new voice enters the mix. The Windings of Their Wandering Song is a heartfelt tribute to a multifaceted figure, a compelling homage to the true soul of folk music, the material composed or noted by people of the middle and working class.” Michele Mele of Bright Young Folk
“The Windings of Their Wandering Song (****) – the long-awaited debut from Innocent Hare – offers a more earthy and traditional experience in the best possible way. A tribute to Northamptonshire peasant poet John Clare (1793-1864) the album by Midlands-based trio Jake Middleton-Metcalfe, his wife Chloe, and her father Andrew Metcalfe, delivers a richly authentic sound. Featuring concertina, fiddle, harp and guitar, the album draws from Clare’s music manuscripts, offering traditional tunes and songs, simply recorded and sensitively reworked. ‘Clare’s Maggot’ is a fine reel, while Chloe proves an atmospheric vocalist on ‘Robin Hood Rescuing Three Squires’. A beautiful example of 19th-century tradition sensitively reinterpreted.” Songlines
“There is strong musicality by all musicians, the harp being a first contender from the very first track. All contribute to the vocals and with instruments ranging, on this recording, through harp, fiddles, recorder, concertina and guitar there is vitality and variety through all twenty-four songs collected by John Clare. The notes are a ‘must’ read, (aren’t they all?) and include Clare’s poem ‘Wild Bees’ which is a gloriously observed and musical poem.” Poetry Parc
Chloe Middleton-Metcalfe 