The Wanton String Band play hedonistic folk-inspired psychedelic dance music. From trance-inducing renditions of dance tunes to synth-infused murder ballads, their ecstatic take on traditional music has had audiences dancing on tables and hanging from rafters since 2016.

The band was introduced to American old time music by fiddler and vocalist Nathan after chance meetings in Istanbul and Liverpool. Enthralled by the music’s melodies, warmth and hypnotic repetition, the members fused their disparate influences with their favourite picks from the old time canon. The result is the ecstatic, tradition-rooted, and shamelessly danceable sound of The Wanton String Band.

The Wanton String Band are:

• Nathan Bontrager (fiddle, voice)
• Stuart Graham (bouzouki, voice)
• Chris Jones (mandolin)
• Ewan Macdonald (fiddle)
• Richard O’Flynn (drums, synth, voice)
• Jess Whelligan (cello, voice)