THE darlings of the current UK folk scene kick-off Pontio Bangor’s popular cabaret evenings this Friday (January 17).

BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners The Trials of Cato enjoyed a remarkable 2019 and have been the subject of considerable critical attention.

Dubbed “The Sex Pistols of folk” they pay clear homage to the tradition whilst twisting old bones into something febrile and modern, with stomping tunes and captivating stories, a combination that has taken them in three years from busking out of the back of their Transit van to a BBC Folk Award.

The three piece, hailing from North Wales and Yorkshire, formed while living in Beirut, and spent a year boiling down the roots of their sound into a hybrid of traditional influences that intrigued Lebanese audiences.

Returning home in the winter of 2016, they have since torn a shape very much their own into the canvas of the UK folk scene.

They perform tirelessly up and down the country, leading to BBC Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe hailing them as “one of the real discoveries on the folk circuit in recent times.”

The reception of their debut album, Hide and Hair, has been overwhelmingly positive.

The album not only gained media attention but also received, repeated national airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, and won Best Album at the 2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

The year following the album's release saw the band win Best Emerging Artist at the inaugural Wales Folk Awards, and since then the group have been touring the UK extensively as well as making their first appearances is the USA, Canada and Europe.

Osian Gwynn Director of Pontio Arts said: “I’m already a big fan, and very excited that they are coming to Pontio and I urge people to come and watch them live as they are truly an exhilarating band to watch live.”

For tickets, costing £14 (£13 concessions), to Pontio Cabaret: The Trials of Cato on Friday 17 January 8pm at Theatr Bryn Terfel, telephone 01248 382828 or go to www.pontio.co.uk