Cerys Hafana + Astra Forward
Schedule
Sun, 12 Oct, 2025 at 05:00 pm
UTC+01:00Location
St Matthias Church, Stoke Newington | London, EN
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Baba Yaga's Hut & Fire in the Mountain Presents:Cerys Hafana + Astra Forward at St Matthias Church
£19 / 5pm
Cerys Hafana is a Welsh composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who mangles, mutates, and transforms traditional music. Cerys comes from Machynlleth, Wales, where rivers and roads meet on the way to the sea.
Hafana’s primary instrument is the Welsh triple harp with which they explore all its creative possibilities and unique qualities, playing with found sounds, archival materials and electronic processing. Their spellbinding music is rich with atmosphere and heart and stubbornly resistant to genre boxes and easy classification.
Angel, their latest album on tak:til/ Glitterbeat, released in Sept 2025, is a deep exploration of minimalism, traditional and avant-folk music, alternating between songs (all in Cymraeg) and instrumentals, often buoyed by a deft trio of sympathetic and exploratory musicians (drums, double bass, alto sax). In 2026, live shows will feature this dynamic new trio sound.
The uncommon breadth and innovation of Angel soundly confirms Hafana as one of the UK’s most exciting young contemporary folk artists, with The Guardian featuring it as Folk Album Of The Month.
“Angel is the third release by this piercingly beautiful singer and exceptional, adventurous musician in 18 months…. Hafana’s approach is endlessly inventive…the album overall has a profound impact, hymning the life cycle, and the fantastical properties of music and time, to stunning effect.” Jude Rogers, The Guardian
Cerys has won over audiences from End Of the Road to the Eisteddfod and from BBC 6 Music Festival to Transmusicales with their magical, progressive sound.
“It’s raw, urgent and affecting music, and it sets the tone for a hugely assured album that feels like a major arrival…Hafana builds hugely powerful swells of feeling and atmosphere, with their virtuosity on both harp and piano allowing a push beyond avant folk toward darkling, rain-washed minimalism and sharp-eyed jazznot-jazz. Don’t sleep.” The Wire
“Alternating between Welsh-language songs and instrumental pieces, Hafana essays a bold mix of folk tradition and auteur experimentalism ...” UNCUT
“An album that solidifies Cerys Hafana’s position as one of the UK’s most exciting and genre-defying contemporary folk artists. Angel is a testament to their ability to create music that is both deeply rooted in tradition and boldly forward-thinking.” KLOF
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Astra Forward is a SE London experimental singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer. She writes ethereal and intimate songs on the power of nature and human connection, Her work explores grief, mysticism and impermanence seeking to provide both comfort and immersion to the listener.
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Where is it happening?
St Matthias Church, Stoke Newington, London, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
