Grace Smith Trio

Grace Smith Trio and their Teesside roots

Grace Smith Trio bring a contemporary edge to English folk music, led by fiddle and viola player Grace Smith from Saltburn on the North East coast. The project draws on traditional dance tunes, regional influences and modern arrangement ideas, creating music that feels rooted in folk without sounding fixed in the past.

Smith has built a strong reputation as a player through collaborations across the UK folk scene, while the trio format gives her music a more focused identity. Fiddle, concertina and mandolin form the core of the sound, allowing the group to move between tightly arranged instrumental passages and looser, more expressive sections where the character of each player comes through.

Contemporary folk shaped by tradition

The Grace Smith Trio sit comfortably within the current generation of folk artists who know the tradition well enough to bend it. Their music respects the structures and melodies of English folk, but the arrangements have a modern clarity that makes the material accessible to audiences who may not spend much time in traditional sessions or folk clubs.

That balance is important. The trio can be intricate without becoming overly academic, and the strongest performances are driven as much by energy as technical detail. Smith’s fiddle playing carries much of the melodic identity, while concertina and mandolin add rhythm, harmony and texture around it.

Grace Smith Trio on the North East live circuit

The trio’s North East connection is clear through Grace Smith’s Saltburn roots and a continuing run of regional shows. Her official site lists dates across the country alongside appearances in Newcastle and elsewhere in the North East, including a Cumberland Arms show with Archie Churchill-Moss. Smith also performs at major folk festivals and collaborates widely, giving the trio a strong link between the local scene and the broader national folk circuit.

For SoundBite North East, Grace Smith Trio are a natural fit because they reflect one of the region’s strongest musical traditions while still sounding current. Their work shows how folk music from the North East can sit comfortably on modern stages without losing the character that gives it a sense of place. With Saltburn roots, an active touring schedule and a thoughtful approach to arrangement, the trio are helping carry that tradition forward in a way that feels fresh rather than nostalgic.