A FOLK duo is back on the road after almost two years at home due to the coronavirus pandemic – and their autumn/winter 2022 tour brings them back to Northwich.

Winter Wilson will play at Northwich Folk Club, in The Royal British Legion (Social) Club, Firth Fields, Davenham, on Friday, November 4.

Entry costs £10 on the door, and seats can be reserved online at danarts.org.

It has been a difficult couple of years for many industries, but few have been hit harder than the arts and entertainment.

But married couple Dave Wilson and Kip Winter considered themselves luckier than most.

Kip said: "We have a small income from other sources, so we knew we wouldn't starve, and we're used to spending long periods of time with just each other for company.

“The weird bit was staying in one place for so long - we've never done that before!"

When the pandemic first struck, the pair were on tour in Germany.

“We agreed to cancel all the remaining gigs, rebooked the ferry and set off driving back up from the south of Germany towards Calais,” said Kip.

"It felt really strange, with borders literally closing behind us, and messages coming in from friends in similar situations who were having problems getting back into the UK.”

And during their time back at home, the couple started live streaming music, raising more than £5,500 in charitable donations.  

“We really had no idea what we’d started,” explained Kip.

“We genuinely thought we’d stream live for a few weeks, and then life would get back to normal.

“After a couple of weeks people started asking how they could make donations, so we set up a button on our website.

“The donations were divided equally between the MU’s Musicians’ Hardship Fund and our local food bank.”

Then, during the Summer of 2021, alongside performing at those festivals which did go ahead, Kip and Dave wrote and recorded their new album, The Passing of the Storm, which was released in September last year.

The musical style ranges from traditional folk to blues and up-tempo Americana, and subject matter from the intensely personal to hard-hitting social comment.

Dave added: "We've actually been really busy this year, which is great, but we both succumbed to the dreaded Covid in March, and Northwich was one of the gigs we had to postpone.

“So, we're absolutely thrilled to be coming back at last.

“Folk clubs are where it all started for both of us, and we still love the atmosphere and inclusivity of them."