“Americana Folk Roots” Pen and Stu are husband and wife Penny and Stuart McFarlane-Bedford – they ‘double barrelled’ when they got married – he’s the Scottish born one and she’s from the North East. They met in York and started playing music together in 2014. Pen writes and writes and Stu arranges the songs.

Their songs have powerful vocals, driving rhythm guitar, dynamics and melodious bass lines. They are songs with stories, inspired by events, by history, some are inspired by the sea. Neither Pen nor Stu are enthusiastic about sea travel or being on the water, so, they have no idea why!

A NEW EP ‘Trick of the Light’ will be released in 2023. Inspired by the gold rush and other events in 19th century North America.

A new album is planned for 2024! Songs about heroines, villains, journeys, love, hate and triumph – so far!

To commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War we released ‘when I was a soldier’ – this was played on BBC Radio and featured on local TV, That’s TV York. We have also…… released of a charity single, ‘…and the boat sails on’ dedicated to the work of the R.N.L.I. And we……. did a live studio recording five track EP, “New Horizon” – songs about the sea, ships, mermaids and monsters under the bed! and… we released our debut album - “so far…songs of love, loss and pirates” in March 2017. Exactly what it says on the….CD cover – songs about all that!

Festivals in 2018: Filey Folk Festival Haworth Folk Rhythm and Blues Festival Cottingham Springboard Festival Great North Folk Festival Fossgate Festival Poppleton Beer and Music Festival La Fete de la Musique - twice! Wortley Beer Festival Tramlines Fringe Festival Fossgate Festival - again! ThorganbyFolk at Whelfest Radio - We’ve had lots of our songs played on the radio - BBC Radio York, Express FM Portsmouth, Beyond Radio Lancaster, FAB Folk and Blues on Tempo FM, Triangle Radio Gloucester, Zetland FM Redcar, BCB Bradford, Beverley FM, Radio Winchcombe Folk Show, Vixen FM, Bishop Auckland FM, and BBC Introducing North Yorkshire. We gig across Yorkshire and beyond, from Bath to Holy Island and Hull to Blackburn.
Penny McFarlane-Bedford - lead vocals, acoustic and tenor guitar, ukulele, whistles and banjo. Stuart McFarlane-Bedford - backing vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar and banjo guitar.