Multi-award-winning Merry Hell offer joyful, uplifting folk-rock, with messages of hope in troubled times. Ignited from the embers of much-loved folk-punk combo, The Tansads, in 2010, this eight-piece brings together five of its members from Wigan and the rest from Chester, Ruthin and Dorset. Their energy and passion are complemented by their love of what they do and their desire to share positivity and togetherness with as many people as possible.

Through seven well-received albums and hundreds of gigs, they’ve offered voices of hope and beacons of light to anyone valuing melody and positive humanity. 

Their last release, Let The Music Speak For Itself, distilled twelve years of music into an essential introduction to the band in all its colours.  It followed their two previous albums into the upper reaches of the Official Folk Charts and entered the Top 50 mainstream Download Chart. The band’s reputation has continued to grow internationally after the 2021 single, ‘When We Meet Again,’ hit No.8 in the USA Folk Radio charts.  

In true folk-rock style, the origins of Rising Of The Bold can be traced to a long weekend in a country house in Shropshire—where the 8 Merry Hell members Virginia Kettle (Vocals, Guitar),  Andrew Kettle (Vocals) Bob Kettle (Bouzouki )John Kettle (Guitars, Backing Vocals) Colin Foster (Bass) Lee Goulding (Keyboards) Simon Swarbrick (Fiddle and Strings  – Bass, Acoustic and Electric Guitars on ‘Lizard on a Log’) and Andy Jones (Drums) converged, allowing their five writers to share their latest offerings. These were worked into a band format, inspired by open fires and free-, flowing ideas; fine food, foaming ales, Welsh whisky and good company.

The results are fabulous: classic folk-rock with an upbeat, uplifting feel—songs with serious subjects and a sense of humour.  Opening  with an invitation to dance if you’re feeling down. There’s a dark, minor-key jig, cascading fiddle, bright pop joyfulness and voices joined together in harmony—plus an instrumental composed by Simon Swarbrick when he was left alone for several hours with only his violin and a lizard for company.  (I think the less we know about that the better?)  ‘Peace Can Be Louder Than War’ sees the band united with a ‘Thousand Voice Choir’: following a social media appeal, individuals, groups of friends and choirs submitted their own recordings.

Along with contributions from audiences at a number of gigs, these were mixed with the band’s own singers to create a truly worldwide song of positive desire, featuring singing from four continents and twenty-six countries. Issued as an album taster on New Year’s Day, 2025, it reached the heady heights of the US Folk Radio Airplay Charts, as well as support from broadcasters around the world!

Established as festival favourites—with several prestige appearances already confirmed for this year—everything points to this band continuing its ascent with Rising Of The Bold.  Here they are at Cropredy in 2023,  with a song that was destined for the new album.