The Kimberleys: The Shape of a Year

The Kimberleys are a Blackheath based traditional folk duo who draw their material from the traditional and folk revival canons. They are multi-instrumentalists, harmony singers and uniquely skilled arrangers, and these talents have earned them a reputation as one of the most exciting new voices in the traditional folk world. They release their second studio album The Shape of a Year on their own label Popla Disque in April 2024. Produced by Isobel and Jim Kimberley and recorded at River Fleet Recording by Simon Edwards known for his work with Fairground Attraction, Billy Bragg and many more modern folk icons.

 “Hugely creative … an accomplished presentation of songs

***** Folk London

Isobel and Jim have been working together for 25 years in various guises: as alt-folk duo Bruise, as the award winning Wolfscote (collaborating with Cathy LeSurf, Gordon Giltrap, Andy Cutting and the late great Dave Swarbrick) and as A Murder of Rooks (with luthier Gary Southwell) but The Kimberleys is where they have connected fully with their lifelong love of traditional folk music. This duo have a huge range of instruments in their skill set: guitar, mandolin, Isobel has a distinctive take on the ukelele, drone instruments from psaltery to shruti, keyboard instruments from harmonium to Moog, a vast range of percussion at which Jim is uniquely skilled. Both sing lead and harmonise on The Shape of a Year, a development from their eponymous first album where Isobel sang lead on all the songs. The mesmerising blend of voices and full range of instruments are brought together to create a gorgeous, timeless folk album. 

A completely fresh approach…, highly original…

Classic Folk

Accomplished and charismatic performers Isobel and Jim Kimberley bring two lifetimes of musical experience and love of folk music to what they do. Like a little cottage industry, they release and tour their music where ever there is an audience. At the Sidmouth Folk Festival of 2018 they had to close the doors to Kenwood House when The Kimberleys played FATEA’s A Cellar Full of Folkadelia: the cellar was full. They take themselves to tiny venues too, churches, remote community halls, you name it. In 2023 they were asked to program a 1 day folk festival at Mycenae House, Blackheath, despite torrential rain had full attendance and much dancing. Isobel and Jim have been running A Roving Folk Club for 9 years, currently in Bromley and Greenwich, they have also taken it to festivals to great effect. The Kimberleys are looking forward to touring The Shape of a Year starting in March 2024.