The Witchcraft and Vagrancy Act -Horror Folk Ensemble

                                                          Interview              

Decided to have a musical interlude by adding an interview with folk/folk horror outfit The Witchcraft and Vagrancy Act after seeing the band in Worthing (September 2025) and Brighton (October 2025) .This was conducted via email with Richard Craig and unedited. 

1.  Can you introduce the individuals who make up the band, what they play and a bit of background.

I am Richard Craig, I serve as the lead singer, and primarily play violin,shruti box, ukulele  and jig doll. I am originally from the West Country, where I was fortunate enough to play with several iconic folk musicians, including Martin & Eliza Carthy, and Phil Beer. After moving to Brighton, I returned to university to complete my degree, where I had great success researching folk horror soundtracks and contributed a book chapter to the first academic  collection on the genre. Moving into an MA ,I began turning my research into folk horror music for a film soundtrack and to create this band.

George Gavin sings and plays banjo, acoustic guitar, penny whistle, the bones and occasionally the rauschpfeife. George also moved to Brighton to study and ran Sussex University's Folk Music Society for several years. George and I previously worked together in a pub folk band, where we quickly found that we'd both been secretly working on much spookier material. In his solo work, George has a particular interest in analogue methods, using cassette tape loops and old speakers to create nostalgic lo-fi sounds. He composed these into an especially beautiful solo album 'Worn Out Machines'.

Iaonnis Zigras hails from Greece and is a highly accomplished  guitarist in TWAVA, he brings his guitar expertise on the acoustic ,12 string, and electric guitars. He also sings and plays the frame drum. Ioannis' style combines prog rock, goth rock, and Greek folk music, creating a a truly unique style and tone. After moving to the UK, Ioannis has primarily played in rock and metal bands and was essential in helping to disrupt the traditional elements of our music. 

2. Obvious question- the name?  A distinctive moniker - Why was it chosen? Do you feel an affinity to Paganism, Wicca , and/or the witchcraft of previous centuries ? 

The Witchcraft and Vagrancy Act is a series of laws from the UK that have existed for hundreds of years. We felt it conveyed the folk horror ethos we were attempting to build. Folk horror is largely rooted in folklore, but also the human reaction to it. Witches are a perfect example of real-world folk horror. They straddle the fact and fiction divide, with real consequences for folkloric beliefs. While we have an interest in the magic itself, we're more fascinated by the humanity, the practitioners, the victims and perception of it. 

We're rooted in the human experience of our dark collective past, whether magical, imagined  or real. Recalling the law allows us to detail tales of magic,  and to depict those who were accused and condemned who were wholly innocent, and the folkloric belief in magic. 

Its also an attempt to undermine the rose tinted view many have of the past, particularly when viewed through folk music. Traditional music often conjures ideas that everybody was prancing around a maypole and celebrating the seasons. While this was certainly a part of our past, the miseries of life were much more prominent and were shared in stories and songs. We opt to highlight these specifically, portraying the horrors of the past in an actively horrifying and performative  way. This brings out a play on words with the word 'Act' also  meaning a performance.

3. You seem interested in the more 'darker' side of traditional folk. How do you discover old songs to interpret ? Are you writing any of your material?

Research is a huge part of TWAVA life. We are each enthusiastic about unearthing old songs and actively trawl archive website and folk music databases. I personally collect books about folk music and have dozens to interrogate. I collected a stash of songs during my research at university, during which I would examine absolutely every source I could find. 

Thus far, we have several original instrumentals and tunes we incorporate into the traditional material. We will certainly be exploring more original songs, but they need to function in the same way as the traditional material with a distinctive trad feel and recognisable aspect of folklore and history. We're currently working on adapting folk tales and writing songs around figures like Matthew Hopkins, the witchfinder general. 

4. What artists , particularly who those are not necessarily from the 'Folk' genre have influenced you ? 

We each come from slightly different perspectives from outside the folk genre. I am a big fan of dark cabaret acts like the Tiger Lillies and the Dresden Dolls, from which we gain our theatrical performance art nature. I am also  highly influenced by film soundtracks, especially in the folk horror genre, including Midsommar and The Witch. Iaonnis is very keen on prog rock and 1970's metal which shines through in his intricate playing styles and rock style. George is very influenced by singer-songwriters and more contemporary indie folk. This allows us to lean into a retro folk revival sound. Within folk music we are very influenced by Bellowhead, Eliza Carthy, and the Wayward Band, Lau, and of course, Lankum.

5. I gather that the band performed in Brighton at a showing of the film 'Haxan' ?  Did you compose a separate soundtrack for the occasion or were you playing music from the album ?  Will you be repeating this? 

For 'Haxan', A live Folk Horror Soundtrack' we perform an original composition for an abbreviated edit of the silent classic. It's made of several traditional and original pieces designed specifically for the soundtrack, none of which is available independently -yet! We're planning to record it as an album and hoping to tour the piece in 2027. We will definitely play this again in Brighton, as people seemed to really enjoy it. 

6. Which artists in the current Folk scene do you recommend? 

We're all big fans of anybody who adhere to  traditional music anachronistically, or challenge this and explores new and innovative ways. We're big fans of Bellowhead, Eliza Carthy and the Wayward Band and Lau. We are particularly inspired by Lankum and Jay Munly for the way they present folk music alongside unconventional instrumentation. We also love Goblin Band and the way they maintain  traditional aspects rather than adhere to modern ideals of musicality. 

7. And plans for 2026 ? 

We have big plans for 2026. We are currently planning an Autumn tour across the UK, returning to some of our favourite venues and taking out 'An Evening of Horror Folk' show to some new locations. We have also begun recording our second album 'Damnable Practices' which includes several favourites that we've been playing live for some time but never recorded. This Halloween, we are planning a big event at Brighton Komedia, teaming up with our sister band Fae as Folk, for a folk horror party. 

Ends

Web links

The Witchcraft and Vagrancy Act   Band website 

Bandcamp   Link to The Witchcraft And Vagrancy Act   releases

Youtube       The Witchcraft And Vagrancy Act   channel 

Spotify        The Witchcraft And Vagrancy Act   playlist 

Instagram     The Witchcraft And Vagrancy Act 

Thank you to Richard for interview (conducted via Email exchange) and use of picture. 

Other blogs by Michael Bully 

A Burnt Ship   17th century War & Literature

World War 2 Poetry   As stated on the tin. 

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Michael Bully

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