Rishi and Ishani are siblings from a quiet town in rural West-Bengal, India, currently based in Manchester and London respectively. Their diverse experiences in community and university radio draw on eclectic sounds from jazz, folk and dance music from around the globe. They explore these sounds through emergent ethnographic themes ranging from place, resistance and care, to identity, alienation and class. 

Folk’s Queer Cradle explores emerging queer urban spaces in Britain’s folk music community, particularly Manchester, Sheffield and London. These communities are unearthing queer histories in folk music, ‘queering’ folk songs, and subverting ethno-nationalist versions and heteronormative versions of British history. 

Live from WOH Radio Stage, Rishi and Ishani journeys through queer time in Jez Lowe’s “The Grey Cock”, rural Yorkshire’s lesbian orgies in “Mrs Holroyd” and gender dysphoria in A.L. Loyd’s “Short Jacket and White Trousers”. We also explore how these themes are reflected in folk cultures from our homeland in East India.