TWO of the most talented and versatile Borders folk musicians are set to launch their new album with a series of performances.

Virtuoso duo Morag Brown and Lewis Powell-Reid (pictured) recorded all the tracks of Auld Springs New at their home in Eddleston.

Billed as ‘mesmerising arrangements of traditional music from the Borders to the Balkans’, their tunes got their first public airing with an evening concert at Bowden Village Hall on Saturday.

And there are a number of further concerts in the diary.

Morag said: “Recording a duo album is something we had wanted to do for many years.

“Lockdown meant other distractions were out of the way and the project finally made it to the top of the priority list.

“At the time, of course, everyone was restricted to staying within a few miles of their homes. We are very lucky to live in a beautiful part of the world and as the recording developed so did our attachment to our village and the surrounding countryside.

“We are serial DIY-ers – we were midway through a complete renovation of our little cottage when the pandemic struck – so home recording is very much in keeping with the way we do things.

“By the end of the recording process we were lucky enough to have a finished cottage, a finished album and a new baby, Ivor, who is now three and already an enthusiastic musician.

“Ivor has turned out to be something of a secret weapon when it comes to getting gigs. At least two venues have agreed to book us on condition that he comes too!”

Borders tour dates: Abbey St Bathans Kirk; September 1 at Eddleston Village Hall; November 24 at House Concert, Jedburgh.

For more information, visit: moragandlewis.weebly.com