Inspired by traditional and contemporary folk music, Antoine & Owena create their own original blend of folk music that provides a feast for the ears, the heart and the feet. Together they combine the interpretive folk violin styles of Owena Archer, with the folk-rock guitar and bouzouki rhythms of Antoine Architeuthis to create an eclectic mix of original and traditional material inspired by history, tragedy, love and hope. Their original songs focus on story-telling and have been described as “well-constructed and convincingly told” by Living Tradition, and simply “Brilliant” by Folking.com, whilst their own take on traditional folk songs are stylishly sympathetic to the originals but given new tunes with a contemporary twist.
Antoine has performed in several bands of varying styles, including rock and progressive music, but found his home in the world of folk and traditional music. After venturing into folk music, Antoine began writing and performing solo, focusing on original folk inspired songs and traditional music. Antoine has also performed at a variety of festivals both as a solo artist and in various bands.
Owena Archer has played on the folk scene for over twenty years, composing her own folk tunes and playing harmonising fiddle parts in various successful folk bands. Owena has also played numerous folk festivals as well as guesting at several folk clubs.
Not long after they began performing together they entered the Purbeck Rising competition at Purbeck Valley Folk Festival in 2017, winning the competition and being booked for several festivals and headline concerts off the back of that performance. Since then, Antoine & Owena have been performing the folk circuit around the south of England, occasionally venturing to other parts of the country when the opportunity arises. They continue to perform regularly at folk festivals, arts centres and folk clubs and have released 3 studio albums to date. They have also had the pleasure of supporting many of their folk heroes along the way, including Martin & Eliza Carthy, Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention, Jez Lowe, Oysterband, and many others.