Mediaeval Baebes - The Spinning Wheel (2026) [Hi-Res]

What a great way to start off 2026 from the wonders and mysteries of Mediæval Bæbes. But this isn’t just a wonderful way to start the year off with a big bang, and their latest album The Spinning Wheel. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the formation of the all-female choral ensemble, founded by Katharine Blake and the late Dorothy Carter, who passed away on June 7th of 2003.

There’s no denying that Mediæval Bæbes have been around for so long, carrying the sounds of folk, classical, a capella, and the wonders that the ensemble has been taking their sound with unbelievable results releasing 11 studio albums from 1997 to 2022. Followed by two live albums, and singing the theme song for ITV’s Victoria, starring Doctor Who alumna Jenna Coleman in the lead role.

With their 12th album The Spinning Wheel, it tackles twelve modern folk poetry with original words and Blake herself handling the arrangements dealing with the 12 months of the different seasons. The genesis behind it was Blake’s visit to the Le Son Continu folk festival in France.

There, Blake was privy enough to the bagpipe, hurdy-gurdy folk sessions of a chateau. With all of the sounds that gave her ears an idea for The Spinning Wheel, she sets up each of the compositions for each month of the year. Each of those months that you have in your hand, represents a goddess to be worshiped.

And with vocalists including Marie Findlay, Fiona Fey, Maya McCourt, Josephine Ravenheart, and Sophia Halberstam, along with multi-instrumentalists such as Michael J. York (The Utopia Strong), Charlie Cawood and Ben Woollacott (Knifeworld alumni’s), Orange Goblin guitarist Joe Hoare, Circulus’ Jenny Bliss Bennett, Puppini Sisters’ Marcella Puppini, and North Sea Radio Orchestra’s James Larcombe, it’s a family to bring The Spinning Wheel to life.