The Breath - Live at New Century (Live) (2026) [Hi-Res]

Live at New Century (Live) is a concert album by Manchester-based duo The Breath — vocalist/flautist Ríoghnach Connolly and guitarist Stuart McCallum — captured during a performance at New Century Hall, Manchester. This venue holds special significance for the duo: it was here, as part of the Manchester Folk Festival, that The Breath staged several landmark concerts using the d&b audiotechnik Soundscape immersive sound system — a 360-degree multi-channel speaker array that placed the performers at the centre of the room, surrounded by both audience and loudspeakers.
The album is released on Real World X, the experimental imprint of Real World Records established to foster innovative musical formats and cross-genre collaborations. The choice of imprint is deliberate: the recording was mixed in Dolby Atmos, underscoring the project's technological dimension. Stuart McCallum, whose RNCM doctoral research focused on music-making practices in immersive audio environments, personally handled the spatial mix of the concert.
The Breath unite Connolly's Irish folk roots (born in Armagh, BBC Folk Singer of the Year) with McCallum's jazz and electronic background (former member of The Cinematic Orchestra, arranger for John Surman). Their music inhabits the space between alt-folk, ambient, and post-rock: Connolly's poetically charged lyrics — addressing childhood, cultural dislocation, colonial injustice, grief, and resilience — are framed by McCallum's refined guitar soundscapes employing loopers, effects pedals, and the Submarine SubSix split-pickup technology. The live recording conveys the singular emotional connection with audiences that critics and listeners consistently highlight as the defining quality of The Breath's performances.

Tracklist:
1-1 The Breath;Ríoghnach Connolly;Stuart McCallum - For You (Live) [5:41]
1-2 The Breath;Ríoghnach Connolly;Stuart McCallum - Cliona's Wave (Live) [6:54]
1-3 The Breath;Ríoghnach Connolly;Stuart McCallum - Land of My Other (Live) [3:50]
1-4 The Breath;Ríoghnach Connolly;Stuart McCallum - Carry Your Kin (Live) [5:57]
1-5 The Breath;Ríoghnach Connolly;Stuart McCallum - Bríd Bhán (Live) [5:48]
1-6 The Breath;Ríoghnach Connolly;Stuart McCallum - Little One (Live) [4:35]
1-7 The Breath;Ríoghnach Connolly;Stuart McCallum - Too Many Have Gone (Live) [7:54]
1-8 The Breath;Ríoghnach Connolly;Stuart McCallum - Letters from Long Kesh (Live) [5:23]
1-9 The Breath;Ríoghnach Connolly;Stuart McCallum - Only Stories (Live) [5:24]