Helming from Leeds-via-Liverpool, Rhiannon Hope has quickly found her footing in Yorkshire’s grassroots scene, collecting a unique band of multi-instrumentalists along the way. Together, they create textured, jazz-influenced folk soundscapes which act as a bed for Rhiannon’s bittersweet experiences of womanhood, identity and the working class. To celebrate the release of her latest single ‘Magpie’, Rhiannon will play a hometown headline at the beloved Brudenell Social Club on April 30, accompanied by Neve Cariad and Sam King. I asked Hope ten questions to explore the tender soundscapes she creates.
THE ARGUS FAR FIVE
How would you describe the sound of Rhiannon Hope?
Folk with the occasional jazz tune for people who like to think all the time.
What are your biggest non-music influences?
This might sound strange but honestly physical experiences or having a body. I’m always in awe of the power of physical sensation, walking, stretching, touching, the fact that feet are built to carry a body or that hands can interlock and recognise by feel alone. I’m just always amazed what bodies can do. I’d also say the seasons and nature, for the same reason. Everything is amazing and I don’t want to take things for granted.
If you had to cover any song and put a Rhiannon Hope spin on it, which would you choose?
There are so many songs I’d love to do. ‘Cherry Blossom Girl’ by Air, ‘River Man’ by Nick Drake, ‘Terrapin’ by Syd Barret, ‘Gotta Get Up’ by Harry Nilsson- I could go on. We can just never pick.
What is your earliest memory of music?
Probably listening to CDs with my mum in the car. Or I used to go to this pottery class when I was a kid and the guy who ran it had this amazing playlist with loads of very strange female artists – Kate Bush, Fiona Apple, Lene Lovich, etc.
What does the rest of 2026 have in store for Rhiannon Hope?
On the April 30, we headline Brudenell which will be our biggest gig yet! Apart from that, we’ll be playing a few day festivals over summer that are yet to be announced, a very exciting show in London, as well as making a start on recording a next EP/single later on in the year!!
THE RHIANNON HOPE FIVE
Your latest single, ‘Magpie’, has been described as ‘an ode to trinkets and those who collect them’. What’s your most treasured trinket?
That’s very hard. I have a small tin box that I’ve had for as long as I can remember. It resembles a circus tent, and it has some really creepy clowns holding hands on the side of it and I keep my earrings in it. Honourable mentions are also my small collection of glassware and some lovely bits of ceramic, glass, and shells that I found on the beach in Bridlington a while ago.
You’re Leeds-based but originally from Liverpool. How has each city influenced your music?
In Liverpool, my musical influences were found on my own. I was never really in a scene in Liverpool because I was a lot younger and didn’t really know how to go about it, but because of that I had loads of time to just listen to music on my own in my room. In Leeds, and especially in the band, the music has expanded so much to include everyone’s influences and styles, transforming the songs I write into something completely different. It’s much more of a collective effort here in Leeds.
While your influences include the expected singer-songwriter stalwarts – such as Nick Drake and Elliott Smith – you’ve also cited a love for artists as diverse as XTC and Lauryn Hill, Massive Attack and Blur. How do you synthesise your more out-there influences into a sound that is uniquely Rhiannon Hope? What do you take from these artists and their music?
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what I take from each artist. Really broadly I think I just take in certain aspects of each musician/ group (music and performance style) and incorporate it into my own. For example, I think Damon Albarn/ Graham Coxon are fantastic writers and I really love and take inspiration from some of the more stripped-back Blur songs such as ‘Miss America’ or ‘You’re So Great’. I love the frantic, almost-mad energy of XTC which I think can be argued to come out in a song or two in our set. Lauryn Hill is just so awesome and inspirational and has one of the best voices ever, and Massive Attack are just the coolest group ever and amazing for speaking up on important political topics, which I think reassures me that famous people are still good and it is still possible to stand up for what is right!
In ‘Magpie’ and ‘B.B.’, a fascinating emphasis is put onto pronouns as a conduit for identity. In the former, there are the blurred lines between ‘me’ and ‘you’; in the latter, it is almost shock at being ‘him’ and ‘her’. In your own life, how has identity influenced your music?
Identity is pretty much everything in my music. I’d say about 90% of my songs are written about finding yourself, change, opposing identities in yourself and in others too. All of the songs on our debut EP are about identity or change, and ‘Magpie’ is about the things that reassure you that you’re a real person. I just think all the time and I am a very emotional and sensitive person, so I think I just need an outlet so I don’t keep stewing away in my head.
I love the world you have created through your visual art, whether it’s an EP cover art, tour posters or merch t-shirts. How and why did you decide on this handcrafted visual language?
Thank you!!! I think I always knew I wanted to have a handmade feel to the visual side. I think because a lot of my songwriting is very feeling-based, I thought it would make sense to continue that theme into the visuals. I also prefer the look of handmade items to digital for example, and I also like embroidering and drawing so I wanted to keep it as in-house as I could. I’m really bad at using technology so it’s probably also that too, but mostly I like making everything, seeing something come to life from hours of work, and being able to hold and touch it.
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Argus Far 
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