Damh The Bard

Damh The Bard

Damh The Bard is the performing name of British musician Dave Smith, a folk artist from Brighton. He works as a singer, storyteller and poet, and his writing and performances draw on Druidry, Pagan themes and Bardic traditions. His songs and spoken pieces often use mythic and folkloric imagery, with references to Faerie, the Hollow Hills, Annwn and Midsummer traditions.

Early career

He gives live performances from the age of 11, starting in pubs on the Isle of Wight. In his teens he plays in several rock bands, including Targa, which performs regularly on the London circuit and later headlines at the Marquee Club in London.

Folk and Druidic work

During the 1990s, Smith trains as a Bard, poet and storyteller in the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. It is at this point that he develops his musical direction in folk and forms the “Mystic Folk” band Spiral Castle for a support concert with Robin Williamson of the Incredible String Band. Spiral Castle then plays festivals in the late 1990s, including the Pagan Federation International Conference at Fairfield Halls in Croydon.

Solo releases

His solo discography begins with Herne’s Apprentice in 2002. He follows it with The Hills They Are Hollow in 2003, Spirit of Albion in 2006, and The Cauldron Born in 2008. In 2009, he releases Tales from the Crow Man, a set that mostly contains traditional folk songs and includes Eric Bogle’s anti-war song “Green Fields of France”.

In 2010 he releases the live album As Nature Intended as a download-only record. Later albums include Antlered Crown and Standing Stone in 2012 and Sabbat in 2014.

The Mabinogion project

After Sabbat, Damh The Bard begins a multi-year project to adapt the Four Branches of the Mabinogion into audio form, combining song, story and film-style scoring. Y Mabinogi – The First Branch appears in 2017, followed by The Second Branch the next year and The Third Branch in 2020.