AN alternative folk band from Barnsley have released their debut EP - and will be playing it live at a festival in the town this month.

Common Culture were formed by guitarist Dan Watson and fiddler Lizzie Morris, who originally branded themselves as folk duo Morris and Watson.

They have since added drummer Chris Reed and bassist Evie Smith to become a four-piece band, with their sound being drawn from influences such as The Levellers and Frank Turner.

Dan said: “We’ve all been on the folk scene for around ten years now so we had a vision to bring it all together and form a band.

“I’ve played in folk clubs my entire life so this style is where I come from, really.”

Their new - and first - EP, titled Common Ground, features six self-penned tracks which the band believe will encourage people to let loose and embrace good times.

Dan added: “It’s a bit of a blend between folk and rock, with maybe a little punk thrown in there as well.

“What we tried to offer was something quite unique, instead of just making traditional folk music we do our own stuff.”

The band are now taking their new music on the road to several festivals, including Boomtown, Bearded Theory and Barnsley Live, which takes place on June 21.

Dan and his bandmates, are excited to make their return to Barnsley, and also have set their sights on a bright future.

He added: “We’re all really buzzing for Barnsley Live, we had some of our very first gigs here, at the White Bear and the Civic.

“There’s also plans to release an album next year, which we are writing at the moment.

“The sky is the limit, we will work as hard as we can for the next year or two.”