• Founded in Oxford in the legendary Half Moon pub, Moonaroon have been performing together since 2019, bringing their own unique mix of folk music traditions to audiences around the UK.

  • Moonaroon's sound is a midpoint between between several traditional styles of music, with their aim being to present music that is as much of a melting pot as the British Isles they come from.

  • With a unique talent for arranging both songs and instrumental tunes, Moonaroon aim to bring a new sound to music from hundreds of years ago, adding new life into a revitalised folk tradition.

  • Josh Newman

    (Fiddle, Vocals)

    After growing up around folk clubs and the English tradition on the East Kent coast Josh spent his teenage years studying classical violin, viola, and voice at Junior Guildhall and Chetham’s School of Music. Having found his way back to traditional music Josh splits his time between Irish and English playing and, via spells living in Dublin, has studied the respective traditions with Kevin Glackin and Sam Sweeney. His current pet project is learning the wooden flute - but he’s not brave enough yet to introduce it to Moonaroon audiences.

  • Mitch Keely

    (Fiddle, Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki)

    Mitch is a composer and multi-instrumentalist working predominantly in the English and Irish traditional music scenes. Born and bred in the Oxfordshire village of Wheatley (home of Trunkles: the jankiest morris tune) Mitch then moved to London to attend the Royal Academy of Music studying under Tansy Davis, Gary Carpenter, and Rubens Askenar.

    Working in collaboration with the masterful guitar backing of Jack Evans, he has built a uniquely sensitive bouzouki style and is given a broad scope to hop from accompanying Dom McGann’s voice on guitar to tune-playing on fiddle and banjo alongside Josh Newman.

  • Dom McGann

    (Vocals, Bodhrán, Percussion, Harmonium)

    Dom is a musician and research student currently studying for his PhD in Religious Philosophy at the University of Oxford. Having grown up in a Scouse-Irish family, Dom was always surrounded by Irish songs, leading him to internalise their melodies and lyrics from an early age. Picking up the bodhrán later in life, his instrumental style is influenced by John-Joe Kelly or Adam Brown, with tight, sharp rhythms being rounded out by mobile and booming tonal variations.

  • Jack Evans

    (Guitar, Vocals, Whistle)

    Jack’s love of folk began partly through being introduced to the Welsh and Irish traditions through his family. He was the winner of the 2022 All Britain Senior Accompanist title and represented the UK at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Jack enjoys playing guitar in a wide range of folk styles including Balfolk, English, Old Time, and Scandinavian, and he runs regular singing and Irish sessions. Outside of Moonaroon, Jack enjoys a wide array of music and will never give up on his dream of the band covering Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’.