A FOLK band has been awarded a substantial grant from the Arts Council of England's lottery funding.Horses Brawl, made up of Laura Cannell from Raveningham and Adrian Lever, from Burgh St Peter, are celebrating the cash that enables them to carry out a year-long project.

A FOLK band has been awarded a substantial grant from the Arts Council of England's lottery funding.

Horses Brawl, made up of Laura Cannell from Raveningham and Adrian Lever, from Burgh St Peter, are celebrating the cash that enables them to carry out a year-long project.

The new funding will help the duo create new music in their own inimitable style, which has roots in folk and early music, as well as working with top London PR company SoundUK and producing their fourth album.

They will also be working with an extended line-up of some of the UK's leading early/folk musicians and with whom they have just been invited to perform at Brighton Early Music Festival in October 2010.

“We are so excited that the Arts Council has recognised the uniqueness of our work. We are really grateful for their support and also everyone who has supported us by coming to concerts and buying our CDs over the years, especially in Norfolk,” said Laura, who went to Hobart High School.

“What we do has never been easy to pigeon hole and this has been challenging and frustrating at times, but we are so glad that we stayed focussed and true to our music as now we have this amazing opportunity to take our music and careers to the next level,” she added.

Horses Brawl originally formed in January 2003 and has released three highly acclaimed albums. They have been recorded live in concert for the BBC and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3's In Tune as well as performing widely at festivals and Arts Centres throughout the UK.

The experimental duo improvises with phrases and fragments of music drawn from more than eight centuries they transform them into their own mesmerising and spellbinding compositions.

The project is being supported by Norwich Arts Centre manager Stuart Hobday and the Escalator Scheme, part of the Arts Council

Horses Brawl are currently on their spring tour and are playing at Norwich Arts Centre on Thursday (box office: 01603 660352) with support from My Dark Aunt and The Seagull Theatre in Lowestoft next Friday (box office: 01502 589726)