YORK folk duo Union Jill are to play the Edinburgh Fringe for a week, letting off steam at the Pilgrim Bar, Robertson’s Close, with Thirsk poet Kate Fox at 5.30pm each evening from tomorrow.

After previewing the show in York and Thirsk, the three North Yorkshire wordsmiths are heading to Scotland for seven shows of rhythms, rhyming and ranting.

"We're proudly northern and feminist," says Kate, who has just had her own series on BBC Radio 4. "Our aim is to make the audience laugh, as well as engage with the stories we are telling about ourselves and about the world we live in."

Kate has teamed up with Union Jill for Letting Off Steam shows that combine her comedy poetry with their brand of storytelling in song. The York duo of Helen Turner and Sharon Winfield are playing Edinburgh after spending this year travelling the country with their own show, performing such songs as Queen Of Holloway, Grandfather's Ghost, Louder Than The Rain and Mad Alice.

The latter tells the story behind York's Mad Alice Lane, and bringing this local knowledge to an Edinburgh audience will be a new experience, but they are ready for this challenge.

"We want the Fringe audience to find their inner ranter, let off some steam and start demanding pockets in ladies’ trousers" quips Sharon Winfield, explaining how the show highlights feminism's humorous side. "Our aim is to get the audience working with us to create humour and generate discussion beyond the show."

York Press:

Thirsk poet Kate Fox

The York duo acknowledge folk music is not associated with feminism normally, but Union Jill are aiming to change all that, using their songs to draw attention to women's achievements, contemporary and historical. Adding Kate Fox's poetry to the mix has enabled them to develop a new approach, they say. "We weave together comedy, music and poetry to talk about inequalities and pressures we all live with," explains Helen. "We're very vocal feminists, but want to get our message across with humour and lots and lots of audience participation.

"Working with Kate is a real privilege for us. She's one of the funniest and sharpest women we know and her poetry complements what we bring to the show in the music."

Putting two types of performance together has not been without its challenges, but the Yorkshire trio are confident they have created something new. "We're ready and raring to go to Edinburgh," says Kate, a veteran performer of the Fringe. "We guarantee a dynamic experience for the audience. Union Jill's music is spine-tingling and we have a very funny rapport going on between us. We laugh – a lot."

Kate Fox and Union Jill will appear at Pilgrim Bar, Robertson’s Close, Edinburgh, from tomorrow until August 15 at 5.30pm.