Ruskin initially started as a way for Kynan and Gudrun to share with each other their backgrounds and passion for unaccompanied singing. In exchanging shanties and yodlers, Austrian folk tunes and songs of the British isles, a mutual interest in stories of people and politics emerged. What started on the beaches of Sidmouth was honed on the hills of Sheffield, with a foundation of songs in the new tradition inspired by the likes of Coope, Boyes and Simpson, the Wilsons, Roy Bailey and many a formidable session singer.
Kynan’s award winning vocals (Shantyperson of the Year 2023 and Future of Young Folk 2024) are enhanced, enriched and refined by Gudrun’s harmonies which are sometimes haunting, other times soothing and always expertly crafted.