Griffith was born into a musical family, learning the piano alongside the violin. She was educated at
King James's School, Almondbury, followed by
Greenhead College, and studied French and Spanish at
University of Hull.[3] In her early teens, she joined the
ceilidh band Bedlam and played in folk music venues and festivals around the United Kingdom.[4] As part of her degree, she spent a year in
Vannes, Brittany, teaching English and studying traditional
Breton music. She later became a musician for Dog Rose
Morris dancers and The Newcastle Kingsmen
rapper dance team.[4] With Dog Rose Morris, she appeared on the
BBC programme
Later…With Jools Holland.[5][6]
Career
In 2000 Griffith relocated to
Newcastle upon Tyne, and flat-shared with Becky Graham (née Stockwell) and Gillian Tolfrey. A year later they were joined by
Fay Hield. All four had a background in traditional music, and Hield and Tolfrey studied at the
University of Newcastle's recently set up traditional music degree scheme. Against this background, they formed a cappella quartet
Witches of Elswick.[7][8] Two albums followed – Out of Bed in 2003[9] and Hells Belles in 2005[7] – and a seven-piece collaboration with a cappella trio Grace Notes (entitled Witchnotes[10]) was an occasional concern. By 2005, core members – including Griffith – had moved away from
Newcastle upon Tyne and the group did a final tour in 2007.[11] Witchnotes continued to make occasional festival appearances until 2008.[12]
The Demon Barbers, with Griffith in their ranks alongside fellow Bedlam member Will Hampson (
melodeon), formed in 2001.[13] The group are known for fusing traditional folk instruments with drums and electric bass guitar, and energetic live performances (as The Demon Barber Roadshow) showcasing
traditional dance styles in theatrical styles. As a core original member, Griffith has featured on their recordings Uncut (2002),[14]Waxed (2005),[15]+24db ep (2008),[16]The Adventures of Captain Ward (2010)[17] and Disco at the Tavern (2015),[18] taken part in live shows Time Gentlemen Please,[19]The Lock In[20] and DBXL,[21] and won the Best Live Act gong at the
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2009.[22] The band were also nominated for the same award in 2011.[23]
Away from band duties, Griffith released a duo album with now-husband Hampson in 2011 (Lady Diamond),[24] which received five star reviews and won Best Debut at the 2012
Spiral Earth Awards.[25] She also recorded her debut solo album Nightshade,[26] which was released in 2014 and featured solo fiddle tunes and songs with sparse backing. The album was one of the Top 10 Folk Treats in
The Daily Telegraph[27] and a runner-up in the 2014
fRoots Critics Albums of the Year.[28] A follow up, Hover, featuring Griffith's take on traditional English fiddle tunes, was released in 2018.[29]
In addition to performing, Griffith leads music, singing and dance workshops all over the United Kingdom, both at
folk festivals and summer schools.[30] She runs and arranges music for The Shepley Singers,[31][32] a mixed-voice community
choir performing
traditional songs,[33] and teaches violin in Yorkshire schools.
Other projects have included
The Full English learning programme with The
EFDSS and the
National Coal Mining Museum at Shawlands Primary School in
Barnsley and The Full English Extra with EFDSS,[34] The NCMME, Wakefield Music Services and schools in the ex-mining town of
Featherstone in West Yorkshire. The Full English project was nominated for Best Musical Initiative Award at the 2015 Music Teacher Awards for Excellence and in March 2016 the EFDSS resource bank won the Best Digital/Technological resource at the Music Teacher Awards.[35]
In 2017 Griffith joined
Paul Sartin,
Jim Causley and
Jackie Oates to produce The Wanton Seed, a concert series celebrating the reissue of the song books Marrowbones (EFDSS 2007) and The Wanton Seed (2015) and mark the launch of Southern Harvest the new omnibus edition of The Foggy Dew and The Constant Lovers.[36] She also joined Kate Locksley,
Ewan McLennan and
John Kirkpatrick to produce The Theatre Ballads – a piece blending historic ballads with puppetry and illustration – for
Cecil Sharp House in
London, and was created by
Horse and Bamboo Theatre,[37] and became a Musician in Residence at the
National Coal Mining Museum for England, Yorkshire, as part of an EFDSS scheme.[38] She has become a senior lecturer on the BA (Hons) Music (Folk) degree course at
Leeds College of Music, which took its first students in September 2018.[39]