“I love the sound of acoustics and electrics, which is why I try to merge the two… I prefer bigger textures”: How Pavey Ark are reinventing acoustic guitar with pedals, fake nails and a $60 nylon-string that holds its own in any company

Neil Thomas of Pavey Ark plays his Martin OM-1 in front of a blue door with distressed paint.

With their 2020 debut, Hull-based folk collective Pavey Ark established themselves as a firm addition to the UK’s thriving indie-folk scene, mixing the vintage warmth of their old-school heroes with the cinematic ambience of the modern age.

Their second album, More Time, More Speed, takes the sound further with singer/guitarist Neil Thomas’s gentle fingerpicked guitars and emotive vocals supported with strings, trumpets and horns.