In our Alumni Spotlight series, we highlight the bold and diverse practices of artists who have taken part in our programmes. This month, we’re shining a light on Lunatraktors, the award-winning duo of Carli Jefferson (she/her) and Clair Le Couteur (they/them), known for their genre-defying “broken folk” style.
Since forming in 2017 in Margate, Kent — and now based in Waterford, Ireland — they have stripped folk music back to rhythm and vocal harmony, blending four centuries of Anglo-Celtic traditional music with trip-hop, flamenco, post-punk and Music Hall. Their work weaves tragicomic narratives from historic ballads with contemporary resonance, addressing themes such as immigration, colonial history, grief and social injustice.
Described by Télérama France as “a clap of thunder over the lukewarm waters of contemporary folk,” Lunatraktors‘ performances fuse music, physical theatre, and live art into an immersive experience.
© Hybrid Eyes Photography / Lunatraktors
Sound and Music and beyond
Lunatraktors have been laureates of some of the UK’s most prestigious music creator awards. They received the British Music Collection LGBTQ+ Composer Award in 2021, followed by the George Butterworth Award in 2022.
They were also awarded the EFDSS Alan James Bursary in 2022 and the Creative Waterford Bursary in 2025. Other recognition includes official showcases at Manchester Folk Week (2021), Seoul Music Week (2023), and Your Roots Are Showing (2024, 2025), as well as performances at the National Opera House Wexford and Waterford Writers Weekend.
“The decision to apply for the LGBTQ+ Composers Award was difficult. Although we have composed and arranged a lot of music, as people who work by ear and have no formal training with written music, claiming the title of ‘composer’ caused some anxiety. Receiving the award — and then subsequently being invited to apply for the George Butterworth Award and receiving that — was a huge vote of confidence in the value of our work.
These awards have also helped other organisations and audiences recognise the value in our work. As unsigned self-releasing artists, attempting to make a living from our art during this difficult time for independent music, the boost to our morale from Sound and Music cannot be overstated. The funds from these two awards have also allowed us to invest in our own recording setup, meaning that our third and fourth albums were entirely self-produced.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Sound and Music set us on the path to success as independent artists.”
Practice and performance style
Carli Jefferson brings a unique percussion vocabulary shaped by tap dance, flamenco, and body percussion, developed further during her touring years with STOMP (2001–2004). Her tonal percussion fuses rhythm, melody, and theatrical movement. Clair Le Couteur contributes a formidable three-octave vocal range with haunting overtone work, alongside reed instruments, whistles, and analogue synths.
The combination creates performances that are both viscerally rooted and theatrically expansive, drawing the audience into layered, often surprising interpretations of traditional and contemporary material.
© Hybrid Eyes Photography / Lunatraktors
New projects and current work
In summer 2025, Lunatraktors released their fourth record, Quilting Points: Invitations and Open Calls 2017–2025, timed with the Summer Solstice. The album collects seven years of collaborations and commissions for artists, museums, and heritage organisations — from site-specific sound art to reimagined folk arrangements.
“A collection of strange and beautiful works made outside the conventional album cycle — museum commissions, film sound, and pieces written for other heritage contexts — woven together into a richly textured journey through our practice.”
Fresh from a two-month UK tour, they are now developing Timeweavers, an inclusive family show about using folk music and somatic sound to travel through time. Upcoming work includes a sound piece for an artist’s film and another for a Royal Geographical Society conference.
Join us in shaping the future of new music
We are proud to have supported Lunatraktors through our programmes, recognising and nurturing their bold and transformative artistic voice. Awards such as Essentials Fund (and legacy awards such as LGBTQ+ Composer Award and George Butterworth Award) empower music creators across the UK to bring radical new music to life and realise ambitious work.
If you believe in the power of new music to inspire and transform, please consider supporting our work. Stay up to date with more Alumni Spotlights by signing up to our newsletter.
Listen to Quilting Points on Bandcamp
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