Working creatively with the same person for 30 years may take a toll on most people.

But for Chris While and Julie Matthews, a folk duo performing under the name While and Matthews, it’s light work.

Barrovian While started working with Julie three decades ago this year, touring the world including Australia, New Zealand, America, and Europe, and never stopping.

“30 years without a break feels pretty good,” said While, reflecting on her and her bandmate’s time in the business.

“We get on really well, we’re like sisters and best friends.

“We share a house and studio together, we write new songs every single year, and usually have a new album out every two years – we just finished out 13th studio album called Days Like These.”

But the key is variety and time apart, she said: “We work in different projects – we currently work in a five-piece called Daphne’s Flight and we have a Christmas band – we’re both together but there’s diversity and it keeps you fresh, the duo can tour once a month and it doesn’t get overplayed.”

The duo has little care for labels but found in the 90s music shops didn’t know where to put their albums as there wasn’t, at the time in the UK, a dedicated singer songwriter section, so they were placed in ‘folk’ despite not being a traditional folk band.

In the States, where there’s a more liberal view on what is classed as folk, they’d likely be considered Americana, While said.

That’s reflected in part from their lyrics being about current affairs and issues, and people around them at the time.

“There’s always lots to write about, we’ve always got our ear to the ground, but our biggest inspiration is the people around us and our lives."

One of the songs on their new album, Good Intentions, is about cancel culture and ‘how people stab you in the back for having an opinion’, a phenomenon complained about heavily in the late-stage Twitter/X age.

Other issues include the Post Office scandal, written about in the song Trusted Mistrusted, which is about a friend of While who got caught up in it in 2004 and ended up fleeing to Spain.

“She lost everything,” she said.

At the duo’s core is power, particularly female power, which remained a constant throughout their career in a male-dominated world as two gay women who took about 12 years until they felt comfortable to publicly come out.

Their power is inspiring a new generation of young women, as While explained: “A lot of the festivals in this country are male dominated, so we like to empower women as much as we can, and young girls.

“We’ve got some fans who have been with us for 30 years, and quite a lot of women come to see us.

“We like to empower women by being strong, it’s powerful what we do, and I think women love to see that.

“A woman came up last night and said to be that it’s so refreshing to see such strong female performances.

“A couple of kids came to see us a few months ago and they were like 11 or 12 and they were absolutely enthralled, and they wanted signed plectrums from us.

“They were both learning to play guitar, and a few weeks ago they sent us a video of them with the whole class singing one of Julie’s songs.

“A lot of younger women come to see us, and they sit with their mouths open – they see us as the older generation and thinking ‘wow we could be like that!’, some young women haven’t seen something like us before.”

For those unaware of the duo, or who are but have never seen their performances, While had this to say: “They can expect some humour and some social commentary, some tears, and some laughter.

“We like to take everyone through every emotion and squeeze it out of them.

“We talk about the songs as well and where they came from so people get a look into who we are.

“I think if you invite people into what you do they feel more of a part of it, that’s what our gigs are like.

“There’s empowerment, and sticking up for the small man, or woman.”

While and Matthews will be playing the Old School Hall in Armathwaite on October 26, 2024.