Machine Orchid International Women's Day 2026

Information

Evening Concert
7-10pm

Machine Orchid is a trio from Edinburgh blending harp, guitar, and violin with lush harmonies, electronic fizzles, and a deep connection to the natural world. Their sound weaves acoustic and classical elements with folktronica and a strong electronic twist, creating a unique, immersive experience that is both organic and futuristic.

The band’s music is driven by a focus on the female voice, using harmonies to evoke themes of nature, change, and environmental awareness. With a distinctive mix of delicate arrangements and heavy electronic textures, Machine Orchid explores the balance between tradition and innovation, offering a sound that echoes the past whilst looking to the future.

Faith Eliott
Faith Eliott is a songwriter and visual artist. Born in Minneapolis, they moved to Scotland nearly two decades ago. Through storytelling and world-building, they illustrate intuitive landscapes populated by hagfish, Pleistocene volcanoes, cursed memes, and late-Renaissance apocryphal monsters lurking in the aisles of Asda. Sonically, Eliott grounds themself in a stripped-back, lyric-driven songwriting approach that evolves through the recording process to incorporate orchestral elements, often contributed by frequent collaborator Robyn Dawson, along with electronic textures and found sounds.

Jemima Thewes
Jemima grew up in the Scottish highlands in a dramatic landscape which continues to provide the bones of her music. A world-music feel but with the folk ballad at its heart, the effect of this music stays with you long after you’ve heard it.

The concert is open to everyone. The bar will be open. Everyone working to bring this event together will be paid. Any profits will be made as a donation to Womens Aid.

International Women’s Day guest artist workshops
3-5pm
Machine Orchid with guest artists Esther Swift and Kirsty Law share a dynamic and interactive workshop of original and traditional music exploring and centering women's voices.

The workshop is open to all women (trans, intersex and cis) and nonbinary, agender and gender variant people. The content is designed for adults but supervised children and young people are welcome.

Esther Swift explores ritual, connection, isolation, and the natural world in her performance with pedal harp and voice. A prolific, boldly innovative harpist, composer and singer, Esther works across genres as diverse as classical chamber music and free improvisation, and writes for ensembles large and small.

Kirsty Law is an innovative Scots songmaker and singer based in Edinburgh. Working primarily in Scots language, Law pairs bold contemporary narratives and sounds with traditional material, with a special interest in expressing that which previously in the tradition has gone unsung - sensitive stories of queer love, unashamed female sexuality - and continuing that which she feels the tradition does best - salving some of life's darkest subjects, providing a voice for the voiceless.

Accessibility:
Bongo Club provide full accessibility information on their website. The event will take place on the ground floor and will therefore be fully accessible for wheelchair users. We do not intend to use strobe lighting in any part of the event.

Pricing
We have devised a pricing structure to make this gig as accessible as possible:

Standard: Set price that will enable us to cover event costs
Supporter: For those who feel like they can pay more
Lower Cost: We don’t want cost to be a barrier so you can select a 'pay what you can' ticket starting from £1 (limited to one reservation per person)

*** Limited amount of early bird tickets available until end of January 2026- use code ORCHID at checkout for 10% discount off any ticket

Workshop Only
Standard £17
Supporter £20
Lower Cost: Pay what you can

Gig Only
Standard £13
Supporter £16
Lower Cost Pay what you can

Gig and Workshop Deal
Standard £25
Supporter £30
Lower Cost Pay what you can

Everyone working to bring this event together will be paid. Any profits will be made as a donation to Scottish Women's Aid.