IT seems that Sam and Hannah Hird, of psych-folk duo Bird to Beast were always meant to be together.

Although they seemed to be living parallel lives – both are musicians, were brought up in Colne and share many of the same friends – it wasn’t until they appeared as solo artists at the town’s blues festival, one following the other, at Jim’s Cafe, that they started to talk and discovered they had a great deal in common.

Now married for two years, the 30-year-olds, who live in Winewall, are working on their second album.

The first received airplay from the likes of Steve Lamacq and Frank Skinner.

It was hailed as Best album of 2013 by the Manchester Evening News, with the second single from the album, the 'double A' side Elephant / Winter Snow garnering radio support at BBC 6Music and Radio 2.

Bird to Beast are signed to fledgling Manchester-based label MUK. Says Sam: “It’s pretty new and making a lot of noise. It’s probably one of the most exciting labels in Manchester for a long time.”

This summer the duo are appearing at 17 festivals - the next local one is Ramsbottom on Friday, September 19. They will also be part of the line-ups at Strawberry Fields in Liverpool, Festival Number 6 in Port Meirion and Just So at Scholar Green, Cheshire.

So is there any danger of them spending too much time in each other’s company: “Noooo,” says Hannah. “We have band members and lots of friends and fans around us. In fact, when it’s finished I think we’d enjoy a couple’s holidays. Just the two of us. We work very well together. We respect each other’s ways of working and musical strengths. It’s really not like work though, it’s such fun and we’re getting paid for it.“ Sam, a former sheep farmer, started playing the violin at four and studied at Chetham’s Music School. He has a music degree from Manchester University.

Hannah studied piano from seven and music at Salford University.

A former student at Nelson and Colne College, she performed backing vocals in front of the elite royal guests at the royal wedding after party.

She sung on a number of Ellie’s tracks and for a special rendition of Elton John’s “Your Song”, serenading the newly-wed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Hannah has also appeared on Later with Jools Holland and Jonathan Ross.

Bird to Beast’s music is described as “full of love and wonder with timeless melodies that tip a hat to greats like The Beach Boys, Kate Bush and The Beatles as well as contemporary singer-songwriters like Rufus Wainwright and James Mercer”.

According to Sam: “It’s poppy folky, 60s kind of thing and a little bit retro.

Our fans are all ages from 21 to 60 years old.” So what’s next for the couple? “We really don’t know,” says Sam. “We wanted to do an album and we did that. Then we wanted airplay and we got that that.

“We are now working on album number two. You can’t really set goals because it’s a funny old business.

“We just want to keep plugging away and enjoying everything we do.”