Frances Wilkins first started playing English Concertina in sessions in Shetland before moving to London where she studied music as an undergraduate at the School of Oriental and African Studies. She holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of Aberdeen (2009) and researches North-East Scottish musical traditions at the Elphinstone Institute. She regularly teaches concertina and mixed instrument classes in traditional music and has played musical professionally since 1999, initially with the band Sölan and since then with line-ups including Blyde Lasses, The Pictones, and L-Fish.

She has toured extensively throughout the UK and in Norway, Denmark and Holland. She also plays the fiddle. A very talented lass indeed.