From Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick to Show of Hands, the folk duo is a long-established fixture on the British traditional scene, and there's suddenly an impressive batch of new, young two-pieces. The current frontrunners are Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin, thanks to the quality of their songwriting and their instrumental skills, but David Gibb and Elly Lucas also deserve attention. They come from Derbyshire, are in their early 20s, were finalists in the Young Folk awards in 2011 and released Up Through the Woods, an impressive second album, last autumn.

Playing in Cecil Sharp House's basement, which currently displays an exhibition of Lucas's photographic work, the pair proved to be impressive instrumentalists – confident and witty performers who have yet to fully define a distinctive style of their own. There were a handful of solidly performed tradition songs, from Blacksmith to Lovely Molly, but they concentrated on their own material, which veered from whimsy to history and a dash of political anger.

Cheerful, sturdy songs such as England's Skies showed off their fine harmony vocals and the easy interplay between Lucas's fiddle work and Gibb's guitar. They also displayed their gift for catchy, folk-pop melodies on the quirky Four Poster Bath and a thoughtful setting of Kipling's The Way Through the Woods.

All that was lacking was a sense of passion and excitement, which they finally delivered towards the end of the second set. Backed by the muted electric bass of Tom Sweeney, they showed a tougher side to their writing with the upbeat, stomping Jackwire – a history lesson about Derbyshire luddites – and their best new song, A Place Called Home, a lament for the ugly redevelopment of Derby and the lack of protest. A few more songs as strong as those and they will be serious contenders.

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