There are so many groups and musicians who claim they have a unique sound that it is truly refreshing to come across a group that really has without boasting about it. Like Kathryn Tickell & the Side.
I have only seen Kathryn Tickell live twice. The first time was at Sidmouth Folk Festival in 1986. Then she was a new hope on the folk scene, playing acoustically in one of the small halls. The second was last summer at Folk by the Oak in Hatfield, just outside London. She was playing with The Side, and this album had been recorded but not released.
In between those two occasions, KT has released about a dozen albums on her own, toured the world, played on a lot of other people’s albums (include four by Sting and the latest Steeleye Span release), studied composition, written music for television and other occasions, supported new talent … Well, basically she has moved on from being a hope for the future of folk music to be a central part of the folk music scene. And I must confess, I had hoped to see her as a new member of Steeleye Span after her superb contributions to their Wintersmith album, but after hearing this I am glad my dream did not come true.
In her new group KT surrounds herself with three brilliant youngish female musicians. Louisa Tuck, who plays the cello, is also a section leader in the Royal Northern Sinfonia. Accordionist Amy Thatcher comes from the world of folk music, plays in several other groups and has also been involved musically with Sting. Ruth Wall (harp) also has a CV that would astonish most of us. So this is really a folky version of the kind of “super groups” we saw a lot of in late 1960s and 1970s rock, with one exception. They live up to the expectations.
On their debut album Kathryn Tickell & The Side create an exciting mix of folk and classical music, with some hints of more modern sounds. Most of the music is written by KT herself, and her training as a composer shows. She does not merely write tunes, she composes pieces, well-structured and exciting. Sometimes she bases them on things she has heard, like “Bonny Breezes” a short, lovely tune, performed here on solo harp, or the opening “Early Air,” which is a reworking of “Early One Morning,” a tune often used by Percy Grainger (1882-1961) in his arrangements and compositions. There is another set with two tunes associated with Grainger, the Danish folk song “The Nightingale” and the Irish Reel “Molly on the Shore,” the first played as a slow air on cello, the second a rousing dance tune with the accordion taking turns with the harp and KT’s fiddle.
“Stonehaugh” is a piece KT wrote for the opening of a village hall. It starts as a slow haunting folk tune performed on Northumbrian pipes, turning into a quick one after some nice rhythmic work on the harp. “The Prior’s Standard,” which also starts off slow, is more classically inspired, and then the pipes turn it around. The cello assumes the role of bass, some handclaps underline the strange time signature and then guest musician Marney O’Sullivan adds some percussion; after a short harp interlude, back to the strange rhythm and the pipes. It’s one of the most exciting tracks on the album, where all the ingredients used on it meet and meld together.
I could go on and rave about every single track – there are twelve – but I will not. If you have open ears and want to hear some of the most exciting music I have heard for ages, please check it out. You will not be disappointed. They even manage to slip ina piece by Henry Purcell, and a song “Queen of Pleasure,” which you can enjoy in this video.
(Resilient Records, 2014)
