A singer and guitarist who’s been making waves on the folk scene in recent years, Cumbria-born Holly Clarke has performed alongside the likes of Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, Daoiri Farrell and Queer Folk. Appearing at festivals and venues such as, Sidmouth Folk Festival, Bromyard Folk Festival, Tiree Music Festival and The Glasshouse International Centre For Music, between 2019 and 2020 she was Artist in Residence at the latter, specialising in Traditional Folk Song and Ballads.
As well as performing solo, Holly has a duo with George Sansome (Granny’s Attic), The powerhouse band RE:VULVA (Amy Thatcher, Janice Burns, Cathy Geldard) and she also gigs with the trio, Holly and the Reivers, reviewed here back in 2024.
Wild Feral Fierce is Clarke’s debut solo album. Across ten tracks which mix interpretations of traditional ballads with original material, it’s an album that’s deeply rooted in folklore, myth and metaphor.
Holly Clarke: “The tracks on this record summon visions of the macabre, the supernatural and iconic figures from folklore and myth. This album is an unearthing of themes that aren’t just found lying dormant in the furrows of the land, they are alive and more relevant than ever.”
Traditional songs include beautifully atmospheric interpretations of well-known classics like ‘The Spectral Stag’ and ‘John Barleycorn’. However, like the late, great Bob Johnson of Steeleye Span, who had a similar fascination with such other-worldly themes, Clarke doesn’t just look to the British Isles for inspiration but also delves deep into the folk myths from Scandinavia where they’ve long excelled at this stuff over many centuries. ‘The Maiden Hind’, a classic Danish shapeshifting ballad, and ‘Sir Aage and Lady Elselil’, which has its roots in old Norse texts are two such tracks on this album.
Alongside her passion for adapting traditional ballads, Clarke is also a talented songwriter. The self-composed title track of the album, is a song where shape-changing is a metaphor for the joy that comes from self-acceptance and positive transformation.
Joining Clarke on the album is a core band featuring Anna Hughes (of Salthouse & Watersmeet) and fiddle and viola; Amy Thatcher (of Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening & The Shee) on accordion and synth; and John Pope (of Archipelago & MeLostMe) on double bass. The album also features a guest appearance from Kathryn Tickell on Northumbrian pipes.
Haunting and ethereal, with compelling storytelling and captivating vocals, Wild Feral Fierce is a wonderful slice of trad. arr. inspired folklore.
Away Beyond The Fret is the third album from husband-and-wife folk duo, Lucy and Jon Hart, and the follow-up to the highly-enjoyable Journey Through The Roke, which I reviewed back in 2021.
Lucy Hart:“Many of the songs on this album focus on our Suffolk home and the close bonds of family, friendship and community.”
Fresh-sounding, slightly genre-hopping and once again deeply rooted in the history, culture and landscape of their Suffolk homeland, Away Beyond The Fret is delivered with the duo’s characteristic elegance and beauty. The highly-talented duo of Lucy and Jon Hart continue to delight and this, their third album, is proof that Honey & The Bear have blossomed into something truly magnificent on the UK folk scene.
Three Galleys is the debut album from Holly & The Reivers, a project formed back in 2017 that brings together Holly Clarke (vocals/guitar), Merle Harbron (vocals/fiddle) and Bertie Armstrong (vocals/banjo).
Holly & The Reivers:“Three Galleys reaches into the depths of the darker side of folk song and brings forth the messages in the songs that are deeply rooted in human experience through history. Each track has been meticulously arranged to help interlace the story with a musical setting that enthrals listeners to submit and be swept away in a journey of rich storytelling.”
This is an older live video but still carries their instantly-recognisable signature sound based around the trio’s banjo, fiddle and guitar and their contrasting but complimentary vocals. Beautifully atmospheric soundscapes combine with stunning interpretations of traditional ballads that tend dwell on the darker side of human existence, borne of an enduring fascination of folk horror cinema. In Three Galleys, Holly & The Reivers have served up a highly impressive debut album.
Martinmas is the fourth and final release in Gavin Marwick’s Quarterdays series, and this one sees the Scottish fiddle-player and composer team up with pianist and accordion-player, Phil Alexander. The two have played together both socially and professionally over a number of years.
Gavin Marwick:“Martinmas celebrates the life of St Martin of Tours, the only actual historical figure to appear in the Quarterdays canon. Born in what is now part of Hungary, serving in the Roman army and ending up as Bishop of Tours and ultimately one of the patron saints of France, Martin offers a very broad European vision of the spread of the early church across the continent during this long ago fourth century period.”
Marking the final season of the year and celebrating the life of St Martin of Tours, whose feast day is marked on November 11th, the six tune-sets, all composed by Marwick, distil Scottish, Eastern European and French traditional influences alongside more contemporary ideas. Once again, Marwick hits us with more wonderfully expressive fiddle and he and Alexander deliver some nicely evocative tunes that perfectly capture the time of year. Quarterdays has been a fascinating project and Martinmas is a worthy finale to the series.
Playing in bands such as Paper Tiger, Unspeakable Acts, Delicious Houdini, Bamboozle, Tom Houston and the Keltic Band and davesnewbike as well as working as musical director in theatre, Tom Houston has also had a prolific solo career and Everything In The Delicatessen is his sixth solo album. His current work encompasses spoken word, soundscapes, stories and songs.
“Everything In The Delicatessen attempts to give the listener that ‘up close and personal’ experience with ‘local produce’ of high quality,” promises the accompanying press publicity.
An album that transcends musical boundaries and is brimming with drama and musicality, great lyrics and great melodies, Everything In The Delicatessen is the kind of album you’ll come back to again and again and always find something new.
Aberdeen-based musician and songwriter, Colin MacDuff, says he “dabbled” in music and poetry when family and career commitments allowed time but things got more serious upon his retirement when he enrolled on Boo Hewerdine’s and Findlay Napier’s mentorship scheme for aspiring songwriters. With their encouragement he soon found he had more than a dozen original songs and his debut album, The Past In The Sky, was released in 2022 to positive reviews. Separations is the follow-up.
Colin MacDuff:“During the past year I wrote a lot of new songs and got thinking about whether some might fit together in an album. At first, I thought they were very disparate. But, aided by a glass or two, I had the revelation that they were all songs about different aspects of separation.”
The theme of separation in the songs extends across a range of subjects, from relationship break-ups, to bereavement to economic displacement. The main accompaniment is MacDuff’s own acoustic guitar-playing but he’s joined by Angus Lyon (accordion), Jenna Reid (fiddle) and Hugh Halton percussion, with pianist Maria Quinn also providing some beautifully eloquent piano on three tracks. With his gentle vocal and engaging storytelling, Separations acts as an excellent showcase for Colin MacDuff’s fine songwriting.
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