When I first started Darren’s music blog back in 2014, The Young ‘uns were among the first set of artists I wrote about, when I reviewed a performance of theirs at Cecil Sharp House. Since then, I’ve seen them at a whole range of venues, from big festivals, to medium-sized theatres to small folk clubs and I’ve followed their career with interest. They had already been going a decade by the time I first saw them and this year the not-quite-so-young ‘uns celebrate twenty years together. Tiny Notes is their latest album.
“Taking its name from messages tied to the Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland by Paige Hunter, Tiny Notes is a collection of songs that find hope and humanity in grief and despair,” the group write in the album’s sleeve notes.
Poignancy abounds, with powerful songwriting from Sean Cooney, trademark harmony vocals from the trio of Cooney, Michael Hughes and David Eagle and evocative musical accompaniment in the form of piano from Eagle and a string quartet who guest on the album with arrangements by Jon Boden.
Writing songs about real, everyday heroes has become Cooney’s “personal passion”. Tackling subjects such as the London Bridge terror attacks, the Lockerbie bombing and one young woman’s heartfelt and very personal contribution to suicide prevention (the title track) the album very much showcases the trio’s more sensitive side – and Cooney is clearly in his stride writing songs of this nature.
What it does mean is that there’s no space on the album for the rousing covers and traditional songs that were often a feature of the trio’s earlier albums but perhaps that can safely be left to others these days? The Young ‘uns have certainly carved out an impressive niche for themselves and have proved to be a valuable and highly unique asset to the UK folk scene these past twenty years. Here’s to the next twenty.
Released: 7th April 2023 https://www.theyounguns.co.uk/
Related posts:
The Young ‘uns – The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff, Hastings 2018
Darren's music blog 