We have the pleasure in premiering ‘Made in England‘ (listen above), a new track from O’Hooley & Tidow‘s forthcoming new album Shadows. The track features a special guest vocal from performer and activist; Grace Petrie, with backing vocals by Lady Maisery.
Find out more about their new album and Made in England below:
Shadows is the new album from ‘one of British folk’s mightiest combinations’ (Mojo); O’Hooley & Tidow. It is the follow up to groundbreaking album The Hum, which earned them a place in Mojo’s Top Ten Folk Albums of 2014, a nomination for Best Duo in last year’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, a Top of the World album selection in Songlines Magazine, a five star live review and feature in The Guardian, and an invite to perform at Glastonbury by Billy Bragg.
In between, the duo took time out to self-record and produce Summat’s Brewin’; an album that celebrates the ‘spirit of the small’ whilst exploring the nation’s fascination with alcohol, released on their own micro label Hum Records. Walking away from the tried and tested route of a two yearly major record release to self-release a concept album may have seemed a foolish move for a band that were courting so much attention from the national press and BBC Radio 2 and 6. However, for Belinda and Heidi, it was an invaluable opportunity to move into the shadows for a time and explore an alternative path of repose, reflection, listening and sharing, culminating in Shadows.
Shadows conveys the vast expanse of human emotion, from tenderness to sensual melancholy, boundless joy and hope to anger and grief, from dogged determination and grit to the disturbing and deeply unsettling. Under careful consideration are those who live their lives in the dark, whilst others are gently lifted out of the dusk, from Belinda and Heidi’s own, deeply personal shadows, to the crimes committed behind closed doors.
Made in England shines a light on the contradictions embodied by groups such as UKIP and BNP; where immigration is seen as dangerous and should be halted and Britain should definitely leave the EU, whilst their members devour curries, kebabs and pints of European lager. Oh, the irony. The track also features a special guest vocal from performer and activist; Grace Petrie, with backing vocals by Lady Maisery.
Accompanying the duo on Shadows is a selection of highly expressive, sensitive musicians; Pete Flood (Bellowhead) contributes drums, percussion and sampled bicycle sounds, Michele Stodart (Magic Numbers) provides warm, lyrical electric guitar, bass and ebow, while Andy Seward (Kate Rusby Band) offers beautifully fluid double bass lines, Jude Abbott (Chumbawamba) adds sprinkles of trumpet and flugelhorn alongside the deceptively simple, stirring viola playing of BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winner Rowan Rheingans (Lady Maisery). Shadows is mixed by Neil Ferguson (Leveret, Coope Boyes & Simpson) and mastered by Denis Blackham at Skye Mastering.
Released on 29th July and launched at Cambridge Folk Festival, you can pre-order your copy now. The first 50 orders will receive a special, autographed copy of Shadows.
Pre-Order it here: ohooleyandtidow.com/shop
O’HOOLEY & TIDOW ‘SHADOWS’ UK TOUR
JULY
28 CAMBRIDGE Folk Festival Album Launch *
30 CAMBRIDGE Folk Festival
AUGUST
01 LONDON The Pheasantry
06 WICKHAM Festival
10 BROADSTAIRS Folk Week
21 SUFFOLK FOLKEAST Festival
SEPTEMBER
06 CAMBRIDGE Junction 2
09 BRISTOL Folkhouse
10 MACHYNLLETH Y Taberncl
11 MENAI BRIDGE Victoria Hotel
15 GT TORRINGTON Plough Arts Centre
16 WIVELISCOMBE Silver Street Sessions at Cotleigh Brewery
17 WHITCHURCH Talbot Theatre
23 CHIDDINGLY Festival
24 BARTON-UPON-HUMBER Ropery Hall
OCTOBER
05 LONDON Kings Place *
07 AYLESBURY Limelight Theatre
08 LEEDS Morley Arts Festival
10 COLCHESTER Folk Club @ Arts Centre
11 BURTON Brewhouse
12 LIVERPOOL Philharmonic Hall
13 BURY Homegrown Festival *
14 CHESTERFIELD Folk Club
19 BIRMINGHAM Red Lion Folk Club
21 WESSEX Acoustic
23 HARTLEPOOL Folk Festival
25 SHEFFIELD Greystones
28 LEEDS All Hallows Church
29 HUDDERSFIELD Marsden Mechanics Hall *
NOVEMBER
01 YORK National Centre for Early Music
02 EDINBURGH Voodoo Rooms
*Band – Michele Stodart (Magic Numbers), Pete Flood (Bellowhead) & Andy Seward (Kate Rusby)