Award-winning traditional harpist and singer Rachel Newton is to co-curate a series of concerts at London’s Kings Place in March 2019 under the title of Trad. Reclaimed: Women in Folk .
The concerts will feature women musicians and singers in the contemporary folk scene and celebrate iconic figures in its development. Showcasing pioneering forces in the tradition, some of the country’s finest instrumentalist talent and powerful purveyors of song, the weekend aims to redress a gender imbalance often found in the wider music scene. Celebrating the light and shade, energy and dynamism, grit and nuance of some of the finest trad. players, as well as the sheer diversity of skills and inspiration.
Artist confirmed so far include The Shee Big Band (on 15 March 2019) which will include Hannah James who, as well as being a member of Lady Maisery, has a long history of collaborations as well as some unique solo projects such as Jigdoll which we interviewed Hannah about here.
Colin Irwin’s She Moved Through The Fair (on 16 March 2019) will also be shown which celebrates the life of the legendary Margaret Barry. Born in Cork on January 1, 1917, she left home at 16 with nothing but a bicycle and a banjo tied to her back with string as she set off to busk her way through the harsh streets of Ireland. What happened next is part of folk music legend. I saw this at Sidmouth Folkweek last year and can wholeheartedly endorse it as ‘must see’. Colin undertook painstaking research and the result is both humorous, sad, uplifting and rewarding. The part of Margaret is to be played by the equally incredible vocals of Irish singer Mary McPartlan.
https://youtu.be/2DZXRQLN3bs
Also confirmed are Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening (on 17 March 2019). The band features Cormac Byrne on percussion, Joe Truswell on drums and programming, Kate Young on fiddle and vocals, Amy Thatcher on accordion and vocals and finally Kieran Szifris on octave mandolin – Musicians from Northumberland, Scotland, Ireland and England invoke the dark, powerful, shamanic sounds of Ancient Northumbria and broadcast them to the modern world.
I recently shared a preview of their performance here.
More names are to be announced soon. In the meantime you can book tickets and find out more here: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/trad-reclaimed-women-in-folk/