Watch the latest video from The Shackleton Trio for The Fashionable Farmer (also our Song of the Day), they play the main stage at Cambridge Folk Festival this weekend.
The track features on their album Fen, Farm & Deadly Water which we reviewed here. Richard concluded “Fen, Farm & Deadly Water is an album with fun, thought and good tunes on which the trio bring a distinct flavour of versatility – in tunes, songs and arrangements – an accomplished set of parts and a very cohesive whole.”
Of this song he added “The Fashionable Farmer sets the scene with a jolly, possibly cautionary tale, about a farmer who spent his money on fashionable clothes and had nothing left to pay the rent. After a confrontation with the landlord, off to market he goes with clothes and corn and returns with enough money for the rent – and a suit of fine rags. Probably a moral in there somewhere, but this version was written by Georgia and Nic based on the broadside ballad The Fashionable Farmer and the Landlords Dinner.”
Listen to the music of The Shackleton Trio and you’ll hear influences that span British, American and Scandinavian traditions.
But this is no pick ‘n’ mix designed as a please-all gesture. Instead, your head will be washed clean, bathed by the purity of the melodic blend that is distinctly their own.
Underpinning everything is the rich interest and understanding of Georgia Shackleton’s native East Anglia and a wider love of English folk song.
With a natural gift for seeking out old gems to dust down as stunning interpretations, had she chosen a truffle hunting career, she would have been a champion!
Likewise, as a contemporary writer, this is a story teller who manages to stay in the same groove. It’s a seamless transition between old and new.
These are three superlative musicians, so truly meant-to-be-together, the performance is a joy to behold, featuring powerful instrumentation and rich three-part vocal harmonies from Aaren Bennett (guitar), Nic Zuppardi (mandolin) and Georgia (fiddle and vocals). With roots sunk so deeply in soil this rich, the playing is as solid as the stoutest oak in the forest.
The band has earned its stripes from relentless touring both at home and abroad, in the process winning a reputation as one of the best live acts on the circuit. As well as working extensively in the UK, they are also popular in Belgium and The Netherlands.
Their superb album, Fen, Farm and Deadly Water fully illustrates the breadth of musical endeavour and gives a true flavour of what the live performance entails.