O U T Spell contains some real tongue twisters courtesy of Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening. Taking their name from the Northumbrian name for Twilight 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 Kieran Szifris on octave mandolin.
The following is taken from a live performance earlier this year at Sage Gateshead. Their inspiration for the project comes from the wild, dramatic, weather-bitten countryside along Hadrian’s Wall, which seems so quintessentially Northumbrian…and yet, almost 2000 years ago that same landscape was inhabited by people from around the world, worshipping different gods and following different customs.
In other news…
The Dam
The Dam is a new children’s book from David Almond which contains some beautiful illustrations from Levi Penfold. The tale was inspired by a true story, that of Kathryn Tickell and her father. In 1975 work began on building the Dam at the hamlet of Yarrow in the Kielder Valley. Built to meet the rise in demand for water from the industrial economy the project led to the loss of numerous farms and a school. Kathryn, along with her father Mike, visited an abandoned village where they played music in each home…the last time music would be heard within those walls.
When a great dam was built by the Kielder Water in Northumberland, the valley below slowly filled with water. But just before this, when the villagers had been moved out, two musicians went back to the abandoned valley. They tore down the boards over the houses, stepped inside and started to play – for this would be the last time that music would be heard in this place. In this astonishing picture book that combines themes of loss, hope and music David Almond pays homage to all musicians, showing the ancient and unstoppable power of creativity.
For all upcoming Kathryn Tickell live dates visit: http://www.kathryntickell.com/live-dates