Whilst Rosie Hood is no stranger to these pages, this is the first video to be released featuring her trio with Nicola Beazley (fiddle) and Lucy Huzzard (melodeon). After watching the video below I think you’ll agree that together, they possess a fresh creative spirit that’s effortlessly conveyed in their music. My immediate reaction to first hearing them perform ‘Lover’s Ghost’ was that their performance was spine-tingling and that’s not because this is a ghost story…it’s because they’re at the top of their game and they know how to breathe new life into a traditional song. Lover’s Ghost is also our Song of the Day.
Rosie shared the following about the video:
“Lover’s Ghost is a traditional song often known as The Holland Handkerchief or The Suffolk Miracle. One of the Child Ballads, Francis Child included this song in his collection due to its similarities to other great European stories. This spooky version comes from Richard May of Fairford, Gloucestershire and was collected by Alfred Williams in around 1916. A proper ghost story that wouldn’t be out of place around a campfire, I recorded Lover’s Ghost on my album The Beautiful & The Actual.
This is my first official video featuring my new accompanists Lucy Huzzard (melodeon) and Nicola Beazley (fiddle). The three of us have been working together for nearly a year now and I’m delighted to have such fantastic musicians helping to bring my songs to life, and together we combine an eclectic mix of influences in our performances. November 2018 saw our debut ‘home’ gig at a sold-out Shakespeare’s, Sheffield; one of my favourite shows I’ve played. It’s been an absolute pleasure developing new material together and I’m excited to release more new music soon.
Lucy is a graduate of the Newcastle Folk Degree and the Eric Sahlström Institutet, with influences ranging from English morris dance tunes to Swedish Slängpolskas. Nicola is also a graduate of the Newcastle Folk Degree and from the University of Sheffield and known for her tune writing and work on English music with accordion player Alex Cumming.
The video was filmed at Yellowarch Studios, Sheffield by my talented sister-in-law Caroline Hood.”
Upcoming shows:
03 Feb – Bothy Folk Club, Southport (duo with Lucy)
04 Feb – Herga at the Castle Folk and Acoustic Club, Harrow (solo)
05 Feb – St Neots Folk Club (solo)
08 Feb – Courage Calls at Burton Hall, Sheffield (collaborative gig featuring Rosie, Lucy, Nancy Kerr, Jess Arrowsmith, Gina Le Faux, Rhiannon Scutt and Fay Hield)
23 Feb – Old Sod Folk Society, Ottawa, Canada (duo with Tom A Wright)
24 Feb – House Concert, Toronto, Canada (duo with Tom A Wright)
28 Feb – Bedlam House Concert, Toronto, Canada (duo with Tom A Wright)
02 Mar – The Crooked Stovepipe, Villa Nova, Canada (duo with Tom A Wright)
03 Mar – Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club, London, Canada (duo with Tom A Wright)
24 Mar – Poppy Folk Club, West Bridgford (duo with Lucy)
27 Mar – Trad Night: Cecil Sharp House, London (solo)
Photo Credit: Caroline Hood