Rowan Rheingans will be no stranger to the readers of Folk Radio UK where she has featured under the collective talents of Lady Maisery, Songs of Separation and The Rheingans Sisters. It was under the latter that she won Best Original track for Mackeral in 2016, a song inspired by a tragic story Rowan encountered during her time spent near the Arctic circle which she spoke about in depth to us here. There is no denying that Rowan’s talent and those groups she has played a part in, all share an incredible creative vision that they are able to transform into immersive experiences that can also challenge boundaries and pre-conceptions. This new project is no exception and may well be the pinnacle of her musical journey to date as she heads out to perform to audiences this month with an ambitious and deeply personal one-woman show. In addition, at half of the gigs on the tour, she will include post-show talks, to bring into the present day the themes of the show and invite discussion about resisting the rise of the far right and racism in our communities (more on this below).
Dispatches on the Red Dress is on a 10-date tour across the country now, following which it will have a two week run at the prestigious Edinburgh International Festival in August, before releasing her first solo album, a companion to the show, with support from PRS Women Make Music and Arts Council England.
An intimate and adventurous exploration of memory, identity, joy, sorrow, trauma-recovery, war and waltzes, Dispatches on the Red Dress tells the true story of Rowan’s German grandmother’s youth in 1940’s Germany. With genre-melding fluidity, Rowan weaves immersive storytelling around 10 new songs (Rowan won ‘Best Original Track’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2016 for her song Mackerel) performed live with fiddle, banjo, guitar and subtly inventive use of pre-recorded sounds.
In the current time of deeply felt political tensions, with the rise of racism in our communities and a new nationalistic fervour gaining pace across Europe, Dispatches on the Red Dress is a highly resonant and much needed historic provocation for our current political and social climate. Slowly revealing what is at once a warm family story and a troubling elegy on the modern human condition, Rowan explores how hope for the future may be found in the very darkest pockets of our history…
As well as being a heartfelt yet unflinching anti-war and anti-fascist statement, the show is also an uplifting celebration of small acts of everyday resistance, speaking directly to the human capabilities of transformation and change. It is Rowan’s most courageous, most political and most personal work to date.
Having taken over two years to write it, Rowan describes what the show means to her: “For me, this is a show about horror and beauty” says Rowan.“It is also about collective trauma recovery, birdsong, war and waltzes! Hidden in the folds of my own grandmother’s story, there is a profound darkness alongside, I think, a deeply hopeful message about humanity’s capacity for transformation. It feels important, in our current social and political climate of half-truths and fake news, fuelling a collective inertia that sometimes feels akin to a dangerous forgetting or misremembering of history, to share this story. I hope it will spur conversations about how we can resist the rise of the far right in constructive, supportive, creative ways. It is about the peace-making potential of telling different kinds of stories…”Already celebrated by music critics as “an excellent songwriter with a fine grasp of the delicate balance of joy and pain that makes us human” (Folk Radio UK), Dispatches on the Red Dress takes Rowan’s songwriting and gift as a mesmerising performer to another level; this is adventurous and necessary new writing that asks fundamental and troubling questions with her characteristically ‘deep emotional charge’ (Louder Than War).
Developed in collaboration with Liam Hurley (Karine Polwart’s Wind Resistance) the live show brings the intimacy of a folk concert to meet the ancient traditions of storytelling and textures of contemporary theatre in a troubling, tender and powerful performance.
FOR TICKETS AND ALL DATES VISIT https://www.rowanrheingans.co.uk/
Post-Show Talks
At selected shows in June, Rowan will be hosting post-show discussions in collaboration with local academics, activists, educators and artists engaged in peace-making work relating to the themes of the show (see full dates on the tour poster below).
She explains:
“In this solo adventure, I’ve been enjoying thinking about the possibilities and potentials of live music shows serving as political spaces. as places not only for entertainment, joy, beauty and challenge but also as small parts of bigger conversations about the society we want to build…
“with this in mind, I’m very happy to announce 5 post-show talks at selected dates on the ‘Dispatches on the Red Dress’ tour this month.
“Joined by special guests, I’ll be hosting a 30 min post-interval discussion on the themes of the show and on the ways we can resist the rise of the far right in our communities and engage in anti-racist, pro-immigration and peace work in our communities. Hopefully, this will inspire conversations for the bus ride home & afterwards too…
“I’m so pleased that my gigs can be a platform for sharing the important work of the following community activists, charity workers, academics and artists:
12th June – Sage Gateshead – I’ll be joined by Dr Beate Müller, Reader in German Studies at Newcastle University & Kelly McClay, Challenging Youth Racism Project
13th June – Locharthur, Dumfries – I’ll be joined by a member of Massive Outpouring Of Love – D&G Refugee Action, a refugee charity based in Dumfries and Galloway
14th June – Sheffield’s Merlin Theatre – I’ll be joined by peace activist and poet River Wolton & secular Jewish activist Judith Emmanuel
16th June – Bristol Folk House – I’ll be joined by Knud Stuwe & David Mowat, both community musicians + political artists exploring the common weaves between Black and White histories
19th June – Cecil Sharp House, London – Tom Jackson, from the Holocaust Educational Trust (UK) & Alex Etchart, activist theatre maker and South American folk singer
There’s no extra charge for the post-show talk, just stick around!
Solo Album – The Lines We Draw Together
Rowan’s debut solo album, The Lines We Draw Together is due for release in late Summer 2019. Not one to simply repeat but choosing instead to always innovate and challenge herself and her listeners, the forthcoming record is best thought of as a companion to the live show. Produced by Andy Bell (Jon Boden, Karine Polwart) it is an experimental and daring debut that characteristically pushes the boundaries of genre. Featuring Rowan in cathartic collaborations with indy, jazz, classical and electronic musicians, including bassist Michele Stoddart (The Magic Numbers) and clarinettist Jack McNeill (Propellor), it once again cements Rowan’s reputation as a relentlessly creative and seemingly unstoppable polymath.
https://www.rowanrheingans.co.uk/live