For those seeking an antidote to festive schmaltz, you need look no further than London-based alt-folk trio Thickets who weave dark tales of murder, regret and revenge with autoharp, cello, drums and lots of ethereal vocal harmonies. The trio are Rebecca Lavery on vocals and autoharp, Emma Hamilton on cello and vocals, and Kieran Lavery on drums.
Last year we reviewed their EP Four Last Words which our reviewer, David Pratt, described as beguiling and concluded that their music was “a real tonic providing a welcome contrast to much of the anodyne outpourings to be heard on mainstream media broadcasting outlets.” I couldn’t agree more and they’ve certainly made a lasting impression on those that have heard them which includes Mark Radcliffe who played them on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show.
Their latest single, A Winter’s Warning, is our Song of the Day which we have the pleasure of premiering below. Rebecca tells us “I originally sat down to write a Christmas song but, as often seems to happen with our music, things took a dark turn and it became a wintery murder ballad. So it’s ended up being a sort of anti-Christmas carol in a way. It’s quite gory. But it is meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek.”
They also tell us that they are playing a special Christmas show this evening at the Empire Bar (part of the Hackney Empire) on December 12th along with other artists who regularly play gigs put on by Folklore. They’ve also been back at Urchin Studios, where they also recorded A Winter’s Warning, recording a new single that will be released next spring.
Find out more here: http://www.thickets.co.uk/
