There’s always something new with a tour from The Shee. Fans of the innovative, instrument-swapping sextet will be delighted to learn that this May marks another new chapter: the first tour with Scottish-Icelandic percussionist, Signy Jakobsdottir, as a permanent member.
Nominated for musician of the year at the 2019 Scots Trad Music Awards, Jakobsdottir joined The Shee last year for a number of handpicked shows designed to augment and experiment with the band’s sound, taking old favourites to new aural places and to make possible a whole new avenue of arrangement and songwriting.
The experiment worked, with Signy signing on the dotted line and taking up a permanent slot in the line-up for 2020 onwards.
And Signy’s arrival isn’t the only change to personnel. Original flautist, Lillias Kinsman-Blake, will be sharing duties with Glasgow-based flautist, Sarah Hayes, as her maternity leave comes to an end, while Amy Thatcher will be joined backstage by her newborn twins, who arrived rather unexpectedly – on tour with The Shee in Germany in October 2019!
Harpist and singer, Rachel Newton, says: ‘We are currently enjoying exploring much of our past material with the new line-up, including numbers we haven’t played for years or hadn’t attempted live before.
Having the percussion has opened up new opportunities for us musically, and it’s really exciting to hear how Signy’s input enhances our work and brings out aspects of the arrangements we might not have noticed before.
‘We are planning for this tour to work up some new material as well, so there will be a chance to hear some brand new music.’
The name given to the tour, The Shadows, is derived from a track from the band’s tenth-anniversary album, Continuum. The song is about being pushed into the shadows, being ignored, with voices unheard or silenced. It refers to reserves of hidden strength and, the band feel, has a greater political relevance today more than ever
The Shee Spring Tour
Wed 6 May – Traverse Theatre 1, Edinburgh Tradfest
Thu 14 May – Arlington Arts, Newbury
Fri 15 May – Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury
Sat 16 May – Otley Courthouse, Otley, West Yorkshire
Sun 17 May – The Stables, Milton Keynes
Tue 19 May – The Hawth, Crawley
Wed 20 May – Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury
Thu 21 May – Cranshaws Village Hall, Cranshaws, Scottish Borders
Fri 22 May – The Hug and Pint, Glasgow
Sat 23 May – The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
Sun 24 May – Northern Rock Foundation Hall, Sage, Gateshead
Head here for ticket links: https://theshee.com/gigs/
Photo Credit: Sean Purser