Tomorrow sees the release of Eel Song, the latest single from The Shackleton Trio, featuring Georgia Shackleton on fiddle and vocals, Nic Zuppardi on mandolin and Aaren Bennett on guitar. They have been playing together now for seven years; during that time, they have built up a strong reputation for their folk song interpretations and imaginative tune writing and their love for their native Norfolk.
That’s reflected in their forthcoming album Mousehold, named after Mousehold Heath, now an important area of conservation and part of north Norfolk’s Heathland Heritage Project. The beautiful linocut album cover, made by Nic, shows several Norfolk species, including the mysterious eel, which is the focus of their new single, Eel Song, released tomorrow (7th May).
The song itself is beautifully poetic but what is truly remarkable is how well they convey the journey of the eel, which is captured in such wondrous detail, adding to the mystery of this unique species, which goes through several dramatic changes before reaching maturity as a silver eel on its return journey to the Sargasso Sea. The song captures those changes as well as the challenges and threats the eel faces, which have declined in number. There are things we can do to help, which are touched on below. The whole tune is kept relatively sparse, with Georgia opening to a fiddle plucked tune that continues throughout the song, giving that sense of movement with mandolin and guitar adding colour and vibrancy. The arrangements never detract from well-thought-through lyrics. It’s a stunning single which just highlights not just how talented this trio are but also how in touch they are with nature. It’s one of the best folk songs I’ve heard this year and is also our Song of the Day.
In their own words:
Eel Song is a celebration of our remarkable yet critically endangered European Eel, and a cry for our dying rivers and oceans.
The European Eel makes the momentous 2 year journey from the Sargasso Sea, to find a home in our Fens and Wetlands. It’s here they find solace in the deep to grow strong enough to repeat their journey back to the Sargasso to lay eggs at the very end of their life. The last 40 years has seen a decline of 95% in our Eel population. A combination of the development of our rivers, commercial farming practices, strimming up to the water edge and lack of government funding in investigating river pollution have brought the threat of extinction of our European Eel ever closer.
Eel Song was written by Georgia Shackleton after speaking with Ursula Juta at The Norfolk Rivers Trust about how we most responsibly use our rivers recreationally. The last few years has seen an increase in recreational river activities, and we have an obligation to protect our delicate ecosystems.
If you’re using rivers recreationally make sure any equipment used on our waterways is free of any animal/plant fragments, clean everything with hot water and bleach, and allow it to be bone dry for at least 48 hours before introduction to a new body of water. Fungus from invasive crayfish in particular can survive for weeks on any damp kit. And avoid using our rivers in October and November during spawning season.
Eel Song is available to stream from Spotify from 7th May, as part of a double single release with ‘No Road Across Mousehold’. Pre-save link: https://www.musicgateway.com/presave/eel-song
The video was made by Simon Boosey.
Mousehold is out on 7th May and is available for pre-order via Bandcamp: https://shackletontrio.bandcamp.com/album/mousehold
The Shackleton Trio are on Tour across the UK now. For full details and ticket links visit: https://www.shackletontrio.co.uk/calendar