On 11 November, Lady Maisery, the combined multi-talents of Hazel Askew, Hannah James and Rowan Rheingans, return with their new album tender (pre-order it here). Their last studio album, Cycle, was released six years ago, so we’ve been eager to hear where they will take their music next. Today we get our first taster with their lead single bird i do not know.
The album promises to be something different, but would we really expect anything less from these three? They have always approached music creation through fresh eyes; Thomas Blake noted how they were unafraid to challenge preconceptions about folk music on Cycle, but with tender, they get to stretch those boundaries much further.
tender is described as musically audacious, boldly political and manifestly personal; ultimately, it’s a record about the importance of finding space to grieve, space to hope, space to rage and space for joy. Alongside originals are personal interpretations of work by singers that have clearly spoken to them – Björk, Tracy Chapman and the late Lal Waterson. For me personally, it’s one of the most highly anticipated folk albums of 2022.
We have the pleasure of sharing the accompanying video to their new single bird i do not know, which was filmed and edited in Bristol by Sam Wisternoff. The video and song emphasise the need to cling to hope, however small or elusive it may be…how the song arrived is equally magical…
Hazel shared the following:
The way that new songs come into being is endlessly fascinating; sometimes, they arrive fully formed and seemingly out of nowhere, sometimes they are not quite graspable at first and gradually come into focus over time. The tune and refrain of this song just appeared in 2020, fluttered down from somewhere and landed with me as I was playing banjo. They accompanied me throughout the pandemic and came to mean many different things during the turbulence of those times. Eventually, they acquired some verses and turned into this song.
It still has many unfolding meanings for me, but one thing it is, is a love letter to the hard work of embracing the unknown, the possibility of keeping a glint of hope that there is something else, even when you can’t believe it. I’m not sure a song has ever arrived before that felt so much like it was trying to tell me something, to teach me something I couldn’t quite make out.
Pre-order tender via Bandcamp (Digital/CD) – https://ladymaisery.bandcamp.com/album/tender-2
Lady Maisery Tour Dates
Tickets: https://www.ladymaisery.com/tour-dates
THU 3 NOVEMBER
The Guildhall, Leicester, UK
SAT 5 NOVEMBER
Kings PlaceLondon, UK
THU 10 NOVEMBER
The Stables – Milton Keynes, UK
FRI 11 NOVEMBER
Stapleford Granary, Cambridge, UK
SAT 12 NOVEMBER
Trinity Church, Abingdon, UK
SUN 13 NOVEMBER
Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham by sea, UK
MON 14 NOVEMBER
Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester, UK
WED 16 NOVEMBER
National Centre For Early Music (NCEM), York, UK
THU 17 NOVEMBER
Square Chapel Centre for the Arts, Halifax, UK
FRI 18 NOVEMBER
Waterside Arts Centre, Sale, UK
SAT 19 NOVEMBER
The Hive, Shrewsbury, UK
SUN 20 NOVEMBER
Malvern Cube, Malvern, UK
WED 23 NOVEMBER
Firth Hall, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
THU 24 NOVEMBER
The Station, Bristol, UK
FRI 25 NOVEMBER
Calstock Arts, Cornwall, UK
SAT 26 NOVEMBER
The Tolmen Centre, Falmouth, UK
SUN 27 NOVEMBER
Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre, Exeter, UK
FRI 2 DECEMBER
Muziekcentrum Dranouter, Heuvelland, Belgium
SAT 3 DECEMBER
Sint-Servatiuschurch, Herselt, Belgium
SUN 4 DECEMBER
Muziekclub ‘t Ey, Belsele, Belgium
Awake Arise Dates
with Jimmy Aldridge and Kit Hawes
FRI 9 DECEMBER
Dartington Hall, Totnes, UK
SAT 10 DECEMBER
St Ambrose Church, Bournemouth, UK
SUN 11 DECEMBER
Talbot Theatre, Whitchurch, UK
MON 12 DECEMBER
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, UK
TUE 13 DECEMBER
St George’s Bristol, Bristol, UK
THU 15 DECEMBER
Grand Junction, London, UK
SAT 17 DECEMBER
West End Centre, Aldershot, UK
SUN 18 DECEMBER
Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, UK
MON 19 DECEMBER
St John’s Walton, Chesterfield, UK
TUE 20 DECEMBER
St Mary’s Church, Lowdham, Nottingham, UK
WED 21 DECEMBER
Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh, UK