Singer, composer, viola, fiddle and tenor guitar-player Lucy Farrell is so well-known on the British folk scene. Over the years, Lucy has made numerous appearances on other albums and been a member of numerous projects – early on, she formed a duo with Jonny Kearney and later with Andrew Waite. She’s been a member of a number of groups/bands, including Carthy Hardy Farrell Young, Eliza Carthy and the Wayward Band, Gluepot, Modern Fairies, Carthy, Oates, Farrell & Young, and, not forgetting, The Furrow Collective, in which she appears alongside Alasdair Roberts, Rachel McShane and Emily Portman.
Years on, we will soon be able to enjoy her long-awaited solo debut ‘We are only Sound’ which is to be released on Hudson Records on 21 April 2023. The album is supported by a UK tour from 6 – 31 March (dates below).
Joining her on the album are Kris Drever (Lau) on guitar and vocals, Ben Nichols (Nadine Shah) on double bass, Tom Lenthall on piano, Neil McSweeney on bass and M G Boulter on slide guitar. The recording of her album was a pretty special affair as it was recorded in the medieval surrounds of Much Wenlock Abbey, home to Nick Drake’s sister Gabrielle who gifted the recording space – as well as the use of her brother’s instruments – through a mutual friend. Specifically, Nick Drake’s piano and guitar were tuned and used in the recording bestowing a unique quality to the album. Songs were recorded together, in one room, in one take.
Taken from that album is Paperthin, her latest album single and also our Song of the Day, which you can listen to below. Her vocals have a gorgeous clarity, while the overall sound and feel call to mind the unconventional but endearing qualities of Big Thief; Kris Drever’s accompanying vocals top things off perfectly by accenutuating those warm tones. It’s a winner through and through.
Talking about the feel of the album, she humbly describes it: “… it’s about being at home and working stuff out – relationship stuff, and then working out being a mum. This is how I work through my feelings and wonderings, in songs. And there’s quite a lot of wonderings in them, not answers.
“Maybe people have mostly heard me do traditional songs but this album is all things I’ve written. These songs are influenced by tradition, and then of course my love of songwriters generally – Adrianne Lenker, Kate Bush and Richard Thompson.”
Pre-Order We are only Sound here (CD, Sea Blue LP, DL and super limited edition signed prints).
Lucy Farrell UK Tour
6 March Green Note, London
7 March Medina Bookshop, Cowes Isle of Wight
8 March Bowerhouse, Maidstone
9 March Chidham Village Hall, nr. Chichester
10 March Sound Lounge, Sutton
11 March Temperance, Leamington Spa
12 March House Concert, Edinburgh
14 March Folklore Rooms, Brighton
15 March Cornish Bank, Falmouth
17 March St Nicholas Church, Baulking
18 March Pocklington Arts Centre, nr. York
19 March Bishop’s House, Sheffield
22 March Cumberland Arms, Newcastle
23 March The Glad Cafe, Glasgow
24 March Christ Church, Great Ayton North Yorkshire
25 March West End Centre, Aldershot
26 March Square and Compass, Worth Matravers
31 March The Fleece Inn, Bretforton
Website: https://lucyfarrellmusic.com