The much-loved Alasdair Roberts is touring the UK in the next month, playing songs from his recent album, Grief in The Kitchen And Mirth In The Hall.
In the review of his album for Folk Radio, Thomas Blake wrote:
Alasdair Roberts records a lot of music, both as a solo artist and as a collaborator, but even at his most traditional, it’s rare to find him retreading old ground. The Scottish singer and guitarist is not averse to recording an old favourite or two, but there is always a sense of exploration and a breath of newness running through everything he does. Experimentation can be subtle as well as wild, and Roberts has always been a master when it comes to quietly upending assumptions about folk music, composition and interpretation. His solo albums generally pick one side, concentrating either on traditional songs or originals, an approach that allows him to address themes within certain types of folk song or to develop themes of his own. Albums like Spoils and A Wonder Working Stone introduced complex lyrical explorations of gnosticism and cosmogony, while Too Long In This Condition and the more recent Fretted and Indebted paid homage to the traditional material that has long been a primary inspiration.
Grief In The Kitchen And Mirth In The Hall adheres to the latter formula. A collection of mainly Scottish folk songs (with a couple from Ireland and one from Prince Edward Island), it was recorded live in the studio with minimal accompaniment: just an acoustic guitar or sometimes a piano alongside Roberts’ voice. But as is so often the case with someone of Roberts’ breadth of knowledge, this is far from a random choice of material. He has the ability to find the most telling contemporary resonances in the oldest songs, and every moment of Grief In The Kitchen sings with the taut realisation that we can learn a great deal from the past mistakes, misunderstandings, fights and feuds that these old stories describe.
Taken from Grief in The Kitchen And Mirth In The Hall, Alasdair shared this animated video around the album’s release. It’s a stop frame animation that was created by London-based illustrator, printmaker, animator, painter and teacher Jonathan Farr.
“The Bonny Moorhen” is a fond paean to a waterbird whose regal profile compares to none other than Bonnie Prince Charlie, the rebel Scottish king who dared stand up against the redcoats. Imperilled by events, the bird’s beauty only grows – a song of Scottish pride, played with processional grace and a wink of shared secrets.
Buy the album: https://alasdairroberts.bandcamp.com/album/grief-in-the-kitchen-and-mirth-in-the-hall
Alasdair Roberts Tour Dates
- Sep 22 – House Concert, Edinburgh, UK
- Sep 23 – Queensferry Folk Festival, South Queensferry, UK
- Sep 24 – The Chameleon, Nottingham, UK
- Sep 27 – West Hampstead Arts Club, London, UK
- Sep 28 – Moor Vaults, Ilkley, UK
- Sep 29 – Bishops House, Sheffield, UK
- Sep 30 – Centre for Folklore, Myth & Magic, Todmorden, UK
- Oct 01 – Band On The Wall, Manchester, UK (matinée performance)
- Oct 05 – Glad Café, Glasgow, UK (w/ Fredrik Rasten)
- Oct 13 – North Country Fest, Tromsø, Norway
- Oct 14 – Kafé Herværk, Oslo, Norway