Frankie Archer recently appeared on ‘Later… with Jools Holland’, where she put on an unforgettable performance with a bold and innovative take on the traditional folk song Oxford City. The song features on her forthcoming EP ‘Never So Red’ (out on 3rd November), recorded and produced by Frankie and Jim Moray. Her ability to take 200-year-old lyrics like this and give them a powerful modern context and weight is potent. Listen for the sample she uses of a woman talking – a modern-day bar chat…her haunting re-framing of the song places the question of whether gender-based violence has really changed at the front and centre.
He saw her dancing with some other
A jealous thought came to his mind
And to destroy his own true love
He gave to her a glass of wine
About the EP, Frankie says:
The name of the EP, Never So Red, comes from the lyrics of the traditional song Lucy Wan, where Lucy’s brother and murderer tries to escape the blame and pass off Lucy’s blood as the blood of a dog or a mare. His mother sees through his lies straight away and says, ‘the greyhound/grey mare’s blood is never so red’. This speaks so much about the perceptions of women’s experiences and the skewing of these perceptions by those who want to diminish women’s voices. Often, truths that women live are belittled or censored by people in power. Things that women go through can be called taboo and not talked about. This is isolating and can make women feel like their experiences and feelings aren’t valid. I don’t want to perpetuate this in the music I sing. I want to challenge harmful stereotypes and narratives. I want to empower people with my music, those in the songs and those listening to them.
Frankie Archer’s Upcoming Dates
Friday, October 27 – Darlington Library, Darlington #
Thursday, November 2 – The Lubber Fiend, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne*
Thursday, November 9 – The Folklore Rooms, Brighton
Friday, November 10 – St George’s, Bristol
Saturday, November 11 – The Taproom, Oxford**
Sunday, November 12 – Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre, Walton-on-Thames
Saturday, November 18 – The Hermon, Oswestry
Sunday, November 19 – SOUP, Manchester
Tuesday, November 21 – Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham
Wednesday, November 22 – Green Note, London
Thursday, November 23 – Bishop’s House, Sheffield
Friday, November 24 – 45 Vinyl Cafe, York
Saturday, December 2 – St Cuthbert’s, Allendale
# Frankie Archer at HARK! The Sound of Stories: Haunting Histories
* plus Amy Thatcher & Francesca Knowles + DJ Awkward Black Girl
** plus The Bobo
Tickets and full details here: https://frankiearchermusic.com/shows