Johnny Campbell is someone who enjoys long walks, the fresh air and the opportunity to take in breathtaking scenery. He also plays and sings. These two things are very much intertwined in his latest album, True North. Not a title reflecting the transient nature of the magnetic north but an evocation of the land and the stories of the land from around the north of England.
Just as there is a lot of history and stories of ordinary folk wrapped up in the landscape, so there are in the songs of these places. True North takes a tour of the highest parts, and we hear Johnny performing from these viewpoints. This adds a quality, a reality, to the production, one that he is not afraid to exploit. The moments before and after a song are filled with the sound of the open air, the wind, the space, and, at times, even birdsong. It’s always a difficult thing to pull off, but here it is done very well as the space opens up, gets filled with song, and then is left, open and wild. Bonny at Morn, the non-lullaby if there is such a thing, does just this. Are there sheep and cattle in the fields below, unattended? Who knows, but the lament is tangible and visceral.
There is also a political edge that is echoed in the selection. Alongside access to land issues, there are stories of oppression, of change without thought, and of fighting for rights. All are delivered in a style that rings of standing against these things, setting challenges, and delivering the message in word and sound.
The songs range from the mournful to the amusing. Featuring Mikey Kenney on fiddle, Leeds, A Seaport Town nowadays falls into the latter category, though there is a thought that at the time of its writing, possibly of the Great Exhibition, there was wonder and probably concern that with the spread of industrialisation, anything was possible, even making Leeds, in the heart of the country, a seaport town. Mind you, there are versions featuring other places, notably Manchester, which did get a ship canal.
The other humorous offering is The Derby Ram, delivered at a good pace, making it feel much better than the version I grew up listening to. Romance, albeit relatively short-lived, comes with Lish Young Buy-A-Broom (I admit I had to look up ‘lish’), a catchy tune and a good example of appropriation judging by the versions on songs-of-old Ireland albums. There is nothing like that here, and in true traditional style, the listener is left to decide the emotional weight.
But we are soon back to the trials of life with Homeward Bound. This a song about the Liverpool sailor’s lot, though again, it could be any of a number of ports, and tells of the far too common occurrence of coming home with a full purse and having to set sail again when it is empty.
They are not all solos, though. While Johnny’s fine guitar and distinctive voice remain the focus, he is joined, as already mentioned, by fiddler Mikey Kinney, and Gary Miller provides mandolin on Oakey Strike Evictions. This song came out of a ‘cutting contest’ (think poetry slam or rap battle) and told of events that occurred during the 1885 stoppage in the North West Durham coalfield when striking miners could be evicted from their mine-owned houses.
The final track, Here’s the Tender Coming, features the Brothers Gillespie. What a suitable track to end this set of ups and downs of not just the songs but the lives they represent. The pathos of the plight of the men forced into providing hands for the British fleet – the north-east second only to London in this – is relieved by the spirit of the other north-east boatmen, the keelmen. The Keel Row infectiously enters the air, the flute and violin of The Brothers, and Johnny’s guitar ends True North on a high, bright note on a high, bright day. Watch the video to see.
You may think that this is a disparate collection of songs. Yes they are ‘northern’ but just to say that would be demeaning to the conceptual processes behind the album. Each song stands alone but cannot be easily, if at all, separated from the landscape that forged it, whether it be the Lakeland Hills of Cumbria, the bustle of the port of Liverpool or the physical hard face of the colliery. The almost stark presentation asks us to feel the songs, to laugh, to nod knowingly, to be cross or even angry. It also asks us to consider the place and how much that has influenced the stories behind the songs. Here, we are invited to conjure the visual scenery with the help of the song, the tune, and the aural soundscape. There is no trickery here…folk singing about plain folk and hard lives—field recording in the 21st century and at its best.
True North is out now.
Order today via Bandcamp – Digital/CD/Vinyl
Live Dates
6 March – Nether Edge Folk Club, Sheffield
9 March – Cwtch Coffee, Pembroke Dock
10 March – Old King Arms, Pembroke Dock
14 March – Lightship, Blyth
15 March – Flowergate Hall, Whitby
18 March – Stirling Folk Club
20 March – Harrogate Folk Club
22 March – Kings Place, London (Supporting Angeline Morrison)
23 March – UpCo, Otley
28 March – Live To Your Living Room (Online)
1 April – Green Note, London
2 April – Dartford Folk Club
4 April – The Victory, Hereford
6 April – The Fleece Inn, Bretforton
27 April – Kinder Trespass event
28 April – Polegate Bluebell Roots
All tickets at www.johnnycampbell.co.uk/tour
