Serious Sam Barrett drops his new album, A Drop of The Morning Dew: Live at Bacca Pipes Folk Club, on March 1st (Crow Lane Records). The album was recorded live at Bacca Pipes in Keighley, a Yorkshire folk club that has hosted the likes of Peter Bellamy, Martin Carthy, Norma Waterson, Julie Felix and many more. Barrett is no stranger to such traditions:
“Folk clubs have always been part of my life,” he says. “My parents met in one, and I was taken to the clubs and festivals from a young age. The clubs have always been a massive source of inspiration for my music. The magic that happens week in and weekout is impossible to put into words. Sometimes the experience is almost transcendental. The old pubs, the reverence for the singers, the jokes, the raffle, the stories and the music. There’s nothing like it.”
With his last album, The Seeds of Love, he wanted to make “a proper folk record”, something David Pratt was keen to note in his review that he succeeded admirably.
Several tracks from The Seeds of Love feature on this live album, on which he brings it all home. Watch the accompanying video to the title track below on which he shares:
“One of the club regulars is a lovely woman called Molly Binns. Molly came up to me and said ‘Is it Sam?’. I said ‘Yes it’s me, Molly’. She replied that she hadn’t seen me in years and that I didn’t look any different. She then came out with something that blew my mind. She told me that if I wanted to stay looking young I should go into the fields in the morning and rub the morning dew on my face. It seemed like such a beautiful and ancient piece of advice and I couldn’t get it out of my head and that’s how the song was born. I subsequently discovered that this practice is very prevalent in British and Irish folklore often being associated with May Day rituals and May Queens and such. There’s even a folk song ‘May Dew’ about this very practice.”
“I was actually singing this song to Molly for the first time that night, and if you listen very carefully, you can probably hear her singing along with the chorus.”
Sam performed at one of the stages I curated for Sidmouth a while back. I was so taken by his set and how he engaged with his audience that I purchased all of the releases he had at his merch table…he’s the real deal. I encourage you to see him live and buy this album. See his live dates below.
Serious Sam Barrett Live Dates
15 FEB 2024 THU
For Mellowtone @ 19:00
Liverpool
17 FEB 2024 SAT
Jumpin Hot Club @ 19:00
Newcastle Upon Tyne
24 FEB 2024 SAT
Roman Lakes Leisure Park @ 18:00
Marple
25 FEB 2024 SUN
Come Down and Meet The Folks @ 16:00
London
26 FEB 2024 MON
The New Inn @ 20:00
Canterbury
28 FEB 2024 WED
Rooster’s Brewing Co. Taproom @ 19:30
Harrogate
29 FEB 2024 THU
Platform Bar @ 20:00
Bradford
2 MAR 2024 SAT
Jumbo Records – Exclusive in store show! Pre-order the new album for priority entry. @ 14:00
Leeds
2 MAR 2024 SAT
The Bradley Arms @ 20:00
Featherstone
3 MAR 2024 SUN
Gather Beers @ 16:00
Ulverston
9 MAR 2024 SAT
In association with Shed Load Records featuring Lewis Burner @ 20:00
Guiseley
17 MAR 2024 SUN
Calder Vale Hotel @ 15:00
Wakefield
24 MAR 2024 SUN
For Demento 66 @ 19:00
Glossop
1 APR 2024 MON
Bingley First Monday Folk @ 19:30
Bingley
3 APR 2024 WED
Otley Folk Club @ 19:30
Otley
7 APR 2024 SUN
Playhouse Penrith @ 19:30
Penrith
25 APR 2024 THU
Topic Folk Club @ 20:00
Shipley
27 MAY 2024 MON
Throwback Coffee House @ 19:00
Wakefield
More here: https://www.serioussambarrett.co.uk/
Bandcamp: https://serioussambarrett.bandcamp.com/