A NIGHTINGALE SANG IN NOTTINGHAM.....*
*Not in the square though!
In the course of my nearly 40 years as a music fan i've given most genres a listen, and i often consider myself to have fairly eclectic tastes. I've never dismissed a style of music outright, not without giving it a go, however brief! But a few have never really grabbed me: i'm still struggling with Jazz, Prog Rock baffles me, and Folk has just, well, bored me. I have to confess that i have often fallen prey to the notion that Folk music was the preserve of boring bearded men and warbling women in sensible jumpers and dresses, singing "fiddle-de-dee" with a finger in one ear. Some of the music i've been into has had folk or traditional music influences: XTC certainly had a few elements of traditional english music in their sound at one point, The Futureheads delved into it for their inspired Acapella album RANT!; and The Pogues bought their punked-up version of Celtic Folk to the masses. But the appeal of the source material has eluded me - until recently. On the 19th of December i witnessed a performance that changed my opinion forever. Over the last few years i've made compilations of Christmas music for work, and in an attempt to ward off repetitiveness i've scoured the internet and iTunes for music that wasn't included on the usual festive compilations - oldies such as Chuck Berrys' "Run Rudolph Run", alternative hits like "I Want An Alien For Christmas" by Fountains Of Wayne, and - being partial to the odd carol - more traditional music, of which there seems to be a wealth. New Age/Celtic music by Celtic Woman, medieval sounds from Ritchie Blackmores' Blackmores Night, and a hitherto unknown to me Folk singer from Barnsley named Kate Rusby. Upon discovering she had released three albums of Christmas music - including festive folk standards, South Yorkshire versions of traditional carols, and some of her own creation - in amongst her repetoire, i gave a few songs a listen and, liking her voice, added them to my compilations. And for a few years that's been the extent of my interest. I read about her a little, and seeing that she undertakes a Christmas tour every year that always comes to Nottingham i resolved to go and see her. Money and time being short at this time of year, i never got around to it until now. Off i went to the Royal Concert Hall with a mate, and after a couple of mulled ciders in a nearby pub or two we went in and settled in our somewhat cramped seats - the place was packed out, our seats having been amongst the last few available - and on she came. The stage decorated in Christmas lights, Kate welcomed the crowd in her down to earth Yorkshire tones, and after a bit of banter she and her band started playing their first song. The intimate feel of the music and her sweet angelic voice drew us in, and from that moment on we were hooked. The fact that she played songs we hadn't heard yet (from her latest Christmas album, Angels & Men) didn't matter. Every word, every syllable, that came out of her mouth was pure honey. They played their own takes on traditional carols and standards, and South Yorkshire versions of "Hark The Herald Angels Sing", "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night" (the latter in three different versions, all with different tunes, words and arrangements); a jazzy take on "Let It Snow", a warm, less raucous version of "Deck The Halls" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"; and some astonishing songs from the new album. Hushed, intimate yet widescreen soundscapes that owed little to traditional Folk, "Paradise" (a take on the ancient Corpus Christi Carol), and "See Amid The Winter Snow" were as soft as snowfall, haunting as a Winters full moon, and as breathtaking as a early morning frost. The mood in the audience was one of quiet reverence during these songs, and i'd recommend you buy Angels & Men even if it's the only album of Kate's that you ever own, as there is very little difference between what we heard live and what was recorded in a studio. There were lighter moments too; "The Ivy And The Holly", a humorous cover of a parody Folk duo from Norfolk called The Kipper Family, turning the traditional song on its head; and another cover, this time of a song by Canadian singer-songwriter David Myles, a bittersweet tune called "Santa Never Brings Me A Banjo". The last two songs on the album were also played that night, an achingly beautiful New Years song called "Let The Bells Ring", in which we're urged to "cast off the cruel and the sad" whilst remembering those we've lost and loved, but to go into the new year with an open heart and mind, "taking with you what makes your heart glad". The lyrics had particular relevance to both my mate and i as we've both lost family this last year. The album and the gig ended on an up note with "Big Brave Bill Saves Christmas", a childrens story-turned song featuring the South Yorkshire superhero of the title that Kate had originally created as a bedtime story for her kids. A rousing and triumphant song in which BBB saves Christmas TV from a storm shaking Emley Moor mast, rescues two kids from thin ice, and digs Santa out from a snowdrift. Hugely enjoyable and featuring the joyful brass band who played at the gig and on the album, who were dressed as stars in the encore as the rest of the band had taken all the main Nativity characters costumes! I bought Angels & Men in the intermission, along with her second Christmas album, 2011's While Mortals Sleep, and i've played them both daily since. I plan to seek out her non-festive material in the New Year, and i'll let you know what i think of it! Based on what i've heard so far, i've got a feeling i'll like it 😊
In the course of my nearly 40 years as a music fan i've given most genres a listen, and i often consider myself to have fairly eclectic tastes. I've never dismissed a style of music outright, not without giving it a go, however brief! But a few have never really grabbed me: i'm still struggling with Jazz, Prog Rock baffles me, and Folk has just, well, bored me. I have to confess that i have often fallen prey to the notion that Folk music was the preserve of boring bearded men and warbling women in sensible jumpers and dresses, singing "fiddle-de-dee" with a finger in one ear. Some of the music i've been into has had folk or traditional music influences: XTC certainly had a few elements of traditional english music in their sound at one point, The Futureheads delved into it for their inspired Acapella album RANT!; and The Pogues bought their punked-up version of Celtic Folk to the masses. But the appeal of the source material has eluded me - until recently. On the 19th of December i witnessed a performance that changed my opinion forever. Over the last few years i've made compilations of Christmas music for work, and in an attempt to ward off repetitiveness i've scoured the internet and iTunes for music that wasn't included on the usual festive compilations - oldies such as Chuck Berrys' "Run Rudolph Run", alternative hits like "I Want An Alien For Christmas" by Fountains Of Wayne, and - being partial to the odd carol - more traditional music, of which there seems to be a wealth. New Age/Celtic music by Celtic Woman, medieval sounds from Ritchie Blackmores' Blackmores Night, and a hitherto unknown to me Folk singer from Barnsley named Kate Rusby. Upon discovering she had released three albums of Christmas music - including festive folk standards, South Yorkshire versions of traditional carols, and some of her own creation - in amongst her repetoire, i gave a few songs a listen and, liking her voice, added them to my compilations. And for a few years that's been the extent of my interest. I read about her a little, and seeing that she undertakes a Christmas tour every year that always comes to Nottingham i resolved to go and see her. Money and time being short at this time of year, i never got around to it until now. Off i went to the Royal Concert Hall with a mate, and after a couple of mulled ciders in a nearby pub or two we went in and settled in our somewhat cramped seats - the place was packed out, our seats having been amongst the last few available - and on she came. The stage decorated in Christmas lights, Kate welcomed the crowd in her down to earth Yorkshire tones, and after a bit of banter she and her band started playing their first song. The intimate feel of the music and her sweet angelic voice drew us in, and from that moment on we were hooked. The fact that she played songs we hadn't heard yet (from her latest Christmas album, Angels & Men) didn't matter. Every word, every syllable, that came out of her mouth was pure honey. They played their own takes on traditional carols and standards, and South Yorkshire versions of "Hark The Herald Angels Sing", "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night" (the latter in three different versions, all with different tunes, words and arrangements); a jazzy take on "Let It Snow", a warm, less raucous version of "Deck The Halls" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"; and some astonishing songs from the new album. Hushed, intimate yet widescreen soundscapes that owed little to traditional Folk, "Paradise" (a take on the ancient Corpus Christi Carol), and "See Amid The Winter Snow" were as soft as snowfall, haunting as a Winters full moon, and as breathtaking as a early morning frost. The mood in the audience was one of quiet reverence during these songs, and i'd recommend you buy Angels & Men even if it's the only album of Kate's that you ever own, as there is very little difference between what we heard live and what was recorded in a studio. There were lighter moments too; "The Ivy And The Holly", a humorous cover of a parody Folk duo from Norfolk called The Kipper Family, turning the traditional song on its head; and another cover, this time of a song by Canadian singer-songwriter David Myles, a bittersweet tune called "Santa Never Brings Me A Banjo". The last two songs on the album were also played that night, an achingly beautiful New Years song called "Let The Bells Ring", in which we're urged to "cast off the cruel and the sad" whilst remembering those we've lost and loved, but to go into the new year with an open heart and mind, "taking with you what makes your heart glad". The lyrics had particular relevance to both my mate and i as we've both lost family this last year. The album and the gig ended on an up note with "Big Brave Bill Saves Christmas", a childrens story-turned song featuring the South Yorkshire superhero of the title that Kate had originally created as a bedtime story for her kids. A rousing and triumphant song in which BBB saves Christmas TV from a storm shaking Emley Moor mast, rescues two kids from thin ice, and digs Santa out from a snowdrift. Hugely enjoyable and featuring the joyful brass band who played at the gig and on the album, who were dressed as stars in the encore as the rest of the band had taken all the main Nativity characters costumes! I bought Angels & Men in the intermission, along with her second Christmas album, 2011's While Mortals Sleep, and i've played them both daily since. I plan to seek out her non-festive material in the New Year, and i'll let you know what i think of it! Based on what i've heard so far, i've got a feeling i'll like it 😊
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