Edinburgh Tradfest: Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening

"No one has evoked the landscape and traditions of Northumbria more affectingly than Kathryn Tickell; a champion of the Northumbrian pipes, she is steeped in the songs and mythology of the north-east. ★★★★" – The Guardian

Kathryn Tickell’s inspiration for The Darkening comes from the wild, dramatic, weather-bitten countryside along Hadrian’s Wall, which seems so quintessentially Northumbrian…and yet, 1900 years ago that same landscape was inhabited by people from the furthest reaches of the Roman Empire, worshipping different gods and following different customs.

Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening embrace that global perspective, bringing some of the oldest Northumbrian tunes and songs throbbing to life, intermingling them with new material and binding it all together with contemporary resonance and attitude.

The Darkening are:

Kathryn Tickell – Northumbrian smallpipes, fiddle, voice

Joe Truswell – drums, percussion

Amy Thatcher – accordion, synths, voice, clog dancing

Josie Duncan – voice, harp

Kieran Szifris – octave mandolin

Kathryn Tickell first took up the smallpipes at the age of 9. She learnt tunes from hill-shepherd friends and family, recording them on her trusty cassette player. Since then she has taken the musical spirit of ancient Northumbria to stages all over the world.

Her work is deeply rooted in the landscape and people of Northumbria. Kathryn has released 15 of her own albums and has also recorded and performed with Sting, The Chieftains, The Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Evelyn Glennie, Jacob Collier, Andy Sheppard, Royal Northern Sinfonia and many others. She has twice won “Musician of the Year” at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and was awarded the OBE for services to folk music. Kathryn is also a presenter for BBC Radio 3’s popular roots music programme Music Planet.

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