On March 10th One Little Independent are proud to release the high-concept debut album from the brand-new collaboration between three of UK folk’s most unique and prestigious voices; Marry Waterson, Lisa Knapp and Nathaniel Mann. ‘Blackletter Garland’ by Hack-Poets Guild boasts twelve fascinating interpretations and original compositions that tell intricate tales of birth, love, conflict and death, with all the imagination of the folklore from which they’re based.
Inspired by historic broadside ballads, the trio rejuvenate and reinvent these stories, bringing them vividly to life for a new generation. Following an invite to the Bodleian Library by Sound UK Arts, the disposable song sheets (that would’ve once sold for pence, and were the forerunners of modern news media) gave a rare insight into the past whilst striking a chord with themes still relevant today. Celebrated film composer and multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver helped in their exploration as a producer, and in adding fresh ideas to these past texts.
Across the LP anecdotal, descriptive yarns are spun to a backdrop of atmospheric strings, rustic instrumentation and elegant vocal harmonies used precisely to communicate the victims as easily as they do the villains. The result is a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable balance between the traditional and contemporary.
Drawn to folklore, customs, ghosts, witches and legends, Marry Waterson wrote album opener ‘Ten Tongues’, a gothic windswept beauty, from a story collected by 18th century Oxonian Percy Manning. “Birds build a nest in a rotting skull, deliciously dark but here we see a cycle of rebirth too” she tells us. Fascinated by the origin of idioms ‘Laying The Ghost’ tells of spirits that are “read down” until they are small enough to be trapped in a box and laid in a body of water – Marry’s poetic lyrics and other-worldly voice forewarn as waters run dry and the spectre rises.
Marry adapted the lyrics for ‘Something To Love Me’ and ‘Be Kind To Each Other’ from the Harding Collection in the Bodleian. “This is the language of yesteryear shaped into contemporary melodies of my own”, she says, and the sentiments still resonate today, particularly on ‘Be Kind To Each Other’, with lyrics detailing the loss of loved ones, carry extra poignancy following the events of last couple of years. “No lies, no envy, no slights, don’t let anything get in the way of keeping your loved ones close, because the world can be a very cruel place”.
Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and BBC Folk Award Winner Lisa Knapp brings her renowned expressive originality to the first single release off the album, ‘Daring Highwayman’, eschewing any allusions to grandeur Lisa delivers a disarming, brazen almost-spoken vocal to animate this pervasive story. “The idea of the highwayman as a sort of Robin Hood character has persisted for centuries, pushing itself out of ballad sheets and right into popular culture which is really intriguing. I thought it would be an interesting place to start and I think the narrative sits perfectly with the audacious glam-rock treatment here incited by producer Gerry and drummer Laurence Hunt.”
In her treatment of 17th century polemic ‘The Troubles of This World’ Lisa’s strident vocal makes a compelling case for the struggle of the poor and working class against the tyranny of the powerful. “When I first saw this set of verses I couldn’t believe how modern they felt. This could have been written last week.” Joined by Marry & Nathan on full harmony and chorus duties together with jarring strings this track beats the drum for an end to inequality with as much poignancy now as at any time in history.
By contrast Knapp’s emotive treatment of ‘Birds of Harmony’, with its utterly unique sound world, tells a bewitching origin myth of the birds of the forest. Conjuring a track full of space for notes of regret, sadness, lost love and found love; the reasons the birds give for their colours and songs Lisa weave’s two historic tunes together seamlessly to create a rare glamour of mystical charm. “These verses really stood out for me as I’ve only ever heard this in fragmentary form on an archive. Mostly birds in song are used as a vehicle for human stories but this ballad presents itself as the birds singing for themselves like a sort of genesis which is really unusual and that appealed to me.”
Nathaniel Mann, a prize-winning experimental composer, performer and sound designer, also describes the true history behind the solemn track ‘The Devil’s Cruelty’, based on the real-life tragedy of George Gibbs who in 1663 was tempted by the Devil to take his own life. “This is an inconsolable tragedy; and George Gibbs could represent anyone. In the song we learn that George has love, work, no debts and good health, and that his neighbours think he is quite happy. Yet the devil returns time and again to tempt him to take his own life. Folk song often references suicide, with star-crossed lovers making pacts, throwing themselves overboard, taking their own lives due to heartbreak. But it’s really unusual to find an account like this, one that can be so easily interpreted as someone severely struggling with their mental health. For me it’s insightful to hear this true story of a Londoner from the past, and to recognise the presence of these issues throughout time. Somehow that fosters a greater connectedness, an understanding, an empathy.”
Elsewhere on the album, ‘Hemp & Flax’ takes its title from hemp beating, sung from the perspective of female inmates at Bridewell prison and is performed with a hemp beating brake and mallet. A drastic swerve away from conventional folk tones comes with ‘Meat For Worms’. Dating back to the 16th C. this ancient existentialist lyric is brought into sharp 21st C. focus with contemporary production to create a distorted, autotuned and pitch-shifted hymn.
As an example of how these narratives have travelled the world, before we’re seen out we’re left with ‘Cruel Mother’. This particular version of the disturbing murder ballad was collected in North Carolina by Cecil Sharp in 1916, from the singing of Ms Rosie Hensley. Using her plucked fiddle and minimal production Knapp’s sensitive and stark vocal steadily conveys this harrowing tale. The constant refrain “all alone and aloney” a salient condition of the protagonist yet its repetition lends a chilling lullaby quality throughout in perfect antithesis to the immense darkness and desperation present all along.
On ‘Blackletter Garland’ the acclaimed trio combine a wealth of knowledge and history, on an album that deeply conveys the passion, research and authenticity that the writers, poets and their stories deserve.
About Marry Waterson
Marry Waterson is part of the fabric of folk history, making her first appearance when she was just 12 years old on the album ‘A True Hearted Girl’ (Topic Records) with her mother Lal, and Aunt Norma Waterson. Although there are echoes of her mother’s singular voice, Marry is as unique and daring as they come. Often collaborating with different writers, musicians, and producers, she stretches the boundaries of not only folk but songwriting itself, where real life is refracted through the myths, legends and proverbs that shape the memory.
Waterson sings her songs into existence. She doesn’t play any instruments. Neither does she sit at a computer screen, using state-of-the-art technology to recreate the music that appears in her head. Rather, words appear, phrased in a way that suggests music. With melody comes rhythm. Only then does she sing them so that her fellow musicians can hear what she hears.
In 2007 live performances at BBC Proms and The Royal Albert Hall showcased her earthy, captivating vocals. In 2010 She played Sydney Opera House for Hal Willner performing with Todd Rungdren, Tim Robbins, Peaches and more. Signing to One Little Independent Records in the same year, Marry released the seminal debut with her brother and guitarist Oliver Knight, ‘The Days That Shaped Me’, which was nominated for a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award. The duo returned the following year with a second LP, ‘Hidden’.
In partnership with the Barbican, in 2013 Marry curated a tour revisiting Lal & Mike Waterson's landmark 1972 folk-rock album, ‘Bright Phoebus’, performing alongside family, Jarvis Cocker, Richard Hawley and more. In the same year she designed and produced ‘Teach Me to Be a Summer's Morning’, a book and CD celebrating the works of Lal, released on Fledg'ling Records.
In 2015 Waterson released her third album, ‘Two Wolves’, which was nominated for two BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, collaborating with guitarist David A. Jaycock and producers Neill MacColl and Kate St. John. This was followed by 'Death Had Quicker Wings Than Love' which was released in 2017 and produced by Portishead's Adrian Utley. Her last album ‘A Window To The Other Ways’ was co-written with award winning singer Emily Barker and produced by Adem Ilhan.
Drawing from her exceptional musical heritage, her talents as a beguiling storyteller have also crossed over into animation and filmmaking.
More recently One Little Independent Records celebrated the 10th anniversary of ‘The Days That Shaped Me’ with a Record Store Day reissue on vinyl for the very first time, alongside live band recordings and new songs.
About Lisa Knapp
Folk singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, South London’s Lisa Knapp has been much in demand touring the length and breadth of the UK since her remarkable debut, ‘Wild & Undaunted’ in 2007, marked her out as one of the brightest and most innovative players in a newly invigorated British folk movement.
The success of ‘Wild And Undaunted’ led to frequent appearances on TV and radio, including tribute concerts to Lal Waterson for BBC Electric Proms and Bert Jansch (BBC4 TV at Queen Elizabeth Hall-where she sang alongside Robert Plant and Bernard Butler). Lisa also became much in demand as a collaborator and contributor, performing with Dave Swarbrick, Eliza Carthy, Mike Waterson, Shirley Collins, Sam Lee, Kathryn Williams, James Yorkston, Mara Carlyle, Olivia Chaney, Leafcutter John, Dead Rat Orchestra and The Memory Band to name but a few.
Lisa won the coveted BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Original Track, ‘Two Ravens’, on release of her entirely self-penned second album ‘Hidden Seam’ from which her ‘Shipping Song’ caught the attention of BBC Radio 4 who subsequently invited her to present a documentary on the Shipping Forecast and its influence on the arts, called Shipping Songs.
A long-held fascination with dark narrative, ritual and folklore lead to ‘Till April Is Dead - A Garland of May’ in which she wove field recordings (birdsong, ticking clocks, church bells, street sounds and engines) via a plethora of acoustic instruments into an array of traditional folk songs to create an exhilarating and immersive trip through the month of May.
While it’s true that Lisa Knapp’s music is steeped in old weird England and its mysterious customs, it’s not a nostalgia for idyllic yesteryears. These are records made amidst the reality of a Britain which is anything but merry. You can hear it in her use of sampled street sounds; the cut-up vocals; the very modern manipulation of sound – a tension between then and now where Lisa’s music sparks. These reminders of where we came from also ask us who we are now.
About Nathaniel Mann
Oscillating between music and sound, Mann has a compositional practice that is expansive in scope and varied in form. He takes on many roles in his work, including researcher, instrument-maker, archive-digger, surround-sound designer, filmmaker, broadcaster, producer, curator, entrepreneur, sonic-artist and folksinger. He is also one third of the experimental folk ensemble, Dead Rat Orchestra – frequent tour support for Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Nathaniel’s music probes history, politics and audio culture, resisting established formats for creating music, which he does with professionals and enthusiasts from vast fields; filmmakers, musicians, visual artists, academics, curators, a pigeon fancier and a swordsmith.
Nathaniel has also performed on the albums of many of the UK’s avant-folk scenes most revered stalwarts; C Joynes, Nick Jonah Davis, Jim Ghedi. He has shared the stage with Cath and Phil Tyler, Martin Carthy, Islam Chipsy, to name a few. He writes and presents feature documentaries for BBC Radio 3, 4 and the World Service; each of his programmes have been selected as BBC “Radio 4’s Pick of the Week".
He was awarded the Paul Hamlyn Award 2019, Arts Foundation Fellow 2018 and his work Pigeon Whistles (2013), a flying orchestra of flute-carrying Birmingham Roller pigeons, won the George Butterworth Prize for Composition in 2015. He was the British Council /PRSF Musician in Residence in Xingu, Brazil in 2018, and Sound and Music’s Embedded Composer in Residence at OCM/The Pitt Rivers Museum 2012-2014.
His hand made instruments (Meat Cleaver and Pigeon Whistles) form part of the collection at Oxford University’s Pitt Rivers Museum, where he has also curated exhibits. He has produced sound designs and Installations for Zara and Christian Dior. Nathaniel is also a long-term collaboration with the Indigenous Wauja community in Brazil, supporting cultural projects and international collaborations.
For more information contact Stefan.Hayes@v2benelux.com
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