Common Ground: Songs of a Changing Landscape
Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith with Edgelarks and Hazel Askew
Can the traditional music of Britain help us to make sense of the current environmental crisis? In this brand-new collaboration, five of British folk’s leading voices reflect on this question and present an atmospheric and inspiring show that explores the environmental undercurrents of traditional folksong.
Through songs of nature and of seasonal transitions, tales of protest, and ballads set within the rise and fall of Britain’s lost industries, this show reaches back into this country’s shared musical history. It unearths the voices of those who have experienced previous changes in our natural landscape and draws out the parallels with today’s environmental struggles.
Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith are a widely acclaimed duo described by the Guardian as ‘both fine singers and instrumentalists’. Their combination of outstanding vocal work, sensitive instrumentation, and a powerful social conscience has brought widespread critical praise including a recent nomination for a 2019 BBC Folk Award.
Edgelarks are dobro and harmonica virtuoso Phillip Henry, and singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Hannah Martin. They combine a British folk sensibility with influences as diverse as the blues and Indian classical slide guitar, to create a sound that is ‘subtle, atmospheric and bravely original’ (Guardian). The BBC Folk Award winners have toured from Japan to South Africa, Canada to Australia, taking their soaring, stomping beatbox harmonica and fiddle ‘world music from the westcountry’ to a global audience.
Hazel Askew is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer from London who creates powerful music inspired by the folk traditions of Britain and beyond. She has been performing on the UK folk scene for over 15 years, finding striking contemporary relevance in traditional music and more recently making her mark as a skilled writer of songs. She is best known for her work with Lady Maisery, The Askew Sisters, feminist collective Coven and has been three times nominated for a BBC Folk Awards, winning Best Album as part of super group Songs of Separation in 2017.
Touring 28 Jan – 14 Feb 2021 – get in touch today!