Playing Lighthouse Poole on Tuesday 1 October with her band The Darkening, Kathryn Tickell is a composer, performer, educator and successful recording artist with a string of releases to her name, whose work is deeply rooted in the landscape and people of Northumbria.
Named after the old Northumbrian word for twilight, The Darkening – Kathryn Tickell (the foremost exponent of the Northumbrian smallpipes, fiddle, vocals), Amy Thatcher (accordion, synth, clogs, vocals), Kieran Szifris (octave mandolin), Joe Truswell (drums, percussion, programming – are joined by Stef Conner from Cambridge (vocals, lyres, sistrum) and Josie Duncan from the Isle of Lewis (vocals, clarsach).
Their inspiration comes from the wild, dramatic, weather-bitten countryside along Hadrian’s Wall, which seems so quintessentially Northumbrian and yet, almost 2000 years ago that same landscape was inhabited by people from around the world, worshipping different gods and following different customs.
Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening explore the connecting threads of music, landscape and people in songs that range from themes of freedom, nature and venturing out into the world after times of darkness, to a Roman inscription with links to Libya and Syria magnetically pulled into the 21st century by Amen-inspired breakbeats, ominous vocals and the wildest of piping.
Kathryn’s extraordinary career began with learning tunes from old shepherd friends and family, and evolved to traverse genres from jazz and global music to large-scale orchestral works, all the time exploring and cultivating her bountiful native heritage of Northumberland.
From her first album, released at the age of 16, Kathryn has carried the voices of her family and her Northumbrian traditions in her pipe and fiddle playing. Long-admired by musicians and collaborators such as Jacob Collier, Sting, and the Penguin Café Orchestra, Kathryn works across many genres, creating material that is contemporary and exciting.
She was the first folk artist to appear at the BBC Proms, as a commissioned composer, curator and performer. Her acclaimed music-theatre show Northumbrian Voices was described by writer David Almond as “beautiful and important work”. Richard Morrison of The Times wrote: “I can’t remember feeling so exhilarated by such a match of music and landscape.” The show toured to over 50 venues including the Purcell Rooms London, Celtic Connections Glasgow and Førde Festival Norway.
Kathryn has been awarded the OBE, and also the Queen’s Medal for Music for her outstanding contribution to British music; the first non-classical recipient of this award. She has twice won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Musician of the Year and is also a regular presenter for BBC Radio 3’s Music Planet.
For more information, visit: lighthousepoole.co.uk
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