''The Unthanks with Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band'', the sixth album by

English folk The folk music of England is a tradition-based music which has existed since the later medieval period. It is often contrasted with courtly, classical and later commercial music. Folk music traditionally was preserved and passed on orally wit ...

group

the Unthanks The Unthanks (until 2009 called Rachel Unthank and the Winterset) are an English folk group known for their eclectic approach in combining traditional English folk, particularly Northumbrian folk music, with other musical genres."They may cal ...

, was released on 30 July 2012. Its extended title is: ''Diversions, Vol. 2: The Unthanks with Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band''. Recorded at

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

The Lowry The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex ope ...

, at

Leeds Town Hall Leeds Town Hall is a 19th-century municipal building on The Headrow (formerly Park Lane), Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Planned to include law courts, a council chamber, offices, a public hall, and a suite of ceremonial rooms, it was built be ...

, at Derby Assembly Rooms and St George's Bristol, it was the Unthanks' second live album. It was acclaimed by the critics, receiving a five-starred review in the ''Daily Express'' and a four-starred review in ''The Guardian''.

History

In a project commissioned by the Durham International Festival of Brass and supported by Arts Council England, and starting with concerts at Durham Cathedral and at London's

Barbican Hall The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...

, the Unthanks began a UK tour in July 2011 with the

Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band is a British brass band formed in 1881. The band is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. The band is known across the world, and is regarded by many as the best and most consistent "p ...

, performing new

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

arrangements of songs from all four Unthanks albums, as well as new material. The recording is of performances on that tour. The album is designated Vol. 2 in the Unthanks' ''Diversions'' series and follows on from Vol. 1 (''

The Songs of Robert Wyatt and Antony & the Johnsons ''The Songs of Robert Wyatt and Antony & the Johnsons'', the fifth album by English folk group the Unthanks and the first to be recorded live, was released on 28 November 2011. Its extended title is: ''Diversions Vol. 1: The Songs of Robert ...

''), which was released in December 2011. Vol. 3 (''

Songs from the Shipyards ''Songs from the Shipyards'', the seventh album by English folk group The Unthanks, was released on 5 November 2012. The album is designated Vol. 3 in The Unthanks' ''Diversions'' series and follows on from Vol. 1 ('' The Songs of Robert Wyat ...

'') was released in November 2012 and Vol. 4 (''

The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake ''The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake'' is an album by English folk group the Unthanks. It was pre-released on the band's website in April 2017, prior to its official release on 26 May 2017, and received a five-starred review in ''The Indepen ...

'') in May 2017.

Reception

In a five-starred review, Martin Townsend in the '' Daily Express'' said it was "easily" the Unthanks' "best and most mature album to date". In a four-starred review,

Robin Denselow Robin Denselow is a British writer, journalist, and broadcaster. Education Denselow was educated at Leighton Park School, a boys' Quaker boarding independent school (now co-educational) in Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described the album as the Unthanks' boldest experiment yet. Jeanette Leach, for

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

, said that while the album is "often emotionally naked, it is musically restorative. By entwining folk and marching bands, two boldly working-class styles, The Unthanks offer a strong hand of comfort to these tales of ordinary sadness".

Kitty Empire Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''. Early life Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britain ...

, reviewing the album for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

,'' said: "The emotional clout is undeniable". Karin Horowitz of

Bright Young Folk Bright may refer to: Common meanings *Bright, an adjective meaning giving off or reflecting illumination; see Brightness *Bright, an adjective meaning someone with intelligence People * Bright (surname) * Bright (given name) *Bright, the stage na ...

, described it as " suitable validation of The Unthanks’ evolving originality and their ability to blend traditional folk with a new edge". Tom Moyser, reviewing the album for ''For Folk's Sake'', said: "every track is as reassuringly traditional as logs on a fireplace, but they crackle with a new wit in combinations that, without contradiction, show British folk – and brass band music – at its most innovative".

Track listing

# "

The King of Rome The King of Rome was a successful racing pigeon, winning a race from Rome, Italy, to England, in 1913. Bred and trained in England, it was owned by Charlie Hudson of Derby. It set a new long-distance record for a racing pigeon of England. The ...

" (Dave Sudbury); recorded live at The Lowry, Salford for the

BBC Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British ra ...

, 7:38 # " Trimdon Grange Explosion" ( Tommy Armstrong); recorded live at Leeds Town Hall 6:29 # "The Father's Suite"; recorded live at Derby Assembly Rooms. Voice of Jack Elliott taken from the BBC film ''Death of a Miner'' ## "George" (

Adrian McNally Adrian McNally is a record producer, a composer/songwriter and a musician with English folk group the Unthanks, which he also manages. As well as producing all of the Unthanks' albums he has produced the compilation album ''Harbour of Songs'' for ...

) 3:26 ## "The Happiness or Otherwise of Society (Jack Elliott)" (Adrian McNally) 1:27 ## "The Father's Song" (

Ewan McColl James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a Folk music, folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, Union organizer, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish people, ...

/Adrian McNally) 5:58 ## "George II" (Max McNally/ Adrian McNally) 4:08 # "

My Lagan Love "My Lagan Love" is a song to a traditional Irish air collected in 1903 in northern Donegal. The English lyrics have been credited to Joseph Campbell (1879–1944, also known as Seosamh MacCathmhaoil and Joseph McCahill, among others).''Songs of ...

" (

Traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

) 4:24; recorded at Derby Assembly Rooms # "Queen of Hearts" (Roud 3195) (Traditional); recorded live at Leeds Town Hall 3:56 # "Gan to the Kye" (Traditional); recorded live at Leeds Town Hall 5:49 # "Felton Lonnin" ( Roud 3166) (Traditional); recorded live at St George's Bristol 7:27 # "Blue Bleezing Blind Drunk" (Traditional); recorded live at St George's Bristol 5:41 # "Newcastle Lullaby" (Traditional); recorded live at Leeds Town Hall 6:12 # "Gresford (The Miner's Hymn)" (Robert Saint); recorded live at St George's Bristol 4:30 # "Fareweel Regality" (Terry Conway); recorded live at Leeds Town Hall 6:19

Personnel

;The Unthanks * Rachel Unthank – voice * Becky Unthank – voice *

– piano, voice, drum on "King of Rome" * Chris Price – voice (lead vocal on "Queen of Hearts"), drums on "Felton Lonnin", cymbals on "The King of Rome" * Niopha Keegan – voice (lead vocal on "

") performing with

, conducted by Sandy Smith

Production

The album was produced by Adrian McNally and mastered by Nigel Palmer at Lowland MastersAlbum sleeve notes in

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The population was 15, ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

Album artwork

The illustration on the album cover is by Becky Unthank (who is the lead singer on "The King of Rome") and depicts the character Charlie from the song. The sleeve design was by Steven Wainwright and featured photography by Graham Whitmore, Ken Drew and Jeff Goldberg.

References

External links

The Unthanks: official website

The Brighouse and Rastrick Band: official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unthanks with Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band 2012 live albums Albums produced by Adrian McNally Live folk albums The Unthanks albums