The Unthanks (until 2009 called Rachel Unthank and the Winterset) are an

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 known for their eclectic approach in combining traditional English folk, particularly Northumbrian folk music, with other musical genres."They may call themselves folk musicians, but it is the strains of jazz, foreign scales and other unlikely influences that set The Unthanks apart from the rest of the Neo-folk movement."
"The Unthanks seem to regard folk music the same way Miles Davis regarded jazz: as a launchpad for exploring the wider possibilities."
Their debut album, '' Cruel Sister'', was ''Mojo'' magazine's Folk Album of the Year in 2005. Of their subsequent albums, nine have received four or five-starred reviews in the British national press. Their album '' Mount the Air'', released in 2015, won in the best album category in the 2016

BBC Radio 2 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 ...

. In 2017 they released two albums featuring the songs and poems of

Molly Drake Mary Drake (born Mary Lloyd); 5 November 1915 – 4 June 1993), also known as Molly Drake, was an English poet and musician, best known as the mother of the actress Gabrielle Drake and the musician Nick Drake. Molly Drake never released any o ...

, mother of singer-songwriter and musician

Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He did not find a wide audience during his lifetime, but his work gradually achieved wider notice and recognit ...

. '' Lines (Parts One, Two & Three)'', a trilogy of albums about the

Hull triple trawler tragedy (1968) The Hull triple trawler tragedy was the sinking of three trawlers from the British fishing port of Kingston upon Hull during January and February 1968. A total of 58 crew members died, with just one survivor. The three sinkings brought widesprea ...

, the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the poems of

Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, ''Wuthering Heights'', now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poet ...

, the principal link between them being their focusing on female perspectives across time, was released in February 2019. Their album, ''

Live and Unaccompanied ''Live and Unaccompanied'' is an a cappella album by English folk group the Unthanks, recorded live at various venues in the UK and Ireland in April and May 2019 and released in March 2020. It consists of 13 songs, sung by Rachel and Becky Untha ...

'', was released in March 2020. Their album ''

Sorrows Away ''Sorrows Away'' is an album by English folk group The Unthanks. It was released on 14 October 2022 and received four-star reviews in ''The Observer'' and ''The Scotsman'' and a five-star review in the ''Financial Times The ''Financial Times ...

'' was released on 14 October 2022 and received four-starred reviews in ''

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 w ...

'' and ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...

'' and a five-starred review in the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

''.

Career

Rachel Unthank and the Winterset

''Cruel Sister''

Originally an

all-female band An all-female band is a musical group in popular music that is exclusively composed of female musicians. This is distinct from a girl group, in which the female members are solely vocalists, though this terminology is not universally followed. While ...

, Rachel Unthank and the Winterset made their debut performance at

Holmfirth Holmfirth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, on the A635 and A6024 in the Holme Valley, at the confluence of the River Holme and Ribble, south of Huddersfield and west of Barnsley. It mostly consist ...

Folk Festival on 7 May 2004 and launched their debut album '' Cruel Sister'' at the same festival venue the following year, on 11 May 2005. ''Cruel Sister'' received support from a number of DJs on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

and was subsequently awarded Folk Album of the Year by ''Mojo'' magazine.

''The Bairns''

Their follow-up album, '' The Bairns'', released on 20 August 2007, was nominated for the Best Album award at the

2008 and was runner-up for the 2008

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...

. The album debuted in the UK Top 200 Albums Chart at number 178 in the week after the Mercury Prize award ceremony. Reviewing ''The Bairns'' 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 o ...

, Mel Ledgard described it as "an album with a cinematic quality, huge in dramatic atmosphere". 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, followed by New College, Oxford, wher ...

of ''The Guardian'' nominated it as "one of the folk records of the year". The band were nominated for three further BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2008 (Best Band, Best Live Act, Horizon Award), and were successful in one category, receiving the Horizon Award at the ceremony in The Brewery, London.

The Unthanks

''Here's the Tender Coming''

In 2009, the band became the Unthanks, and their manager

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 ...

and his childhood friend Chris Price joined the group. ''

Here's the Tender Coming ''Here's the Tender Coming'', the third album by English folk group the Unthanks, and the first under The Unthanks moniker, was released in the United Kingdom on 14 September 2009 and in North America on 23 March 2010. It was Folk Album of t ...

'', their third album (and the first under the Unthanks moniker), was released on 14 September 2009. It was Folk Album of the Year for ''

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 ...

'' and also for ''Mojo'' magazine. Sid Smith, of BBC Music, described it as an "astonishing record", "beautiful", "haunting", and "beguiling". In a four-starred review for ''The Guardian'', Colin Irwin said: "This album may not be quite as bleak as The Bairns, and the sound is more sophisticated, but they still sound like nobody else... Tracks build slowly and mysteriously, but all are in service of the song. Their arrangement of the title track − a traditional song about the emotional devastation wrought by press gangs − brilliantly encapsulates the story's fraught desperation. Their version of Nobody Knew She Was There, one of

Ewan MacColl James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as one of the ...

's lesser-known songs about his mother, painstakingly paints a similarly dramatic backdrop with more atmospheric brass, and they put their own stamp on the Nic Jones classic, Annachie Gordon."

''Last''

Their fourth album, ''

Last A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts typically come in pairs and have been made from various materials, including hardwoods, cast iron, and ...

'', was released on 14 March 2011, reaching number 40 in the

UK albums chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

, and received a five-starred review in the ''

Sunday Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' and four-starred reviews in ''The Guardian'' and ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

''. In his review for the ''Sunday Express'', Martin Townsend proclaimed it "a gorgeously unhurried, utterly mesmerising masterpiece". Thomas H Green of ''The Daily Telegraph'' said it was "string-laden and luscious but also delicate, wistful and melancholy".

, for ''The Guardian'', described it as "a bold and highly original set". Sid Smith, for BBC Music, said that "Proving once again that sad songs are very often the best, their fourth album is brimming with material that is as haunting as it is beautiful." Writing in ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', Anthony Thornton said that the album "proves the mix of Rachel and Becky’s voices to be one of the true wonders of 21st-century music". As well as traditional material, the album included a song written by band member Adrian McNally ("Last"), and versions of songs by Jon Redfern ("Give Away Your Heart"),

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

and

Kathleen Brennan Kathleen Patricia Brennan (born 1955) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and artist. She is known for her work as a co-writer, producer, and influence on the work of her husband Tom Waits. Biography Brennan was born in Cork, ...

( "No One Knows I'm Gone"),

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

(" Starless") and

Alex Glasgow Alex Glasgow (14 October 1935 – 14 May 2001) was an English singer-songwriter from Low Fell, Gateshead, England. He wrote the songs and music for the musical plays ''Close the Coal House Door'' and '' On Your Way, Riley!'' by Alan Plater, and ...

("Close the Coalhouse Door").

''The Songs of Robert Wyatt and Antony & The Johnsons''

In a departure from their usual practice of showcasing material from their studio albums, the Unthanks performed two concerts at London's Union Chapel on 8 and 9 December 2010 consisting entirely of material written by

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...

and by Antony Hegarty of

Antony and the Johnsons Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro label ...

. The concerts were recorded, and ''

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 ...

'', a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

based on these recordings, was released on 28 November 2011 to coincide with a UK tour. In a four-starred review, ''

'' called the album "A triumphant excursion".

''The Unthanks with Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band''

In July 2011, starting with concerts at

Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...

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 exhibi ...

, they began a UK tour 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 arrangements of songs from all four Unthanks albums, as well as new material. A live album, based on these concerts, was released in July 2012. In a four-starred review, Robin Denselow of ''The Guardian'' described the album as the Unthanks' boldest experiment yet. In a five-starred review, Martin Townsend in the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' said it was "easily the band’s best and most mature album to date". The album was designated Vol. 2 in the Unthanks' Diversions series and followed on from Vol. 1 (''The Songs of Robert Wyatt and Antony & The Johnsons'').

''Songs from the Shipyards''

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 ...

'', Vol. 3 in the Unthanks' Diversions series, was released in November 2012. This is a studio-recorded album of songs from a soundtrack, compiled by the Unthanks, which was first performed live in February 2011 at

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

Tyneside Cinema The Tyneside Cinema is an independent cinema in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the city's only full-time independent cultural cinema, specialising in the screening of independent and world cinema from across the globe. The last remaining Newsreel t ...

to accompany the showing of a documentary film by Richard Fenwick about the history of shipbuilding on the Tyne,

Wear Wear is the damaging, gradual removal or deformation of material at solid surfaces. Causes of wear can be mechanical (e.g., erosion) or chemical (e.g., corrosion). The study of wear and related processes is referred to as tribology. Wear in m ...

and Tees. The album includes

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

's "Shipbuilding" and songs by

Graeme Miles Graeme Miles (1935 – 29 March 2013) was an English folk singer and songwriter based in Middlesbrough. Born in Greenwich, London, he grew up in Teesside and studied at West Hartlepool Art School. He became enamored with folk music and with the T ...

, Alex Glasgow,

Archie Fisher Archie Macdonald Fisher (born 23 October 1939) is a Scottish folk singer and songwriter. He has released several solo albums since his first, eponymous album, in 1968. Fisher composed the song "The Final Trawl", recorded on the album ''Windwa ...

John Tams John Tams (born 16 February 1949) is an English actor, singer, songwriter, composer and musician born in Holbrook, Derbyshire, the son of a publican. He first worked as a reporter for the '' Ripley & Heanor News'' later working for BBC Radio De ...

Peter Bellamy Peter Franklyn Bellamy (8 September 1944 – 24 September 1991) was an English folk singer. He was a founding member of The Young Tradition and also had a long solo career, recording numerous albums and touring folk clubs and concert halls. He ...

and

Jez Lowe John Gerard "Jez" Lowe (born 14 July 1955) is an English folk singer-songwriter. Lowe was born and raised in County Durham, in a family with Irish roots. He is known primarily for his compositions dealing with daily life in North-East England, ...

, plus a centrepiece track, "The Romantic Tees", written by Adrian McNally. In a four-starred review ''The Observers Neil Spencer described it as "a stark creation, using little more than piano, violin and voices" but said that its minimalism "lends poignancy to songs and poetry narrating the glory and grime of a vanished era".

''Mount the Air''

Their album '' Mount the Air'', released in February 2015, received five-starred reviews in ''The Daily Telegraph'' and ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

''. ''The Telegraph''s reviewer Helen Brown described the album as "a slow, swirling affair that mixes original material with traditional tales. Underpinned by McNally’s cool, fluid piano it’s simultaneously ancient and fresh." Joe Breen, writing in ''The Irish Times'', called it "their most ambitious work" and said that it "places them in the same league as the likes of The Gloaming and the Punch Brothers". In a four-starred review for the ''

'', David Honigmann said: "Once a bleak Northumbrian chamber folk outfit, the Unthanks have reinvented themselves on a symphonic scale, as witness the 10-minute title track, ushered in on harps and with an orchestration that recalls Gil Evans’s work for Miles Davis." Robin Denselow, in a four-starred review for ''The Guardian'', said: "This is a return to the gentle melancholia of Last, and while there are fine vocals from the Unthank sisters, the dominant figure is Rachel’s husband, Adrian McNally, who plays keyboards and percussion, and produced and wrote much of the music... It’s a lush, often exquisite set". Teddy Jamieson, writing in the ''

Sunday Herald The ''Sunday Herald'' was a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published between 7 February 1999 and 2 September 2018. Originally a broadsheet, it was published in compact format from 20 November 2005. The paper was known for having combined a centre- ...

'', said: "The Unthanks return with an album that takes the folk tradition the sisters grew up on and sails it into wilder waters... Folk's storytelling tradition is still very much at the heart of this album. But what thrills here is the sense of scale at play in the music, the unrushed, easeful way the musicians stretch into songs, let them linger without ever overstaying their welcome. That and the earthy humanity of the sisters' voices." However, ''

s Neil Spencer bucked the trend, giving the album three stars, and criticising the "ambitious but lumbering orchestration... Two instrumentals eschew the group’s strength; more voices please". ''Mount the Air'' was the winner in the best album category in the 2016

''Memory Box'' and ''Archive Treasures 2005–2015''

In December 2015 they released ''Memory Box'', a package containing a new CD, a Christmas 7" single (the first Unthanks single to be issued in this format) and other items to commemorate the band's 10th anniversary. The CD, ''

Archive Treasures 2005–2015 ''Archive Treasures 2005–2015'', the ninth album by English folk group the Unthanks, was released on 11 December 2015. It contains archive recordings, most of them previously unreleased, spanning the group's 10-year history of recording. The ...

'', which was also released as a stand-alone item, includes exclusive live tracks, demos and

outtakes An outtake is a portion of a work (usually a film or music recording) that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and DV ...

and BBC session tracks.

''The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake''

In May 2017 they released two albums, ''

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 ...

'' and ''The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake: Extras'', featuring songs written by

, mother of

. ''The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake'' received a five-starred review in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''.

''Lines''

Lines Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

'', a trilogy of albums about the 1968 Hull triple trawler tragedy, poetry of the

and the poems of

, was pre-released on the band's website in November 2018 and officially released on 22 February 2019. It received a four-starred review in ''The Guardian''.

''Live and Unaccompanied''

'', released in March 2020, is an audio CD of 13 songs, sung by Rachel and Becky Unthank and Niopha Keegan without the accompaniment of other members of The Unthanks band. The album was recorded live at various venues in the UK and Ireland in April and May 2019. It is also packaged in a "Special film edition" which includes a film ''As We Go'', by Ainslie Henderson (who is the partner of band member Becky Unthank), about The Unthanks' life on the road. The album is designated Vol. 5 in the Unthanks' Diversions series and follows on from Vol. 1 (''

''), released in November 2011, Vol. 2 (''

The Unthanks with Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band ''The Unthanks with Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band'', the sixth album by English folk group the Unthanks, was released on 30 July 2012. Its extended title is: ''Diversions, Vol. 2: The Unthanks with Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band''. Reco ...

)'', released in July 2012, Vol. 3 (''

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

''), released in May 2017.

''Sorrows Away''

Their album ''

'' was released on 14 October 2022 and received four-starred reviews in ''

'' and ''

'' and a five-starred review in the ''

''.

Other recordings

The Unthanks performed the title track "Oak, Ash and Thorn" on the 2011 ''Oak Ash Thorn'', a compilation of songs by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

set to music by

. The 2012 album ''Harbour of Songs'', produced by Adrian McNally, featured the Unthanks in two songs, "The Ruler" with

Nick Hornby Nicholas Peter John Hornby (born 17 April 1957) is an English writer and lyricist. He is best known for his memoir ''Fever Pitch'' and novels '' High Fidelity'' and '' About a Boy'', all of which were adapted into feature films. Hornby's work f ...

and "Dream of a Tree in a Spanish Graveyard" with Ian MacMillan. The latter track subsequently appeared on the Unthanks' album of archive recordings, ''Archive Treasures 2005–2015''. In 2015, the Unthanks contributed vocals to the song "A Forest" from the album 8:58, a project by

Paul Hartnoll Paul Hartnoll (born 19 May 1968) is one of two brothers (the other being Phil Hartnoll) who make up the electronic dance act Orbital. History Hartnoll played in a local band during the mid-1980s, Noddy and the Satellites, featuring clarinetis ...

. Becky Unthank and Rachel Unthank are featured on

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

's 2013 album '' The Last Ship'' and on

Kathryn Tickell Kathryn Tickell, OBE, DL (born 8 June 1967) is an English musician, noted for playing the Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle. Music career Early life Kathryn Tickell was born in Walsall, then in Staffordshire, to parents who originated fro ...

's 2016 album ''Water of Tyne''. Rachel Unthank provided vocals and cello on Simon Haworth's 1998 album ''Coast to Coast'' and on his 2003 album ''Taking Routes''. She also played cello on Julian Sutton's 2005 album ''Melodeon Crimes''. Rachel Unthank and Adrian McNally provided backing vocals on

Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell were a contemporary English folk duo. Although they played some traditional songs, most of the songs they sang were their own compositions influenced by the folk tradition, but also songs by other artists such as Bob ...

's 2010 EP ''The North Farm Sessions'' and on their 2011 album ''Kite''. Becky Unthank provided vocals and music boxes on Martin Green's 2014 album ''Crows' Bones'' and co-wrote two of the songs. She also sings on Martin Green's 2016 album ''Flit''.

Podcasts

In 2012, Rachel Unthank performed songs in a podcast for ''The Guardian'' on Royalty and the English folk song.

Television and radio

On 16 December 2012 (repeated on 4 March 2013), the Unthanks presented ''A Very English Winter: The Unthanks'', a one-hour television programme on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

. This showed the customs that people celebrated on different days of the later autumn and winter, and ended with information about the famous Pancake Race at Olney. Rachel and Becky Unthank and Adrian McNally hosted an

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

-themed programme that was broadcast on

BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

on 6 April 2015. It consisted of two hours of music by

P J Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...

Eliza Carthy Eliza Amy Forbes Carthy, MBE (born 23 August 1975) is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing the fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson. Life and ca ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

and other personal favourites from their own record collections, followed by three hours of BBC archive live music and vintage BBC documentaries. Series 3 of the

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

TV series ''

Detectorists ''Detectorists'' is a British comedy television series first broadcast on BBC Four in October 2014. It is written and directed by Mackenzie Crook, who also stars alongside Toby Jones. The series is set in the fictional small town of Danebury i ...

'' was inspired by Dave Dodds' song "Magpie", as performed by the Unthanks on their album '' Mount the Air'', and the song was played in the first episode of the series. On 3 August 2018 the group performed at

The Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

in ''Prom 27: Folk Music around Britain and Ireland.'' Their set included "Magpie", "Gan to the Kye", "Mount the Air" and "The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry". The Unthanks composed and performed the soundtrack for the 2019 BBC production of ''

Worzel Gummidge Worzel Gummidge is a scarecrow in British children's fiction, who originally appeared in a series of books by the English novelist Barbara Euphan Todd.

'', and appeared on screen in the Christmas 2020 episode "Saucy Nancy".

Personal lives

Rachel and Becky Unthank are sisters, born seven and a half years apart, who grew up in

Ryton, Tyne and Wear Ryton is a village in Tyne and Wear, England. It is in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, formerly governed under the county of Durham. In 2011, the population of the Ryton, Crookhill and Stella ward was 8,146. It is west of Newcastle upo ...

. Rachel graduated from the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

with a degree in History and Theatre Studies; Becky studied History of Art and Design at

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Educat ...

. Their father, George Unthank, is an interior designer and a well-known local Northumberland folk singer in a group called The Keelers, named after the boatmen who sailed the Tyne."George Unthank"
The Keelers. Retrieved 9 September 2018. Their mother sings in folk choirs. Rachel was married to, but is now divorced from, group member

. McNally grew up in a mining village near

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

, Yorkshire and as well as being a member of the band is also its manager, musical arranger and producer. They have two sons: George, born in 2011; and Arthur, born in 2014.

Members

Current *Rachel Unthank (voice, cello,

kalimba Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and pl ...

, feet)

Clog dancing Clog dancing is a form of step dance characterised by the wearing of inflexible, wooden soled clogs. Clog dancing developed into differing intricate forms both in Wales and also in the North of England. Welsh clog dancing mainly originates fr ...

– and the sound that the feet make when they do it – is integral to the Unthanks' stage act and to the recording of some of their songs. They list "feet", alongside vocals and instruments, on their albums' track listings. *Becky Unthank (voice,

autoharp An autoharp or chord zither is a string instrument belonging to the zither family. It uses a series of bars individually configured to mute all strings other than those needed for the intended chord. The term ''autoharp'' was once a trademark of ...

, feet) *Niopha Keegan (violin, viola, voice) *

(piano,

dulcitone A dulcitone is a keyboard instrument in which sound is produced by a range of tuning forks, which vibrate when struck by felt-covered hammers activated by the keyboard. The instrument was designed by Thomas Machell of Glasgow in the 1860s, at the ...

, autoharp,

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

, celeste, kalimba,

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

piano,

chord organ Chord organ is a kind of home organ that has a single short keyboard and a set of chord buttons, enabling the musician to play a melody or lead with one hand and accompanying chords with the other, like the accordion with a set of chord button ...

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

, Indian harmonium, percussion, voice) *Chris Price (guitar, bass guitar, double bass,

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

, voice) Former * Belinda O'Hooley (piano, voice) *

Jackie Oates Jackie Oates is an English folk singer and fiddle player. Life Oates was born in Congleton in Cheshire in 1983 but grew up in Staffordshire. At the age of 18, she moved to Devon to study English literature at Exeter University and was based in ...

(violin, voice) * Stef Conner (piano, voice)

Discography

Rachel Unthank and the Winterset

The Unthanks

Various artists

Notes

References

External links

Official website: The Unthanks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unthanks 2004 establishments in England British folk music groups EMI Records artists English folk musical groups Folk music discographies Musical groups established in 2004 Northumbrian music Real World Records artists Rough Trade Records artists