As winter draws in, we’re looking forward to welcoming pioneering folk group The Unthanks to Lighthouse with their eclectic seasonal fantasia In Winter.
In anticipation we caught up with singer, songwriter, musician and clog dancer Rachel Unthank and asked her to shed some more light on the show...
What is it about Winter? What draws you to this time of year and why does it affect such evocative music?
We have wanted to make a winter album for a long time as some of our favourite traditions happen at this time of year. From watching our Dad take part in a Mummers play every year on Boxing Day, to going up to a remote village in Northumberland to watch their unique celebration of New Year (they parade with flaming tar barrels on their heads and then throw them onto a fire), to singing carols with a brass band on the village green where we grew up, they all have music at the heart of them. We all find ways to bring community together to get through the darker months and celebrate together.
In case they’ve not previously encountered The Unthanks In Winter, what should the people of Poole expect from the show? I understand fans of Tom Waits and The Beach Boys will not be disappointed?
We have made a fantasia-like celebration of winter, like a memory, weaving together traditional songs, with classic carols, snatches of the Christmas songs you hear whilst out shopping and self-penned songs inspired by the season. The story in the song is always the focal point for us, but we love creating interesting musical worlds for the songs to inhabit including lots of harmonies, piano, saxophone, vibraphone and fiddle, layered over guitar, bass and drums. There may even be a bit of clog dancing!
How did you first come across the music that underpins In Winter and how does it inform your own songwriting?
We have been collecting songs and ideas for In Winter for many years, drawing on our own childhood traditions and searching for new ones. We also have new songs penned by various band members – a farewell song written by my sister Becky Unthank and her partner Ainslie Henderson inspired by our winter singing residentials and the power of shared song, a collaboration between Adrian McNally and the poet Vanessa Lampart in which they write an ode to the NHS, and what has now become a firm Unthanks classic written by our Dad, George Unthank, inspired by Allendale’s Tar Bar’l New Year fire tradition.
Winter music inevitably covers Christmas, how does the festive season figure in the show? Any room for a light dusting of schmaltz?
Of course, Christmas also features in our winter show, from Christmas trees to Christmas carols. Hopefully as well as drawing on the dark, which we are known for, we also encompass the warmth and brightness of the season.
Your music knows where it comes from, but doesn’t seem encumbered by the past; how have you managed that?
Traditional songs and music are at the heart of what we do, but we are music lovers of all genres. We try to use this broad palette to get the heart of the stories we tell and are continually inspired to make inventive music, and push ourselves creatively.
What’s next for The Unthanks?
We always have a long list of music and projects that we would like to explore. This year we have a whole host of our singing residentials coming up, where we invite people to come and join us up in Northumberland for a weekend of singing, walking, good food, good company and more singing. We are also working on a few new projects including an exciting new piece of theatre.
:: Tickets available now at The Unthanks in Winter – Lighthouse or call 01202 280000.
(NC)