An insightful review of ‘On Kielderside’ is on the KLOF Mag website (formerly Folk Radio UK).
“Return to Kielderside is a kind of revisiting in a wider sense of the term: an artistic, physical, psychic repositioning of the musician against the landscape that first inspired her.”
KLOF Mag also invited Kathryn to write a piece too, about the new album and her musical life over the years.
We’re thrilled to herald the release of a new album by Kathryn. ‘Return to Kielderside’ is available for pre-order from Kathryn’s Bandcamp Shop! It’s available as a digital download and a limited edition CD. The release date is 1st November and the physical CD pre-orders will be sent out the week before. Each one is numbered and signed.
Kathryn describes her first album, released forty years ago:
“In 1984, while I was still at school, I released my first album ‘On Kielder Side’. It was a collection of mostly traditional Northumbrian tunes. We had borrowed a TEAC two track tape recorder from the local radio station for the weekend and all the recording was done in two days between 10am — 4pm in my parents’ kitchen. No mixing, no editing, just straight to tape! That was forty years ago; my music, and the way I record it, has changed a lot since then. But the idea of playing Northumbrian tunes with a group of friends is still at the heart of everything I do.
“On this forty-year anniversary I revisit some tracks from the original album alongside traditional tunes from the area and several new compositions. The new tunes are all inspired by, or in some way linked to, tunes from ‘On Kielder Side’.”
Kathryn recalls: “It all started nearly a year ago when I woke up to an avalanche of messages. The news of the Sycamore Gap tree being cut down had spread like wildfire, and everyone was in shock. People started asking me if I was going to write a tune for the tree, and I realised that this was something I could do to honour its memory.”
Initially, Kathryn contemplated writing a more uplifting piece, reflecting the regenerative nature of sycamore seedlings that often sprout everywhere. However, as she delved deeper into the creative process, it became clear that a lament was the most fitting tribute. “The lament was the piece that wanted to be written.”
Available on streaming platforms and from Kathryn’s Bandcamp shop.
Kathryn has composed a poignant piece of music to mark the one-year anniversary of the felling of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree. The tree, a symbol of the Northumbrian landscape, was cut down in a shocking act of vandalism last year, leaving a deep void in the hearts of many in the region and beyond.
The composition ‘Sycamore Gap’, is released late September.
Kathryn recalls: “It all started nearly a year ago when I woke up to an avalanche of messages. The news of the Sycamore Gap tree being cut down had spread like wildfire, and everyone was in shock. People started asking me if I was going to write a tune for the tree, and I realised that this was something I could do to honour its memory.”
Initially, Kathryn contemplated writing a more uplifting piece, reflecting the regenerative nature of sycamore seedlings that often sprout everywhere. However, as she delved deeper into the creative process, it became clear that a lament was the most fitting tribute. “The lament was the piece that wanted to be written.”
The composition, titled simply “Sycamore Gap,” began as a solo piece for Northumbrian pipes, capturing the haunting and dramatic essence of the landscape. However, during the recording process at a studio in Thropton in Northumberland, the piece evolved. “The engineer suggested adding a pipe organ, and it just worked. Then we added a subtle drum roll, some rustling leaves, and wind noise to evoke the spirit of the place,” Kathryn explains. The result is a moving and layered tribute to a beloved natural landmark.
Her new piece, “Sycamore Gap,” will be available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify, and will also be available on her Bandcamp page. While Kathryn admits the release wasn’t strategically planned far in advance, the timing coincides meaningfully with the anniversary of the tree’s felling.
Here is a new video which is a breath of fresh spring air from Northumberland. The video is for the track ‘High Way to Hermitage’ from The Darkening’s album Cloud Horizons, and features extracts from an award-winning short film by Borders filmmaker Ken Moffatt.
The tune and the film commemorate Mary Queen of Scots’ dramatic ride over ‘The Queen’s Mire’ from Jedburgh to Hermitage Castle to visit her injured lover, James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, in 1566. Apparently on the way back to Jedburgh Mary’s horse got stuck in the mire and threw her off into the heather.
Kathryn, together with Amy Thatcher (accordion, clog dancing), are delighted to perform at this unique event in verdant Coverdale, North Yorkshire, in celebration of sustainable flowers and music for the charity ‘Friends of Coverham Church’. Kathryn and Amy will be playing in the beautiful setting of Holy Trinity Church, Coverham. Tickets are limited, so please purchase soon from the Wild Coverdale Flower Festival ticket site.
Earlier this year The Darkening played a special set for BBC ALBA at Celtic Connections Festival. The full set is now available on BBC iPlayer (restricted to UK viewers with a TV licence…).
Kathryn’s on the list of 100 Great North East Women, compiled by regional media outlet Chronicle Live, in celebration of International Women’s Day. She’s in the good company of superb north-eastern talent!
At this year’s Celtic Connections festival Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening played a special set for BBC ALBA’s ‘Seirm’ music programme. They feature in the first episode of a new series, due to air on March 2nd at 21.00 GMT. The programme will be available to view after broadcast.
