Part of the way through Maddie Morris’ brilliant co-headline set, they said that the reason they love the Folk world is that the old stories continue to resonate now. Morris could just have easily talked of the inclusivity, community and acceptance that was so obviously part of this warm celebration in this gorgeous place. This was the Folk world at its very best.
Morris is an unashamedly political singer-songwriter, their experiences informing some of the most life-affirming songs that you are ever likely to hear. Political T-Shirt tells of being excluded from 6th Form college but is utterly defiant, unapologetic. Easily Bruised remembers those first teenage crushes, the first steps into love, whilst neuro-diverse. Both are sung with a tenderness, an honesty that immediately melts your heart.
It’s very easy to be on Morris’ side, to care about every slight, to hate every bigot that they have endured, to celebrate every victory. They are so open, so giving. When, during Marsha P Johnson, they wish they could be more like the gay liberation activist, they sing “I swear to God I’d change the world for people like and unlike me”. It is obvious, just from looking around St George’s, how much they are changing the world. Almost every person in the place can identify with Morris, there’s this huge outpouring of love and Morris is helping us all feel it.
Their debut album, Skin, is one of the great records of 2024; a genuinely important collection of songs, the sort of thing that should be taught in schools.
Bristol’s very own Tarren are a mini Folk supergroup and this is the last show on a tour that launches their new album, Outside Time.
Alex Garden, Sid Goldsmith and Danny Pedler gather on a candle-lit stage with fiddle, cittern and accordion in hand and, for just over an hour, make the world a better place. Every tune brings a smile, every song cheered to the rafters, every heart is filled just a little more.
Just like Maddie Morris’ album, Outside Time is concerned with identity, home and acceptance and, hidden amongst the trad dance tunes and minimalist stylings, there are important messages flitting through the undergrowth.
One such can be glimpsed on Sunk. Described by Pedler as a “pop song”, it builds slowly, gently into a chorus that is incredibly lush. Goldsmith’s voice as warming as buttered toast as he urges us to go home when we’re feeling low, Garden’s fiddle and Pedler’s accordion thrum and buzz, the fleece-lined blanket to wrap ourselves in. You to Me is equally warming as it spreads an old-fashioned Englishness, the sound of country lanes and romantic late-summer walks.
Goldsmith ponders the hidden meaning of the traditional The Jolly Bold Robber, and comes to the conclusion that it, essentially, means “don’t because d*ck” – yet another important message safely delivered this evening. Goldsmith always sings with a twinkle in his eye but Garden and Pedler easily match him for mischief making, the two of them locking together, swooping and fizzing around this cautionary tale.
During Solstice the power suddenly cuts out. The ticking, chiming cittern and Garden’s soaring fiddle almost silenced but, rather than allowing the hush to overcome them, they lean in, carry on. The momentary stillness forces even greater attention and, as the life-force surges back into their instruments, the place erupts. Another huge audience-led outpouring of love.
Garden’s fiddle is a quite remarkable thing really, they make it sing and hum, it takes flight, then plummets, it is both gloriously minimal and utterly luxuriant. As you listen, you’d swear that there’s vaseline on the lens, such is the fuzzy, golden hue that seems to shimmer around it. On Super8 the cittern tumbles into it, cartoon fox cubs spilling down a hillside, while on Wanting for Nothing it is honeyed, a bee-buzz circling.
There is, however, just one more important message to be delivered. Neither Maid nor Man is the product of days of song collecting at Cecil Sharp House, with the aim of trying to find songs that might highlight gender-nonconformity. The result is a song that draws together different songs, different experiences and shapes its own narrative. It is a wonderful affirmation, a challenge to those who have no idea what freedom is.
If Maddie Morris loves Folk music for its understanding that old songs still have resonance, then both Morris and Tarren show that new songs carry those messages too. This was an evening where important stories were shared and understood.
Gavin McNamara
TallFolk 