LONDON: The Slaughtered Lamb

Tuesday 16th April, 2019

7:30pm

Event information

“A gentle, lulling delight.” – The Guardian

Salt House is Jenny Sturgeon, Ewan MacPherson and Lauren MacColl. Their album Undersong has been praised by folk bible fRoots for bringing “startling freshness” to the British song tradition. Songs are central to Salt House. New songs that sound as if they’ve always been here. Ancient ballads woken up. Poems given the tunes they’ve long deserved. Songs about place, politics, landscape and birds.

Singer, guitarist and harmonium player Jenny has a PHD in seabirds. Described by R2 Magazine as “a singer-songwriter who brings together the old and new with a rare skill.” Her songs are earthy and wise; she sings them with beauty and power.
Singer and guitarist Ewan brings to Salt House a wealth of understanding and experience gained with the highly respected Fribo and Shooglenifty. His songs are poetic and layered; his voice plaintive and from the heart.

Fiddler, viola player and vocalist Lauren’s arrangements hold a rich, deep, darkness flecked with gold. You can hear the Highlands in Lauren’s elegant bowing, honed while performing with the quartet RANT, The Rachel Newton Band and as a prolific and award-winning soloist. She plays with warmth, wisdom and soul.

Undersong was recorded in the stunningly restored Telford Church on the island of Berneray (as seen on Channel 4’s Restoration Man.) You can hear its tranquility in the sympathetic and dynamic recording by producer Andy Bell (Songs Of Separation, Jon Boden, The Furrow Collective.) A sense of place captured both in songs and sound; Ewan claims if you listen closely you can even hear the flies in the overhead lights.

You’ll also hear echoes of Pentangle, a touch of Dick Gaughan, murmurs of Scandinavian and Scots, all woven into a music that’s traditional and new. The group’s meticulous attention to detail, shared passions and care for their craft sees Salt House soar.
“Wonderful… a trio of exceptional talent.” – Folk Radio UK