Description

Thornton Hough Village Club presents northern folk experimentalists and storytellers Harp and A Monkey.

SONGS about cuckolded molecatchers, a lone English oak tree that grows at Gallipoli, care in the community and medieval pilgrims .....the harp 'n' banjo driven contemporary-folk-storytelling of Martin Purdy (vocals, glockenspiel, accordion, harmonica and keyboards), Simon Jones (harp, guitar, viola) and Andy Smith (banjo, melodica, guitar and programming) is imbued with a deep Lancashire sensibility that shines through in their beautifully crafted and sometimes spooky vignettes of northern life, love and remembrance.

The outfit, who have been friends for more than 20 years, channel the ghosts of summers spent in municipal parks and winters walking on the moors. Ask them about their influences and they are as likely to cite Ordnance Survey maps and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as they are Chris Woods, Bjork or The Oldham Tinkers.

Regulars on the national circuit, the band have gained a strong reputation for the excellent rapport they establish with their live audiences. The trio's melodic and hauntological storytelling, which is always underpinned by a firm commitment to classic songsmithery, has caught the attention and support of the likes of Steve Lamacq, Mark Radcliffe, Clare Balding and Mike Harding on BBC Radio 2, Lopa Kothari and Nick Luscombe on BBC Radio 3, Folk Radio UK and many more international, national and regional broadcasters.

The band's self-titled debut album received critical acclaim on its release in late 2011 and they collected excellent reviews for their contribution to the 2012 'Weirdlore' compilation which highlighted Britain's most promising practitioners of alternative folk. Their second album, All Life Is Here, was released in April 2014 and again received outstanding reviews, with the likes of fRoots magazine describing them as undoubtedly one of the most vital and charismatic things happening in English folk music right now.

Their third album, War Stories, was released in July, 2016, as part of a project (part-sponsored by Arts Council England and The Western Front Association) to mark the centenary of the First World War. The band performed new material and re-worked traditional songs (which challenged stereotypes of the conflict) in unusual venues related to the war on British shores. The album received outstanding reviews, with the likes of The Observer describing it as bold and brilliant. Support from BBC Radio 2 was substantive, including live sessions and interviews with the likes of Clare Balding (Good Morning Sunday) and Mark Radcliffe (The Folk Show).

Description

Thornton Common Rd,

Thornton Hough,

Birkenhead,

Merseyside,

England,

CH63 1JL.