Giants of the thriving Norfolk folk scene join forces – and the result is fireworks!
Release Date: 16th February 2024
Label: Self Release
Formats: CD
Regular At The Barrier visitors will doubtless be aware that there’s a thriving folk scene going on over there in Norfolk and, amongst the prime movers on that scene, you don’t have to look too hard to find Christina Alden & Alex Patterson and that duo’s close friends, The Shackleton Trio. Both acts are beginning to feature, on an increasingly regular basis, within these pages – we loved Harry’s Seagull, the debut solo album from The Shackleton’s fiddler and vocalist Georgia Shackleton, when we reviewed it just a few weeks ago, and Christina & Alex’s 2021 album, Hunter, was one of our choice picks of that year.
The Shackleton Trio – Georgia is joined by Aaren Bennett (guitar and vocals) and Nic Zuppardi (mandolin and vocals) – have built an enviable reputation for themselves around Norwich, Norfolk, East Anglia and beyond with their captivating blend of contemporary and traditional songs and tunes that celebrate East Anglian life, and the band’s 2022 album, Mousehold continues to receive well-deserved acclaim.
Christina Alden & Alex Patterson are old friends of ours. As well as delivering a good line in crystal-clear, spine-tingling vocals, Christina also plays guitar and banjo, whilst Alex – no slouch in the vocal department himself, chips in with fiddle and tenor guitar.
Can you just imagine the richness of the instrumentation, the soaring clarity of the vocals and the quality of the material, if these giants of the Norfolk folk scene were to join forces? Well – imagine no more; they’ve been and gone and done it. The collaboration, known as Kitewing, have already toured extensively in the UK and Europe, they’ve received national radio airplay in the UK and in Ireland and, now, they’ve released their debut album as a combined unit. And – I’ll tell you what…: It’s utterly breathtaking.
Recorded ‘live’ over a period of just two days in the cellar of Christina & Alex’s home (the ‘Folk Cellar,’ as it’s known), this is an album that showcases the combined talents of each member of this ensemble to stunning effect. The spontaneity of the recording process, the freshness of the production and mixing and, of course, the sheer ability of the musicians has resulted in a sound that is vibrant and fresh and which captures and bottles the unique energy of the band’s live performance. The material is a mix of the in-house writers’ own compositions, a couple of well-disguised covers and a sprinkling of traditional stuff. Along the way, topics such as the sea, bird migration and the environment are all referenced, and it all comes together in one glorious, infectious, irresistible whole.
Kitewing is a special collaboration of very special musicians and this debut album is very special indeed.
The sound is strong and robust from the outset as Island/ Pull Down Your Vest gets the album up and running. The band are at full-throttle right from the outset, with guitars, mandolin and, particularly, fiddles all playing their part in a breezy tune that has a Scandinavian feel to it.
Christina’s song, The Greenland Shark, was a high point of the Hunter album, and it’s reprised here. It’s a story told from the point of view of an aged Greenland shark – the species is believed to be the planet’s longest-living vertebrate – in which the shark muses over the changes that have taken place on Earth during its long lifetime, whilst going about its daily routine of finding food and, perhaps, another shark for a spot of special intimacy. Nic’s mandolin takes the instrumental lead and Christina’s and Georgia’s vocal harmonies are divine.
The album is crammed with outstanding instrumental sets and, just possibly, Nic’s Holy Mackerel is the pick of the entire bunch. Mandolin and fiddle take the melody lines, to a solid backing from the ensemble of guitars. It’s a tune that manages to sound both traditional and bang-up-to-date at the same time, and I love the way that the mandolin solo is followed, note-for-note by, first, the bass strings of a guitar, and then by fiddle.
Georgia’s Five Thousand Miles is another one of the album’s several heavenly moments. “I weigh no more than a box of matches,” she sings, as she assumes the character of a migratory bird, to a subdued backing of fingerpicked guitar and banjo, before the tune builds into a full-on instrumental feast. The band’s reworking of Ohio fiddler/guitarist Joe Larose’s Winder Slide is both respectful and uplifting. Rhythmic guitars provide a solid foundation for some lush fiddling and discreet banjo picking, on a tune destined to become a live-show favourite – if it hasn’t already achieved that distinction.
US fiddler Liz Carroll’s A Tune for the Girls is matched up with Georgia’s Tune for the Gulls (get it??) to make a breathtaking medley of Irish-flavoured fiddling. I can’t imagine that there was much dust left her violin’s fingerboard, once Georgia had finished with this light, leapy tune, before the pace is wound back – just a little – for the perfectly-structured Handsome Molly.
Buffy/ Mary and Joe’s – a pair of tunes from Alex – is another frantic house-shaker. This time, the flavour is a Scottish one, and the percussive acoustic guitar down in the engine room makes for a pretty convincing bodhran sound. Birds Not Found, from the pen of Charley Patton – ‘Father of Delta Blues’ – is given a wonderful lighthearted makeover. Nic’s banjo backing is supplemented by bursts of raucous fiddling, as Georgia and Christina alternate on the vocals on a triumphant amalgamation of folk and blues.
And finally… Christina and Alex’s breakneck spiritual, Dig Away, is the perfect ending to a wonderful album. Sometimes, superlatives just don’t seem adequate. Stunning, breathless, invigourating – Kitewing is all of these and more. It’s an early contender for my Album of the Year – I’ll tell you that much.
Watch Kitewing perform Holy Mackerel – a track from the album – ‘live’ at Norwich Arts Centre, here:
Kitewing online: Official Website / Facebook / Bandcamp
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