Wild wild county
A new folk scene is thriving in Cornwall, inspired by the area’s unique landscape, history and “magical possibilities”
“TIME seems to operate on a different level in Cornwall,” says singer-songwriter Daisy Rickman. “It feels like another rhythm of life and I guess it opens up different spheres, musically. Growing up by the sea has had a huge influence on my creativity. It’s a very wild, magical place.”
Raised in Mousehole, Rickman is one of several artists currently spearheading what amounts to a new
Cornish folk resurgence. Her latest album Howl (Cornish for ‘sun’) is a celestial homage to the seasonal cycles, centred around fingerpicked guitar, experimental folk drones and Rickman’s low, Nicoesque voice. As with 2022’s equally exquisite Donsya a’n Loryow (Dance Of The Moons), it’s an entirely selfperformed, home-recorded affair. A multi-disciplinary artist – she’s also a painter, photographer and filmmaker – Rickman cites Anne Briggs, Bert Jansch and Alice Coltrane as key influences, filtered through a unique relationship with her native landscape.
Fellow Cornish resident Angeline Morrison, whose sublime The Sorrow Songs figured in many 2022 best-of-year polls, is similarly nourished by her adopted county. “There’s a palpable sense of mystery here, ancient mystery and magical possibilities, strangeness and the potential for the unexpected,” she says. “The atmosphere is very different from the rest of England. You can feel it when you arrive. It’s a perfect crucible for creativity.”
Rickman and Morrison both salute The Cornish Bank for its role in this musical upswell. A non-profit community arts space in Falmouth, it hosts gigs and events almost nightly, with the emphasis on grassroots music. Co-owner Will Greenham fronts his own band, Blind Yeo, while the Bank is also responsible for the local Wanderfal Festival, a two-day celebration of music and arts that’s now in its third year. Meanwhile in nearby Helston, 42 The Living Room has taken on the role of intimate micro-venue for aspiring folk singers.
Morrison also endorses Fish Factory Arts in Penryn, which houses work and event spaces, a gallery and recording studio. “They do amazing work in the community,” she says. “Check out Julian Gaskell & His Ragged-trousered Philanthropists – folkpunk in the finest sense of the word.”
Central to all this activity is an inclusive network of supportive artists and musicians. “With any kind of place, it goes through cycles or waves,” observes Rickman, who adds allies Isaac Ockenden, psychfolk outfit Teg and self-proclaimed “freakbeat beatniks”
Klen to her list of recommendations.
“Brian Eno always talks about the importance of ‘scenius’ rather than genius, where you’re part of a team of people either working together or inspiring each other.”
A further illustration is Penzancebased Kelsey Michael, previously a member of ’90s free-improv ensemble Minnow. Her forthcoming solo debut, Lethowsow, features guest vocals from Morrison and classically trained local singer Maria Heseltine. Michael’s rapturous music sounds closer to Laura Nyro and Carole King, but it’s nevertheless deeply rooted in her surrounding environment.
“I thrive on wild places and big skies and horizons,” she explains. “Lethowsow means ‘the milky ones’ in old Cornish language. It was used in reference to the treacherous Seven Stones reef, on the way to Land’s End, which is always covered in white water, with rocks like sharks’ teeth. I loved the fact they described it in this magical way, as if they were characters.”
Due in early summer, the suitably immersive Lethowsow deals in the elemental forces that shape coastal existence, both physically and psychologically. “One song, ‘The Tide Comes In’, is about the day’s natural rhythm,” says Michael, “the water retreating and coming back. It represents something you can rely on in unsettled and troubled times. I think that’s something we can all connect with.”
“There’s a palpable sense of mystery here” ANGELINE MORRISON
Daisy Rickman’s Howl is out now on WW Record Cult; Angeline Morrison’s Sorrow Songs is out now on Topic; Kelsey Michael’s Lethowsow will be released in the summer on Dimple Discs