Dark and brooding musical experience
MERCURY-NOMINATED mavericks of British folk music will perform at a Runcorn theatre next month.
The Unthanks are due to perform How Wild The Wind Blows at the Brindley on Wednesday, May 10.
It will include the songs and poems of Molly Drake. A Halton Borough Council spokesman said:said “A wistful mother in the 1950s195 makes some simple home ●● EDITORIAL: News Desk 0151 422 3560 runcornwidnesnews@trinitymirror.com recordings in her family sitting room. Little could she have known that decades later, her son would become one of the most poetic and influential songwriters ever, or that more than 60 years later, the dust would be blown off her own songs.
“On the surface, the 2013 release of Molly Drake’s work could easily have been perceived as just a curious footnote and jigsaw piece in explaining the enormous talent of Nick Drake.
“In the eyes of The Unthanks however, and increasingly amongst others, Molly’s work is extraordinary enough to rank alongside that of her brilliant son.”
With encouragement from the Drake musical estate and the full blessing and enthusiasm of celebrated actress Gabrielle Drake – Molly’s daughter and Nick’s sister – The Unthanks are sure to relish the opportunity.
Never intended for public release, Molly Drake’s recordings, made by her husband, were made at home and are of the time.
The spokesman added: “They (The Unthanks) are bound to treat the challenge with the same love and diligence for their subject as they did when reinterpreting the work of Robert Wyatt and Antony & The Johnsons. ●
“This tour of her reimagined work will be accompanied by an album release of Molly Drake’s work - Diversions Vol 4, the latest in a growing line of intrepid projects by The Unthanks.
“In a climate where films, stories and music are being rehashed for spurious repeat exploitation, if ever a body of work actually merited reappraisal and fresh presentation, surely the work of Molly Drake is it.
“Her songs share plenty of common ground with her son’s - charming and bittersweet, yet dark and pensive.”
Tickets cost £20. To book call 0151 907 8360 or visit www.thebrindley.org.uk