From Cornwall
If you enjoy Shovel Dance Collective, Meg Baird, or Anne Briggs, this is a great recommendation for you.
Next, the second album titled “Howl”, which means “sun” in Cornish, is set to be self-released on the spring equinox (March 20th).
During the first lockdown of 2020, Cornwall experienced an unusual stillness without its usual influx of Easter tourists. Daisy Rickman, who grew up in the deep-west town of Mousehole (pronounced “mowzul”), reflects on this unique time as “something really magical.” Despite acknowledging the wider horrors of the pandemic, Rickman found solace in the quietness and used the opportunity to start writing her own music. She also delved into surrealist painter Ithell Colquhoun’s book from 1957, The Living Stones, which explores Cornish folk history. Being from the same area, Rickman was drawn to Colquhoun’s descriptions of the coast between Lamorna and Mousehole. She shares, “It’s incredible to discover a piece of art that focuses on something that is close to your heart, and to see it through the eyes of an artist you admire.”
Rickman’s music, inspired by Colquhoun’s territory and nearby ancient stone formations, evokes a familiar sentiment for local listeners and Celtic enthusiasts. Her first album, released independently in 2022 under the title “Donsya a’n Loryow” (which translates to “Dance of the Moons” in Cornish), is a blend of delicate and lively fingerpicked guitar, ethereal strings, and Rickman’s entrancingly deep vocals. During the lockdown, she stayed at her grandmother’s house in Dorset and created the entire album on her own. She describes the process as playful and experimental, with noticeable imperfections that she enjoys leaving in the recordings to capture the artist’s presence. As a dedicated painter, Rickman also designed the album’s artwork, which features mystical lunar themes reminiscent of Mick Turner’s covers for Dirty Three.
In 2021, Rickman had not yet performed as a solo artist. However, just a year later, she was shipping LPs to Australia and Argentina, all through word of mouth as she operates on her own without a PR team. She is now associated with the London folk group Broadside Hacks and has played with Bernard Butler at a special tribute for Bert Jansch’s 80th birthday. She also released a single with the unique outdoor publication Weird Walk. Some other notable moments for Rickman include opening for Gwenno at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall, which left a powerful impact on her due to the location, and playing alongside Mike Heron from the Incredible String Band, who had not performed in years. Rickman describes being in the presence of someone who has had a profound impact on her life as an incredible experience.
Rickman’s music has a timeless quality, drawing inspiration from Anne Briggs’ 1971 album The Time Has Come. It also aligns with current interests in the local area. Cornwall is experiencing a revival of its folk music, with initiatives like Sounds Like Cornwall preserving its unique sound. Even a club night, Club Nos Lowen, has emerged. The iconic Lanyon Quoit, a megalithic stone, is featured on a popular local T-shirt with the slogan “Kernow not England”.
It seems unlikely that this sudden interest among youth has occurred at the same time as the worsening housing crisis in the area – perhaps it is a means of maintaining ties with a place that is becoming increasingly inaccessible. Rickman, who left in her early twenties to live and work in Venice, Berlin, and London as a filmmaker, agrees. After moving back a couple of years ago, she has been unable to find housing and is currently living with her parents in her hometown, which she has seen transform into a “strange, monotonous version of Disneyland”.
The speaker reflects on the other side of lockdown in Cornwall, pointing out the challenge of dealing with anger towards those who have immense wealth and can purchase entire streets. However, amidst this, she is impressed by the resilience of the local music community, which has been energized in part by the Cornish Bank opening in 2021. She expresses gratitude for the current thriving scene in Cornwall, noting that it is easy to compare it to the constant buzz of London when you are younger. The speaker also shares that this was one of the reasons she decided to move back to Cornwall, emphasizing the importance of following one’s own path.
Source: theguardian.com
