The Unthanks prepare for mesmerizing Theatre Royal debut!
Multi-award winning English folk group The Unthanks are making their Newcastle Theatre Royal debut this Summer with a sublime new show. How Wild The Wind Blows will captivate old fans and new on home turf for one night only, Sunday 14 May 2017. Do not miss.
How Wild The Wind Blows: Performing The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake sees Mercury nominated Tyneside band The Unthanks celebrate the underrated talents of Nick Drake’s mother Molly - poet and songwriter in her own right. The show will be a mesmerizing blend of music, film footage and poetry, immersing the audience in Drake’s beautiful and darkly lyrical world.
Molly made recordings at home during the 1950s with the help of her husband, and though never released at the time, share plenty of common ground with her celebrated son’s - charming and bittersweet, yet dark and pensive. In the eyes of The Unthanks, and increasingly amongst others, Molly’s work is extraordinary enough to rank alongside and independently of Nick Drake’s.
The Molly Drake recordings are a treasure trove only recently made public by the Drake family, and if ever a body of work actually merited reappraisal and reimagining, Molly Drake’s is it.
Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and the only British folk representation in The Guardian's and Uncut's best albums of last decade (worldwide, all genres), The Unthanks is a family affair for Tyneside sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank, with Rachel married to pianist, producer, arranger and composer, Adrian McNally. Using the traditional and folk music of the North East of England as a starting point, the influence of Miles Davis, Sufjan Stevens, Robert Wyatt, Antony & The Johnsons, King Crimson and Tom Waits can be heard in the band's 7 albums to date. Their many notable fans include Martin Freeman, Elvis Costello, Robert Wyatt, Ben Folds, Ryan Adams, Rosanne Cash, Colin Firth, Dawn French, Paul Morley, Al Murray, Ewan McGregor and Nick Hornby, to name a few.
In addition to the live re-imaginings by The Unthanks the show will feature film footage of Molly Drake and her poetry, recorded and spoken by daughter (and celebrated actress) Gabrielle Drake.
With the full blessing and enthusiasm of Gabrielle, The Unthanks treat her story with the same love, diligence and imagination as they did when reinterpreting the work of Robert Wyatt and Antony & The Johnson's. An event not to be missed.
The event forms part of a wider UK tour to accompany the release of The Unthanks’ new album - Diversions Vol. 4 - How Wild The Wind Blows: The Unthanks Perform The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake due for release in late May.
The Unthanks are at Newcastle Theatre Royal for one night only on Sunday 14 May at 7.30pm. Tickets from £23.50. Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge) or book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk
