The Unthanks
The Unthanks is an English folk group from Northumberland, known for an ecl… Read Full Bio ↴The Unthanks is an English folk group from Northumberland, known for an eclectic approach in combining traditional English folk with other musical genres. Featuring siblings Rachel Unthank and Becky Unthank, the group was, from 2004 to 2009, initially known as Rachel Unthank & The Winterset. The name changed in the summer of 2009 with the lineup. The first album to be released under the new name was "Here's the Tender Coming". The band released their 2nd album, "Last", in March 2011.
Known for their timeless, unsentimental and quietly subversive tales of loss, fear, booze, brawls, abuse and sorrow, siblings Rachel and Becky Unthank are honest, young storytellers outside of time, forging links between folk worlds old, new and other. It’s hard to imagine a British folk band with fans like Radiohead, Portishead, Robert Wyatt, Ben Folds, Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, Ewan McGregor and Nick Hornby, but The Unthanks occupy a unique place in music. Influenced as much by the minimalist eccentricity of Steve Reich, Antony & The Johnsons, Robert Wyatt and Miles Davis, as they are by their Geordie native North East England, back home The Unthanks have established themselves as the most innovative and critically acclaimed folk band in modern history.
Using a kaleidoscope of unlikely instruments, their unique approach to storytelling straddles the complex relationship between modernism and learning from the past. Staunch traditionalism and sonic adventure ought to be polar opposites, yet they are easy bedfellows in the gentle hands of The Unthanks; the British counterpart to the left-field folk leanings of Sufjan Stevens, Bonnie Prince Billy and Tom Waits.
The Unthanks don’t sound like any of these acts but belong to a growing number of artists definable only by their restless, peerless eccentricity. Formerly known as Rachel Unthank & The Winterset, their second album The Bairns (2007) was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and appeared in The Best Albums of the Decade in both Uncut and The Guardian. Here’s The Tender Coming (2009) was both BBC and Mojo Magazine Folk Album of the Year and featured in almost every UK music mag and broadsheet Albums of the Year poll.’
In 2012 The Unthanks undertook a combined album and live project with the Brighouse & Rastrick brass band (another north-east English musical outfit at the head of their somewhat different field!). This was released as "Diversions, Volume 2: The Unthanks With Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band".
In November 2012 they released "Songs from the Shipyards".
Sites: Discogs
Known for their timeless, unsentimental and quietly subversive tales of loss, fear, booze, brawls, abuse and sorrow, siblings Rachel and Becky Unthank are honest, young storytellers outside of time, forging links between folk worlds old, new and other. It’s hard to imagine a British folk band with fans like Radiohead, Portishead, Robert Wyatt, Ben Folds, Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, Ewan McGregor and Nick Hornby, but The Unthanks occupy a unique place in music. Influenced as much by the minimalist eccentricity of Steve Reich, Antony & The Johnsons, Robert Wyatt and Miles Davis, as they are by their Geordie native North East England, back home The Unthanks have established themselves as the most innovative and critically acclaimed folk band in modern history.
Using a kaleidoscope of unlikely instruments, their unique approach to storytelling straddles the complex relationship between modernism and learning from the past. Staunch traditionalism and sonic adventure ought to be polar opposites, yet they are easy bedfellows in the gentle hands of The Unthanks; the British counterpart to the left-field folk leanings of Sufjan Stevens, Bonnie Prince Billy and Tom Waits.
The Unthanks don’t sound like any of these acts but belong to a growing number of artists definable only by their restless, peerless eccentricity. Formerly known as Rachel Unthank & The Winterset, their second album The Bairns (2007) was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and appeared in The Best Albums of the Decade in both Uncut and The Guardian. Here’s The Tender Coming (2009) was both BBC and Mojo Magazine Folk Album of the Year and featured in almost every UK music mag and broadsheet Albums of the Year poll.’
In 2012 The Unthanks undertook a combined album and live project with the Brighouse & Rastrick brass band (another north-east English musical outfit at the head of their somewhat different field!). This was released as "Diversions, Volume 2: The Unthanks With Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band".
In November 2012 they released "Songs from the Shipyards".
Sites: Discogs
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The Unthanks Lyrics
A Great Northern River the big ships sail up, the big ships sail down a…
All In A Day All in a day, Willy, all in a day; She's leaving today,…
Annachie Gordon Buchan, it's bonny, and there lives my love My heart it…
At First She Starts At first she starts and then she's startled I see that…
Because He Was A Bonny Lad Because he was a bonny lad She bid him "Aye, come…
Betsy Bell Oh my name is Betsy Bell in the Gallowgate I…
Big Steamers Oh, where are you going to, all you Big Steamers With…
Black Trade All you welders and riveters and boiler-smiths and plate-men…
Blue Bleezing Blind Drunk I'll go and I'll get blue bleezing blind drunk Just to…
Canny Hobbie Elliott Canny Hobbie Elliot Canny Hobbie still Canny Hobbie Elliot…
Close The Coalhouse Door Close the coalhouse door, lad There's blood inside Blood f…
Died For Love A bald young farmer courted me He gained my heart my…
Flowers Of The Town I've heard them lilting at loom and at belting Lasses lilti…
Flutter Sheds ofncolor lifes a flutter lifes.a.flutter flutter of sh…
Foundling Foundling i am your mother Your absent and virtueless mother…
Gan To The Kye Gan to the kye with me, my love Gan to the…
Give Away Your Heart Headlong, straight up, fall down, get up, oh We’ll run, we'…
Here's The Tender Coming Here's the tender coming, pressing all the men Oh dear hinn…
Last We are lost We are lost We are lost On and on and…
Last Lullaby Golden slumber kiss your eyes Smiles await you when you rise…
Living By The Water I was living by the water Late July moon's early quarter S…
My Laddie Sits Ower Late Up My laddie sits ower late up My hinny sits ower late…
My Lagan Love Where Lagan stream sings lullaby There blows a lily fair The…
No One Knows I Hell above and Heaven below All the trees are gone The rain…
Nobody Knew She Was There She walks in the cold dark hour before the morning The…
Not Much Luck In Our House Oh there is not much luck in our house I'll tell…
One by One Hell above and Heaven below All the trees are gone The rain…
Queen of Hearts To the queen of hearts is the ace of sorrow Here…
Sad February Cold February and all is not well There's few will sleep…
Sexy Sadie Sexy Sadie what have you done You made a fool of…
Shipbuilding Is it worth it A new winter coat and shoes for…
Starless Sundown dazzling day Gold through my eyes But my eyes turned…
The Flight Of The Curlew The curlew flies the skies alone She goes wherever she′s inc…
The Gallowgate Lad One night near the grand Central Station Among crowds that …
The King Of Rome In the West End of Derby lives a working man He…
The Poor Stranger Go away pretty willy and let me alone For i am…
The Romantic Tees The tees The black tees The cold tees The foul-smelling tees…
The Testimony Of Patience Kershaw It's good of you to ask me, Sir, to tell…
Where've Yer Bin Dick Where′ve yer bin, Dick? Selling papers Who for? Liza Bell Wh…
Where've Yer Bin Dick? Where've yer bin, Dick? Selling papers Who for? Liza Bell …
Starsea
on Flowers Of The Town
Everything will be fine (champion) as long as you do what you're told