Kathryn Tickell & the Side

"As usual, atmospheric soundscapes inspired by Tickell's beloved Northumbria dominate - Dark Skies Waltz and Ad Gefrin are especially evocative of its raw beauty - but there is also a nod to the Penguin Cafe Orchestra and a languid setting of a Swinburne poem. An elegant, beautifully played fusion".

Read review

"Ever the pioneer, probing new ways to challenge herself and her beloved Northumbrian pipes, Kathryn Tickell has formed a new band with a fresh approach in what certainly sounds like the beginnings of a brave and rather wonderful enterprise for her. Alongside her here are accodeonist Amy Thatcher (...) and two musicians predominantly of the classical world, Northern Sinfonia cellist Louisa Tuck and Ruth Wall, a Scottish harpist (...) who's previously worked with everyone from Goldfrapp to the Philharmonic Orchestra ... Past attempts to marry folk and classical music have largely been disappointing, if not outright embarrassing; but this feels like something very special ... Such a blissfully intuitive and empathetic mix of styles and instrumentation you don't (...) even consider how it should be classified. "Magnificent" will suffice".