From Cornwall
If you enjoy Shovel Dance Collective, Meg Baird, and Anne Briggs, I highly recommend checking this out.
The next release will be the second album titled “Howl”, which is the Cornish word for “sun”. It is set to be self-released on the spring equinox, which falls on March 20th.
During the first lockdown of 2020, Cornwall was eerily quiet without the usual influx of Easter tourists. Daisy Rickman, who grew up in the small town of Mousehole, reflected on the unique passage of time in her hometown during this period, while acknowledging the broader tragedies happening in the world. As a member of a psychedelic folk band, Rickman now had the space to delve into her own songwriting. She also found inspiration in Ithell Colquhoun’s book The Living Stones, a surrealist exploration of Cornish folk history published in 1957. Rickman, now 27, was particularly struck by Colquhoun’s focus on the area between Lamorna and Mousehole, which holds special significance to her. She felt a deep connection to the work and appreciated seeing it through the perspective of an artist she admires.
Rickman’s music, influenced by Colquhoun’s region and the ancient stone circles found there, evokes a familiar sentiment for local listeners and Celtic enthusiasts. Her debut album, released independently in 2022 and titled Donsya a’n Loryow (which translates to Dance of the Moons in Cornish), is a combination of fingerpicked guitar, luminous strings, and Rickman’s captivatingly deep vocals. Following the passing of her grandmother during the pandemic, Rickman retreated to her home in Dorset to create the entire album on her own. She describes the process as playful and experimental, embracing her mistakes as a part of the recording experience and allowing her personal presence to be felt in the music. As a skilled painter, Rickman also designed the album’s artwork, which reflects her mystical and lunar-inspired style, similar to Mick Turner’s covers for Dirty Three.
In 2021, Rickman had no solo experience, but within a year, she was shipping LPs to places like Australia and Argentina thanks to word of mouth alone. Running her business alone with no public relations, she has now joined the London folk group Broadside Hacks, performed with Bernard Butler at a tribute for Bert Jansch’s 80th birthday, and released a single with the unique outdoor publication Weird Walk. Other unforgettable moments for her include opening for Gwenno at Cornwall’s Minack Theatre, which is carved into a cliff (“the energy of that area was incredibly strong”), and playing with Mike Heron from the Incredible String Band, who had not performed in years. She describes being in the presence of someone who has greatly impacted her life as an amazing experience.
Rickman’s music might seem outdated, but it draws inspiration from Anne Briggs’ album The Time Has Come, released in 1971. It also connects with the growing interests of the local community. Cornwall is currently experiencing a revival of folk music, with Sounds Like Cornwall documenting the county’s sound and even a club night called Club Nos Lowen. The iconic Lanyon Quoit, a megalithic stone, is featured on a popular local T-shirt with the phrase “Kernow not England” proudly displayed.
It doesn’t feel like a coincidence that this interest among young people has coincided with the intensification of the local housing crisis – it’s a way to solidify connections with a place otherwise slipping out of reach. “Definitely,” says Rickman, who moved away in her early 20s – to Venice, Berlin and London, working as a film-maker – and returned a few years ago. Unable to find housing, she lives with her parents in her fishing village, which she has watched turn into “this strange, beige kind of Disneyland”.
She explains that experiencing lockdown in Cornwall showed her the other side of things: “It can be frustrating to face people with immense wealth who can buy entire streets of houses.” However, the fact that a vibrant local music community has emerged, partly due to the opening of the Cornish Bank in 2021, is even more remarkable. Rickman expresses her gratitude for this thriving scene in Cornwall, noting that it’s natural for young people to compare it to the constant energy and activity of London. She finds it exhilarating that there are so many exciting things happening in Cornwall right now, which was one of the reasons she decided to move back. Ultimately, she believes in following the path that aligns with one’s soul.
Source: theguardian.com
