BRIDGET HAYDEN & The Apparitions – Cold Blows The Rain – review

BRIDGET HAYDEN & The Apparitions – Cold Blows The Rain – review
Basin Rock

Just to clear things up, this is not Mother Mary Bridget Hayden, of whom I heard at Our Lady Of Loretto. She died over a hundred years ago. This Bridget Hayden is the long time experimental musician, who has taken a side step into the world of folk music.

Now, before you panic, this is a good thing. All that drone and guitar electronics means she brings something different to the world of hey nonny no. Or worse, pop singers pretending they’re folk musicians. You know who you are. She’s from Yorkshire, you know and this was recorded in her home base of Todmorden, a place first mentioned in the 13th century. You don’t get more folky than that.

When you look at a track listing and see ‘Black Water Side’ and ‘(She Moved) Through The Fair’, there is a tendency to groan slightly. But not here. Even though the instrumentation is fairly traditional – fiddles, banjos and harmonium are all present and correct, the oblique angle at which the songs are approached makes for some compelling listening. Factor in the fact that Ms Hayden also has a splendid voice, and you end up with a fine release.

There is a dark feel to proceedings, a feeling of wanting to pull a shawl around your shoulders, and as someone who was once caught in a sudden squall twixt Lumbutts and Mankinholes, I know what I’m talking about! It’s folk with a twist and one well worth investigating.

https://bridgethayden.bandcamp.com/