Rachel Unthank and the Winterset at The Union Chapel

Rachel Unthank and the Winterset at The Union Chapel

19 December, 2008
by: Katuschka

The Union Chapel is a very Christmassy venue, filled with trees, lights and brimming with gothic Victorian charm,  It's lucky then that Rachel Unthank and the Winterset are the perfect Christmassy band, whose 'oop north' folk ditties are by turns melancholy, dramatic and charming, which pretty much sums up the festive spirit for me.

Support tonight is provided by the fantastically tortured Hungarian violinist Felix Lajko, whose virtuoso string work makes many great composers look as if they're strumming a shoebox wrapped in rubber bands with an oven glove.  His lone figure in the pulpit combines with the unworldly sounds he coaxes from his instrument to cut quite a striking figure, which is only slightly marred by a fire alarm going off halfway through.
    
Sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank (who are joined by pianist Stef and fiddler Niopha to form The Winterset) are heavily influenced by bands such as The Keelers and traditional British folk music passed down from their parents. Whilst the majority of their material stems from traditional rural folk songs such as 'Northumberland Lullaby' and 'The Bairns', they also stake a bold claim in the folk revival movement by performing covers from 'freak folk' artists such as Bonnie Prince Billy, Anthony and the Johnsons and Nick Drake.  

With Rachel's lilting vocals and Becky's husky Billie Holiday-esque voice, The Winterset's sound switches from haunting and mesmeric folk ballads to upbeat sea shanties in the click of the traditional dancing clogs they use to tap out the rhythm. Their songs tell lost tales of murder, missing children, territorial wars and women, both as domestic drudges and mysterious sirens.  

Tonight their cheeky affableness, typical to northern lasses, doesn't fail to melt the hearts of us stone-cold Londoners.  When they come onstage, the man next to me leans over and say 'Aren't they lovely' and throughout the show collective sighs and head tilts indicate they had won some new fans by the end of the night.  Although the show has the rough edges of a band who have been living from a packed van for a bit too long, this informal approach gives the atmosphere an air of old timey pub singalongs.  

One of the reasons behind Rachel and The Winderset's growing popularity has to be their drive to resurrect the lost voices of rural Britain, much in the same way US singers such as Joanna Newsom are bringing attention to native singers like Texas Gladden. They are offering up something authentic, soulful, raw and quite unique. The two standing ovations they receive at the end is a testament to how enjoyable their show is, their final a cappella lullaby is a perfect Christmassy ending – and the fact that the applause is received with grateful tears is an extremely rare treat. After all, this is a band who haven't seen it all before and still delight in what they do.

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