Granny’s Attic have been taking the touring circuit by storm, but it’s been a while since they last headed to the recording studio.
Following on from their instrumental album, The Brickfields, in 2021, they’re back at last with a fresh take on traditional folk – and after popular
demand, they’re treating us to plenty of songs as well as tunes this time.
Cold Blows the Wind is set for release on Friday 16th May.
Here’s a peak at Lovely Joan ..George’s dad bought him a copy of The Penguin Book Of English Folk Songs when he was a teenager, and a few years ago he went through it again and reminded himself of this song. When he brought it to Lewis and Cohen, the arrangement happened very naturally and easily. They’ve been really enjoying playing it live for a year or two. It’s a powerful story and the studio version is very close to how the trio play it live.
In the intervening years since the band’s last release, George Sansome, Lewis Wood and Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne have been busy touring and honing their sound and craft as a band. Individually, their solo careers and numerous other collaborations have seen their careers flourish, and this album is a real coming together of everything they’ve been working on, with a very collaborative feel. In some cases, this is music they’ve been working on behind the scenes for years – whilst others only came into their repertoire a few months before recording – and all of it feels fresh and exciting in the hands of these extraordinary musicians.
Part of this freshness comes from the choice to work with a new producer. For every album the band has made so far, they’ve worked with a different producer, and Cold Blows the Wind is no exception. George had a great time working with Pete Ord at the Studio At Sunbeams in Cumbria, when playing on Maddie Morris’s debut album Skin, and with all of the band being big fans of his other work, he seemed like a perfect fit.
Speaking about the production process, Lewis says, “Making this album was an absolute joy. It was so reassuring that throughout the process, the three of us and Pete kept on coming to the same conclusions. We’ve really learned to trust our instincts over the years, so whereas on previous albums we gave more free reign to the producers, this time it really felt like an equal collaboration. It was also probably the most relaxed I’ve felt as part of the recording process. Pete has a knack of making you feel comfortable in the moment, and everything just flowed effortlessly.”
The band’s previous album, The Brickfields, was all tracked live in the studio, with the band all playing together in the same space with no overdubs. On this album, some tracks keep that live energy, whilst others lean into a more expansive sound world with string arrangements, vocal harmonies, and bigger rhythm sections with double bass and bouzouki.
With this expanded sound, it’s probably the most contemporary sounding album the band has ever made. And yet at the same time the album is, in a way, a love-letter to traditional music, with 10 out of the 11 tracks being traditional.
The one original tune on the album, Conversations, was written by Lewis in a moment of anger, relating to the lawsuit by the estate of Marvin Gaye on Ed Sheeran. The estate stipulated that Sheeran had plagiarised the song Let’s Get It On when writing his song, Thinking Out Loud.
The main thing these songs share is a chord sequence that was already in widespread usage by 1973 – so this tune also shares that chord sequence!
The lyrical themes of the album are very much about people and their stories. Some of the songs focus on ordinary people and their stories of love, lost love, joy, and pain; whilst others are centred around fantastical and supernatural stories – but always with the thread of common human experiences and emotions. The band have covered a lot of historical and political themes on past albums, and whilst that’s all still there, on this release it’s more under the surface, with a strong focus on the personal. Much of the material on this album also comes from places that are important to the band and their development as musicians.
When selecting material, there was only one rule – it had to be music that grabbed all three band members and felt right for all of them. Sometimes, this was a beautiful melody that stopped them in their tracks, or an irresistibly danceable tune; other times, it was a brilliant turn of phrase in the lyrics, or perhaps just an indescribable feeling of connection. As the project went on, clearer themes emerged, with the music emerging mainly on the darker and more personal side – and unusually for the trio, there’s not a single chorus on the album!
Once the material was selected, there was a long process of exploring the arrangements and drawing out their magic. For the first time, the band also decided to work with a guest musician – the brilliant Sid Goldsmith (Tarren, Awake Arise) on double bass. It had become clear that lots of the tracks were calling out for some bass, and Sid’s sensitive yet supportive playing was exactly what was needed.
Each band member’s other musical projects have also impacted the finished sound. George says, “When we were in the studio, I could really feel the influence of some of the amazing musicians I’ve been around in recent years. Lewis, Cohen, and I have various separate collaborations and play with lots of people, so it’s nice to bring all of that back to each other. There are small moments where I was keeping someone in mind, thinking of the way they might play a phrase, or incorporating something I’d learned from them. People like Maddie Morris, Sophie Crawford, Matt Quinn, Alana Middleton, Holly Clarke, Evan Davies, and Michael Tennyson. So to me the album is a product of our musical community, very influenced by the people around us, which feels fitting for an album of traditional music that is so much about human stories, and that is at its core about people and their lives.”
After a busy year celebrating the band’s 15th anniversary in 2024, this album marks another big milestone to take the band from strength to strength, and the release will of course be accompanied by extensive touring throughout the year. Whilst last year’s tours were focused on the band’s past, this year will focus on looking forwards, and the band can’t wait to bring these songs and tunes to life on tour this Spring and Autumn.
Tour Dates as follows:
26 April – The Bijou Cinema, Southport
27 April – The Watson Institute, Castle Carrock
1 May – Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Maidenhead
2 May – Pound Arts, Corsham
3 May – Upton upon Severn Folk Festival
4 May – St George’s, Bristol (Bristol Folk Festival)
8 May – ARK, Cliftonville
9 May – Christ Church Centre, Norwich
10 May – Southside, Lincoln
11 May – Ye Old Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, Walthamstow
13 May – The Corner House, Surbiton
17 May – ACE Space, Newbury
18 May – Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham
23 May – Wadsworth Community Centre, Hebden Bridge
24 May – Swaledale Festival
24-25 July – Warwick Folk Festival
26 July – Cumberlandia
8-10 August – Dartmoor Folk Festival
14 August – Broadstairs Folk Week
20-21 August – Whitby Folk Week
11-14 September – Bromyard Folk Festival
12 October – Derby Folk Festival
Cold Blows the Wind will be released on Friday 16th May 2025. It is available to pre-order now at www.grannysattic.org.uk/shop.
Ticket links at www.grannysattic.org.uk/gigs/.
Website:https://www.grannysattic.org.uk/
Bandcamp: https://grannysattic.bandcamp.com/album/the-brickfields
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GrannysAtticFolk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grannysatticfolk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grannysatticfolk/
Release Details
Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne: Anglo Concertina, Melodeon, Vocals
George Sansome: Guitar, Bouzouki, Vocals
Lewis Wood: Violin, Viola, Vocals
with Sid Goldsmith: Double Bass
All tracks traditional, arranged by Granny’s Attic (except track 10, written by Lewis Wood)
Produced by Pete Ord and Granny’s Attic
Recorded and mixed by Pete Ord at The Studio at Sunbeams, Cumbria
Mastered by Sam Proctor at Lismore Mastering
