Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening

Multi-instrumentalist, composer and champion of the Northumbrian pipes, Kathryn Tickell created The Darkening from the shadows of Hadrian’s Wall in the north east of England.

Tickell began playing the Northumbrian pipes at the age of nine, a task she once described as ‘trying to tame an octopus’. Like the Irish uilleann pipes, the Northumbrian pipes are bellows blown but, uniquely, the chanter (the pipe that plays the melody) is closed at the end. This means a note is only sounded as a finger is raised, giving the instrument a characteristically perky staccato sound. Long-admired by musicians and collaborators such as Jacob Collier, Sting, and The Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Tickell works across many genres, creating material that is contemporary and exciting. She was the first folk artist to appear at the BBC proms, and the first non-classical recipient of the Queen’s Medal for Music, awarded for her outstanding contribution to British music. She has been awarded the OBE and has twice won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Musician of the Year.

Kathryn Tickell and The Darkening create musical magic, connecting threads of music, landscape and people over almost 2000 years. With Amy Thatcher (accordion, synth, clogs, vocals), Heather Cartwright (vocals, guitar), Joe Truswell (drums, percussion), and Stef Conner (vocals, lyres), these dazzling musicians create dynamic and unique ‘Ancient Northumbrian Futurism’ music. Their songs range from themes of freedom, nature and venturing out into the world after times of darkness, to a Roman inscription with links to Libya and Syria. Their latest album ’Cloud Horizons’ has been described as "wildly thrilling” (The Guardian) and "unexpectedly cosmic” (MOJO), and their live shows have been described as “a euphoric experience” (Fatea).