Winter Wilson are preparing to hit the road with the legendary Fairport Convention.
Kip and partner Dave Wilson were popular part timers on the folk scene and released Winter Wilson albums at their own leisure. But, following the banking crash and global crisis of 2012, things changed for the couple and music became the priority. Since then, critical acclaim has followed their every move and they even made one of the Daily Telegraph’s ‘Top Ten Folk Albums’ of 2014 in the redundancy-inspired and intrepid Cutting Free.
The music they make is as sharp in sound as it is observational in message and is delivered with a keen ear for melody and instinctive harmonies. Dave Wilson’s songs pull no punches and are as comfortable in a contemporary box, as they are at home on the floor of a folk club. Indeed, his songs have found their way into the repertoire of many a seasoned floor singer, as well as several other recording artists.
The duo has been hand-picked to support musical legends Fairport Convention in 2018 and are ready to delight audiences around the country. To coincide with this, they are releasing their brand-new album Far Off on the Horizon on January 25th next year and it’s another outstanding collection of original songs on subjects as diverse as migration, old age, young love and Australian weather! This latest collection of songs fits very well with the emotional geography of the roads they’re now travelling.
Getting out there’ also includes releasing albums like 2016’s acclaimed Ashes & Dust and touring them around the world. Early 2017 saw the pair venture even further afield, touring Australia and New Zealand. Everywhere they travelled, reactions were positive and word of mouth continues to build about their music. Check out the title track of the duo’s upcoming album Far Off on the Horizon below!
We managed to catch up with Winter Wilson as they talked about their upcoming tour, upcoming album and more!
How has the initial response been for the music video for the title track of your upcoming album Far Off On The Horizon?
Surprising to say the least. We’ve been filmed playing live before on many occasions, but as this is the first staged video we’ve done, we were not really sure what would work best. In the end it was just shot pretty much as a live performance in a music studio, with some cool lighting, candles and some beautiful old amps as a backdrop. We are well chuffed with the result and the reaction it has received. The biggie was the Daily Telegraph premiering it on their culture/music page <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Can you tell us something about the track nobody knows?
We have a studio set up at home and the lovely and very talented Marion Fleetwood (TRADarrr <https://www.tradarrr.co.uk/>, Feast of Fiddles and many more) was driving over a hundred miles to record cello, violin and viola on the track. We were to have about a couple of hours to get it nailed. Just as we received a message from Marion to say she was about an hour away a lorry pulled up outside our house. A chap climbed out and began unloading a compressor and a jack hammer. I began to tremble, I thought if he fires that lot up we can say goodbye to recording. I went out to have a word with him and he said he’d got to dig up the path outside our house, something to do with a power cable. I explained about Marion arriving within the hour, hundred mile journey, not able to re-arrange etc etc. He promised he’d have the job done within an hour. As I was putting a mug of coffee into Marion’s hand he was loading his gear back onto the lorry. Job done and I started to calm down.
How pumped are you for the release of the upcoming album?
We are buzzing. The album was written, recorded and is being released to coincide with the tour we are doing with folk-rock legends Fairport Convention. As such, time was tight (no bad thing). The early signs are good; all of the reviews so far have been great.
What was your favourite moment recording this?
Lunch? But seriously, when we began to get the mixing done, it all started to come together and the feeling of “It’s okay; it’ll be alright.”
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
The answer to this question could change by the day, but at the moment it would be Darlingside <http://www.darlingside.com/>. They are an American four piece we first heard at Cambridge Festival 2016. Strong songs and arrangements, great musicians, brilliant harmonies and any one of them can take the lead. Think Crosby, Stills and Nash for the 20th century – a breath of fresh air.
What venue are you most looking forward to playing on your upcoming UK tour?
Very difficult to pin it down to just one, but at the risk of upsetting all the others we’d go for The Union Chapel. It has a great history and some amazing acts have played there.
Are you good friends with Fairport Convention?
Not yet, but we hope to become the end of the tour.
What was the first gig you all ever attended?
The first together was Richard Thompson at the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham, back in the early 90s.
Do you think the Folk scene can be bigger in the UK?
Like any genre it goes through peaks and troughs. In general the folk scene is pretty healthy at the moment; some folk clubs have fallen in recent years but we’ve found that there’s some good gigs to be had in village halls that were not around ten years ago. And you can go to a couple of different festivals most weekends through the summer. The same goes with blues, metal and punk etc. There’s a whole lot of stuff that you’re never going to see on your TV, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. And judging by a lot of the shite that is on TV it’s probably best kept live in the pubs, clubs, theatres and festivals etc.
Winter Wilson touring with folk legends Fairport Convention in 2018
25 Jan 2018, Tewkesbury, The Roses Theatre
26 Jan 2018, Southport, The Atkinson
27 Jan 2018, Lincoln, Drill Hall
28 Jan 2018, Buxton, Opera House
30 Jan 2018, Nottingham, Playhouse
31 Jan 2018, Peterborough, Key Theatre
01 Feb 2018, Coventry, The Albany Theatre
02 Feb 2018, Morecambe, The Platform
03 Feb 2018, Settle, Victoria Hall
04 Feb 2018, Salford, The Lowry
06 Feb 2018, Milton Keynes, The Stables
07 Feb 2018 Stoke, The New Vic Theatre
08 Feb 2018 Durham, Gala Theatre
09 Feb 2018 Whitby, Pavilion Theatre
10 Feb 2018, Leeds, City Varieties
11 Feb 2018, Banbury, Trades and Labour Club
13 Feb 2018, Canterbury, The Gulbenkian
14 Feb 2018, Canterbury, The Gulbenkian
15 Feb 2018, Worthing, Connaught Theatre
16 Feb 2018, Frome, Cheese and Grain
17 Feb 2018, London, Union Chapel
18 Feb 2018, Winchester, Theatre Royal
20 Feb 2018, Farnham, The Maltings
21 Feb 2018, Exeter, Corn Exchange
22 Feb 2018, Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre
23 Feb 2018, Bury St Edmunds, The Apex
24 Feb 2018, St Albans, The Alban Arena
25 Feb 2018, Bromsgrove, The Artrix