MARTHA WOODS
The Hare Chase and Other Dark Tales
A new name to most, at least in FNW territory, Martha Woods is a young, Cornish artist, looking to take the Folk tradition and those of her native country into the future, armed only with a fiery fiddle, a powerful voice and an electronic box of tricks offering beats and more. Actually, it’s a laptop, but as she adds a mystical element to her lyrics, then a little artistic license should be permitted.
This 4 track EP does give a good overview of why we may all be hearing more of her in times to come. Notably, entirely self-performed and produced, the contents include a self-written track, telling a tale based on local legend, in which a young farmer falls to his end in a mine, whilst chasing a hare – the twist being that hares were reputed to be the ghosts of broken-hearted women returning to the cause of their hurt. Part sung, part narrated and underscored with fiddle and beats to drive the story, it is a summation of what is to follow and enjoy.
In keeping with her heritage, we are then treated to Delyow Sevi, apparently the only surviving complete song collected in the Cornish language, the telling of how a young woman is wise to the attentions of a local tradesman. The feel of the piece is augmented by the pairing of the story with music by Merv Davey, piper, once a grand bard of Kernow, and provider of a dance tune from Martha’s youth. (or strictly – even more youthful days).
The syntheses continue with a two part Ballad of Tredeagle, where a pact with the devil leads to a Sisphean punishment of eternal tasks. Taken from an original poem of the 19th Century, music has been added, as well as adapting the lyrics to offer a more compact version of the legend.
Combining local history, traditional instrumentation and modern technology can be a powerful and interesting development and here we have a fine example of that. Caught in an uplifting live concert at a recent festival, the audience singing and dancing that accompanied the performance suggest that we will be seeing as well as hearing more of Martha.
