Anna, Lydia, Charlotte and Maddie make up Wise Woman, the ‘power folk’ group who are about to bring their Home Safe tour to rural Suffolk next month. Here, they explain how the East Anglian landscape inspires them
We’re Anna (vox/keys/guitar), Lydia (vox/keys), Charlotte (vox/hand percussion) and Maddie (cello). We’ve been making music together in different guises for years – Anna and Lydia grew up in the same village arranging and writing songs in their local pub as teens, both went to music college (Guildhall School of Music and Drama) at different times – Anna as a composer, Lydia as a jazz singer – and met Maddie and Charl there.
Whereabouts are you all from – are there a couple of East Anglian connections?
Yes, Anna and Lydia grew up in Colchester, the gateway to East Anglia , so the countryside, history and people of that place really affect our writing, particularly in songs like “Fen Woman”. As well as growing up there, Anna works as a theatre maker and composer, making loads of projects with East Anglian companies such as Hightide, Eastern Angles and the New Wolsey. She’s also working on a new play called SALT in Great Yarmouth, looking at the life of Norfolk’s fishing communities through folk song. The band are also really excited to be playing Folk East this summer which is probably the most East Anglian folk gathering possible! Charl is from Porthcawl in South Wales, bringing with her the magic of Welsh singing and the seaside, and Maddie is from the great garden of England, Kent!
What led you to forming Wise Woman? What were you all doing before?
Wise Woman formed in the dark winter days of the pandemic. We’d been friends and colleagues for years and had begun singing folk songs together in 2019 as a way of letting off steam. Then, suddenly, we lost all our work as musicians and theatre makers and all these emotions and thoughts were pouring out onto the page, about people that inspired us, about our need for connection. And so, we decided that once we were able, we would get together and begin making our own original sounds together. Before, as now, we were all artistic freelancers, balancing multiple projects. There is a strong theatrical core to the group; Charl is a musical theatre performer, performing in shows as varied as Phantom of the Opera to recently returning from the China tour of Titanic. Maddie, as well as working with groups including Arctic Monkeys and Anna Meredith, is a cellist working for theatres such as Shakespeare’s Globe and The Royal Court. Lydia is a jazz singer and educator, touring the UK regularly with big band, Down for the Count.
How would you describe your music – there’s some 90s girl power in there! Does East Anglia inspire you in any way?
Now, we describe it as “power folk”. This means it encompasses the stories of people and ourselves, as well as having a route into folk modes and instruments and, we hope, it empowers women to re-write their narratives. However, in terms of what we sound like, there’s a real melting pot there which reflects the band itself: folk, jazz and musical theatre are all present. We were all young kids in the 90s so Spice Girls and Destiny’s Child are obviously huge figures in our lives which secretly we want to be like…or perhaps not so secretly!
Like we said, the landscapes and characters of East Anglian history often play a central role in our inspiration, particularly stories of women. The mystical landscapes of the fens and heaths really play into “Fen Woman” which is inspired by the women accused in the witch trials of the 17th Century; she’s promising her daughters that they will forever be seen and heard. A new song which we’ll be debuting on tour this Spring, “Hold the Wonder”, is inspired by the Norfolk medieval mystic, Julian of Norwich. Her book, Revelations of Divine Love, is the first known book written in English by a woman- she’s kickass and the book is a beautiful read.
What’s the thinking behind the Home Safe Tour?
It’s the first time where we feel ready to stride out to the audiences which we’ve been developing over the last few years – they all feel a bit like home. All the venues mean something for us. Lichfield – we had a wonderful gig at the Lichfield Festival and can’t wait to return; Lydia went to University in Bristol; Anna regularly works in Leeds and loves the music scene in the city, and of course, we all went to music college in London. We also can’t wait for our East Anglian dates. We are going to be releasing our new single “Home Safe” during the tour, in April, and we can’t wait to share these new sounds with our audiences (including percussion for the first time with our brilliant colleague, Isis Dunthorne, joining us for some of the gigs).
Why was it important to you to include venues in rural areas (such as The Bank in Eye and Blaxhall Village Hall)?
We just want to make sure that people living in rural areas can have access to gigs without having to always drive or spend lots of money travelling. We know we have quite a wide age demographic who come to see us, and we enjoy the story sharing and intimate atmosphere of working within local communities and venues. With Blaxhall particularly, this is so close to where we filmed our “Fen Woman” video. We’ve also performed at that venue with Radio 2 Folk Award winners, The Young Uns, as part of their folk singing weekend. The atmosphere and acoustics are so special there.
What (or where) is next for Wise Woman?
It’s an exciting year. Obviously, we have this tour and are releasing “Home Safe” and the new video. Then we have a summer playing some of our fave festivals including Folk East and Secret Garden Party. We might also have a theatrical collaboration on the way, but we’ll have to ask you to check back later when we can reveal details!
Wise Woman‘s tour starts on Saturday March 2, 2024. They are coming to The Bank, Eye on March 16, and Blaxhall Village Hall on March 17 (visit Eventbrite). Visit wearewisewoman.com and follow @wearewisewoman on social media. Also, watch Fen Woman (Official Video) on YouTube.
Featured image of Wise Woman – supplied
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