Tyde

The eponymous debut album from young folk trio Tyde is an exciting and dynamic breakthrough piece of work. Finalists in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards in 2009 Tyde comprise of Heather Gessey on fiddle and vocals, Seth Tinsley on guitar and Andrew Waite on accordion.

The trio from Northumberland and the Scottish Borders have drawn on an eclectic mix of folk sources for their album. Tracks from Ireland, the West Coast of Scotland and Northumbria are thrown in with a dash of inspiration from Sweden and the Pacific Northwest for good measure demonstrating their confidence and diverse musical heritage.

The album, released by Mrs Casey Records and produced by Ich Mowatt (who recently oversaw Ruth Notman’s similarly excellent debut Threads), is an energetic, taut and skilful mix of jigs, reels and ballads. The opening track is a breezy introduction to the band and their album. Comprising of Seth’s self-composed ‘Chairdance’ with Susan Songer’s contra-dance ‘The Gale’ and Ireland’s John McSherry’s ‘Skipping over the Bogs’ it provides a foretaste of the treats to come on this impressive debut. Kicking off with a pacey blend of Seth’s funky guitar, Andrew’s spirited accordion and Heather’s vigorous fiddle the track builds into a feverish and toe-tappingly stirring climax.

‘Edinburgh Rock’ follows in much the same vein with an interpretation of a David Lim composition melting into a frenetic version of Beoga’s jig ‘Exploding Bow’ before concluding with a punchy interpretation of Scottish fiddler Adam Sutherland’s ‘Trip to Market’.

The album is dripping with fine jigs and reels including the breakneck ‘Exploding Set’ (which incorporates a version of David Nisbet’s ‘Rumble in Reykjavik’) and the lively ‘Three Tunes’ (a medley of Ian Lowthian’s ‘Grouses Revenge’, ‘Ben Redmans’ and Phil Cunningham’s ‘The Girls at Martinfield’). The trio also demonstrate their own skills as traditional tunesmiths with Andrew’s ‘Geanie & Davina’ standing its ground well alongside more established names. Similarly ‘The Belgian Set’, which includes ‘Gabi’s Jig’ written by Seth, is a sweet soulful composition smoothly delivered.

Traditional folksongs are also covered with an atmospheric version of the ‘Twas on One April Morning’ (‘April Morn’) delivered with cool and hauntingly fragile vocals by Heather accompanied by some skilful guitar by Seth and soft soothing accordion from Andrew. The track is complimented with a sparse but effective double bass accompaniment by guest Roger Jepson.

‘The Falls’ finds Tyde in a more mellow frame of mind, with an evocative rendition of Donald Riddell’s ‘The Falls Of Lorn’ effortlessly melding into a traditional Swedish polska, whilst the Border favourite ‘Shake Loose the Border’ is a fine rally call – full of feisty guitar, melodic accordion and exuberant fiddle. The final track, ‘Beth & Bert’, is a sprightly conclusion to the album.

This trio are definitely one to watch and it’ll be interesting to see how they develop their sound and style over the next few years. Frankly, being this talented at such a young age just simply shouldn’t be allowed!

Tyde are playing quite a few dates across England this summer so if you get the chance to see them live then take it – you won’t be disappointed!

Review by: http://www.folkradio.co.uk/2010/07/tyde/