Rachel Unthank & The Winterset

MAY 2008

Our major UK tour starts... today! Please check here for a date near you.
We're coming to London, Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Manchester, Salisbury and Exeter, all in the next couple of weeks.

We're headlining the beautiful Spiegeltent in Brighton, and then loads of other places through June. And the big news is, from the Manchester on, we should have T-Shirts for sale! At last!

Some links from this week.
"By far the most rigorous of Bragg's supports" read the Observer review of our show with Billy Bragg at The Barbican.
http://music.guardian.co.uk
See photos from the night here:
http://bl106w.blu106.mail.live.com
Listen back to the girls playing Blue Bleezing Blind Drunk live on Radio 4's Loose Ends with Clive Anderson, until Saturday:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/looseends.shtml

London and Manchester shows now on sale.

Exclusively announced by Mojo Magazine in their latest edition, Rachel Unthank & The Winterset play:

MANCHESTER: 8th May, Night & Day Cafe
LONDON: 12th May, The Shaw Theatre
Tickets available now, here...

www.aloud.com/holding/rachel_unthank.shtml

More end-of-year polls
Besides being No. 17 in the Observer Music Monthly Top 50 Albums of 2007, The Bairns is also No. 8 in Albums of the Year in fRoots, No. 4 in the Mojo Folk Albums of the Year and it's in the top ten in the Financial Times World Albums of the Year - the only English entry.

No. 17 in the Observer Music Top 50
The Bairns by Rachel Unthank & The Winterset is number 17 in the Observer Music Monthly Top 50 Albums of 2007.

The highest placed folk album and ahead of albums by Rufus, Bjork, Springsteen and McCartney! Paul Morley wrote "The Bairns was a bewitching, dream-like, down-to-earth masterpiece." Read what else he wrote here;
http://music.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,,2222531,00.html

BBC Folk Awards: Rachel Unthank & The Winterset nominated for four awards

Radio 2 have announced nominations for the BBC Folk Awards 2008. The Winterset have been nominated for:

Best Album for The Bairns
Best Group
Best Live Act
The Horizon Award

The awards take place on Feb 4th 2008.

The Observer (Review, 12.08.07)
"Rough edges and shimmering, experimental production do not make for comfort zone listening, but behind these young voices lie the power of old songs and stoical lives. Original and moving, the group deserve to prosper." Neil Spencer

Mike Harding - Folk On 2
Played Fareweel Regality live from Cambridge Folk Festival listen back »
Sept 5th: Interview and 3 tracks

Phill Jupitus
A long standing fan, Phill played Sea Song on Sunday 5th August, standing in on 6 Music’s Stephen Merchant show listen back »
Live interview from Edinburgh Festival on Sunday August 19th (eve of release date) between 3-5pm

Post-Cambridge Album Launch
The BAIRNS was a Top 5 best seller at Cambridge
Cambridge Festival review, Monday 30th July: "The sublime Rachel Unthank & The Winterset almost stopped the show." Full review »

Living Tradition
Rachel is the front page photo on the next edition. 3000 word feature.

The Journal Culture Magazine
Rachel is the cover photo on the current Culture Magazine – a monthly magazine with The Journal – Newcastle’s major daily newspaper.

Remarkable review on internet review site
"bitingly beautiful and filled with delicate glory...music that'll keep you company in your deepest reflective moments"More »

BBC Folk & Acoustic Website New Releases
"Magnificently original soundscape in this second album from the Northumbrian quartet. Eerie ballads, canny northeast songs and contemporary material, all audacious, challenging and gripping." More »

BBC Messageboard Folk & Acoustic
Lots of mentions by Cambridge goers in their favourite acts of the festival. More »
Independent interview/feature - date tbc around release

FIRST REVIEWS: Mojo makes The BAIRNS Folk Album of the Month, Rock’n’Reel say "...quite possibly the folk album of this generation" and the BBC Folk and Acoustic site says "Magnificently original soundscape... audacious, challenging and gripping." The Guardian thought their live show "..utterly gorgeous"

MYSPACE: The radio edit of Felton Lonnin is now available to listen to on Myspace. More tracks will be available soon. Felton Lonnin is track one of the new album, and features four members of the Northern Sinfonia, Neil Harland on double bass, and feet percussion by Becky Unthank’s high heels! Go listen to it now!
www.myspace.com/rachelunthank

The Winterset team up with EMI Records
RabbleRouser Music has signed a licensing deal with EMI Records for new album, The BAIRNS. More here...