Lady Maisery are an English

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

vocal harmony Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical ...

trio composed of Hannah James (vocals,

piano accordion A piano accordion is an accordion equipped with a right-hand keyboard similar to a piano or organ. Its acoustic mechanism is more that of an organ than a piano, as they are both aerophones, but the term "piano accordion"—coined by Guido Deir ...

clogs Clogs are a type of footwear that has a thick, rigid sole typically made of wood, although in American English, shoes with rigid soles made of other materials are also called clogs. Traditional clogs remain in use as protective footwear in a ...

, foot percussion), Hazel Askew (vocals, melodeon,

concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...

, harp, bells) and Rowan Rheingans (vocals,

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

). Lady Maisery sing traditional and contemporary folk songs as well as exploring the tradition of diddling or tune singing, which has nearly died out in England, but is still prevalent in

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

and other parts of Europe. They released their first album, ''Weave & Spin'' in 2011, their second, ''Mayday'', in 2013, their third, ''Cycle'', in 2016, and most recently ''Tender'' in 2022.

Name

Lady Maisery's name is based on one that appears in a number of traditional folk songs, most notably the

Child ballad The Child Ballads are List of the Child Ballads, 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies ...

" Lady Maisry", but also " The Laily Worm & The Machrel of The Sea" (the former of these appears on their second album, Mayday).

History

In 2011, Lady Maisery released ''Weave & Spin'' and were subsequently nominated for the Horizon Award in the

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British rad ...

, and for Best Debut in the Spiral Awards. The album was also made 'Album of the Week' in The Independent. In 2012 they were featured on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...

and in 2013 they have twice appeared on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

's classical music programme 'In Tune'. In 2013, they released a charity download single to mark

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

on 8 March—a version of

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

’s song " This Woman’s Work"--with proceeds donated to the charity coalition "End Violence Against Women". This preceded the release of their second album, ''Mayday'', which was launched in both London and Sheffield. During 2013, Lady Maisery also gave a number of performances of "Rest", a secular

requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

, composed for them by

Emily Hall Emily Hall (born 30 March 1978) is a composer of classical music, electronica and songs. Her music has been performed by the Duke Quartet, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Brodsky Quartet, the London Sinfonietta, and the Philharmonia; it ha ...

and Toby Litt as the third in the pair's trilogy of song cycles. Performances included the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

, London, Spitalfields Summer Festival and Deal Festival. All three members were part of the

Songs of Separation Songs of Separation was a music project created in the aftermath of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum to explore through the medium of music ideas of separation. It was organised by double-bass player Jenny Hill and brought together t ...

project, which won "Best Album" in the 2017

. In 2022, Lady Maisery released their 5th studio album, Tender. The Guardian described it as a "thoughtful record" with "Inspired cover versions and splendid harmony singing" while The Times said it was, 'a beguiling blend of ancient and modern'. They followed this up with two album tours, late 2022 and Spring 2023.

Discography

Studio albums

:* ''Weave & Spin'' (released 21 August 2011) :* ''Mayday'' (released 10 June 2013) :* ''Cycle'' (released 28 October 2016) :* ''Awake Arise: A Winter Album'' (with Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith) (released 6 December 2019) :* ''Tender'' (released 11 November 2022)

Live albums

:* ''Live'' (released 6 October 2018)

Singles

:* "This Woman's Work" (released as a download single, 8 March 2013)

Reviews

Weave and Spin

Bright Young Folk Bright may refer to: Common meanings *Bright, an adjective meaning giving off or reflecting illumination; see Brightness *Bright, an adjective meaning someone with intelligence People * Bright (surname) * Bright (given name) *Bright, the stage na ...

* Maverick Magazine * Spiral Earth

Mayday

* Bright Young Folk * Financial Times * Folk Witness * For Folk's Sake * Spiral Earth

Tender

* The Times * The Guardian * Folk Radio * Get Ready to Rock

References

External links

* {{Authority control English folk musical groups Musical groups established in 2011 2011 establishments in England Female musical trios Vocal trios English musical trios