The distinctive sound of The Shackleton Trio is showcased on their latest release, as they look forward to celebrating 10 years as a band in 2025. In anticipation of their landmark year, ‘The Shackleton Trio’ has a retrospective element, capturing the evolution of some old favourites. These sit alongside a compelling collection of brand new songs and tunes which offer a peek at a new wave of material on the way in 2025. The album was recorded live, with the band choosing the best of 3 takes of each track. The recording was engineered, mixed and produced by Aaren Bennett.

Unsettling drones open the album with a haunting rendition of 'Bows of London' (Roud. 8), in which a woman murders her own sister to make a fiddle from her body parts. What she perhaps doesn’t bank on is that when played, the fiddle will reveal her as the culprit. The trio were delighted to be asked to record a version of this for Karl Sinfield’s wonderful ‘Sing Yonder’ project.

Georgia’s trademark songwriting style is showcased in ‘Two Hundred Days’. A celebration of ‘Bobbie, the Wonderdog’. In 1924, lost dog Bobbie returned on the doorstep of his owners restaurant after a six month, 3000 mile journey cross-country from Indiana to Oregon. He was shot to fame after his incredible journey, and presented with medals, keys to cities, and received 40,000 visitors as a guest of honour at The Portland Home Show. He also went on to appear as himself in the silent film ‘The Call of the West’.

‘The Dog Who Would Not Be Washed’, which was recorded on the Trio’s debut album alongside ‘Cairn Gorm to Blue Ridge’ now finds itself sitting in a set alongside Pierre Schryer’s ‘Cape Breton Dream’

A modern day self-penned broadside, ‘The Black Sluice’ warns of the dangers of travelling on the fen roads alongside the man made drains. The peaty soil the roads are built on means the road structure changes quickly, and you never really know the road. This song is a true story, and one of many similar.

‘Frost Fair’ opens the second half of the recording. Frost fairs were held on the banks of the frozen River Thames between 1604 and 1817. Stall holders, publicans, musicians and all manner of trades would set up on the frozen river. Fires would be lit in the tents that sat upon the thick ice in order to keep warm. Attendees of the final Frost Fair in 1817 even witnessed an elephant walk on the ice.

Two tunes comprise ‘Cabin Fever Set' written by Georgia as part of a tune writing project during the pandemic, in which daily one or two word ‘prompts’ would inspire the writing of a tune. The prompt for these two were ‘Cabin’, and ‘Major key’ - perhaps not as interesting as some of the other prompts given, (‘SHOUT CHORUS!’ was a personal favourite), but the tunes were alright and ended up in our set. 

Despite having been playing it for almost a decade, and it appearing on the debut album, a trio recording of  ‘Lonesome George’ doesn’t actually exist. So here it is. A song for Lonesome George, who found himself a Galapagos conservation icon. George was until his death in 2012 the last remaining Pinta Island giant tortoise. As with many other tortoises and species, the Pinta tortoises were over exploited by whalers and seal hunters during the 1880s. Sadly our interference as a human race has dealt the same fate to many other species since.

Cher Ami is ‘War Pigeon’, the third of three pigeons sent up by the US 77th Division to deliver a fateful message during The Battle of the Somme. The Lost Battalion had found themselves trapped and being shot at in friendly fire. Cher Ami was their final hope and got the message across to stop shooting. Despite being shot down, losing her sight and almost losing a leg, she determinedly completed her mission and delivered the message successfully. The soldiers nursed her back to health and she was awarded with a medal for Saving almost 200 lives.

Original linocut artwork from Nic Zuppardi, beautifully depicts the characters from the songs and tunes, and can best be admired on the very limited edition run of signed Vinyl.

The album is available for pre-order from 2nd August, and is released with an album launch at Norwich’s beautiful Octagon Chapel on 5th September.

 

TOUR DATES
 

4th Sept - King George’s Hall, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
5th Sept - Octagon Chapel, NORWICH
8th Sept - Bungay Folk Festival, SUFFOLK
11th Sept - Hambledon Folk Club, HAMPSHIRE
12th Sept - Medina Book Shop, ISLE OF WIGHT
13th Sept - The Stables, MILTON KEYNES
15th Sept - Twickfolk, LONDON
28th Sept - Deepdale Festival, NORFOLK