A brilliant meeting of three hugely creative figures of the UK folk scene, Hack-Poets Guild brings together Marry Waterson, Lisa Knapp and Nathaniel Mann.
Uniquely inventive with a strikingly original and varied sound world, their debut album, Blackletter Garland (One Little Independent) garnered unanimously praise heavy reviews and secured ‘best of 2023’ accolades across folk and mainstream media.
Drawing on the incredible archive of historic broadside ballads in the Bodleian Library, Marry, Lisa and Nathaniel brought their distinctive creative and vocal talents to bear on a collection of original and reinterpreted traditional songs.
As with their live sets, Blackletter Garland boasts fascinating interpretations and original compositions that tell intricate tales of birth, love, conflict and death, with all the imagination of the folklore from which they’re based.
From a spine-tingling retelling of Cruel Mother to the punky Daring Highwayman, the trip-hoppy Ten Tongues to the powerful tale of suicide Devil’s Cruelty.
With inspired textures like the percussive use of traditional agricultural tools, and auto-tuning through mobile phones, Hack-Poets Guild are one of the most original, radical and captivating acts on the scene.
“Bold, sharp and immediate” – Songlines
“Delights in gothic oddness and is pleasingly playful too” – MOJO
“Sonically, incredibly inventive: stirring, gothic, incantatory, haunting” – The Crack
"This lot was doing leftfield before it became popular, and anything they are involved in is always a breath of fresh air." - Folk Radio
“Just brilliant on so many levels - the sheer talent and brilliance of the musicians, the cultural importance of the work, the attention to detail on every level of the project.” - Audience comment
“I can’t begin to express how worth it the gig was. The history, the interpretation, the beauty and rawness of the songs and performers, breath taking. I had shivers and goosebumps several times and cried once. I feel privileged to have attended.” - Audience comment
