Shrewsbury is famous both as the birthplace of Charles Darwin and, more recently, for its folk festival. A brilliant idea, then, by the organisers of the Shrewsbury Folk Festival, to link the two with a song cycle to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Darwin. There is another link too, between Darwin and folk music - Darwin was the great uncle of Vaughan Williams!
Eight artists, Krista Detor, Mark Erelli, Stu Hanna, Jez Lowe, Rachael McShane, Karine Polwart, Emily Smith, and Chris Wood, spent a week together writing in the ’Darwin Song House’ culminating in a premiere of the songs in the newly opened Severn Theatre. The concert had sold out long in advance and there was a real buzz of anticipation as the artists took the stage.
Polwart had organised her fellows so that they all had chance to work with everyone else (incredibly, most of the artists had not even met a week before the concert). The approach paid off and the artists performed in many different combinations over the course of the evening. The artists took the audience on a musical journey by making make emotional links with key episodes in Darwin’s life. By focussing on his humanity, rather than the science, Darwin’s achievements felt all the more remarkable.
This pick-and-mix approach might not have worked as there must have been plenty of opportunity for tensions to arise during the process; it might easily have been a flop, but overall the result was some thoughtful and absorbing music. It is testament both to the artists, and careful planning by the organisers, that this was a truly collaborative affair with no one artist dominating proceedings and every artist having an opportunity to showcase their talents.
The performance was a mix of jaunty numbers and more reflective pieces. Typical of the latter was McShane’s ’Heavy in my hand’, one of the highlights of the evening. This was inspired by the story of Darwin coming home to see his father who expected him to go into the ministry. However, waiting for him was a letter confirming his position on the Beagle, which was not well received by Darwin Senior.
It was interesting to see how the different artists had approached the project. Erelli, with a degree in evolutionary biology, was supremely qualified to be there. His song ’Kingdom Come’ is possibly the only folk song featuring worms and parasitic wasps. Despite the subject matter it was a lively slice of Americana with some exciting mandolin playing complemented by Erelli’s distinctive vocal style.
Polwart took an Open University course on Darwin to prepare for the project. She was particularly interested in the relationship between Darwin and his children, and composed and sang a beautifully moving song about his daughter Annie’s death at the age of 10.
Wood’s main contribution was on the guitar, leaving most of the fiddling to McShane. Wood sang an atmospheric song about the Beagle’s journey. He was accompanied by Hanna and Detor, who blew into bottles to imitate the sound of the waves and, together with the tune’s gentle rhythm, left the listener feeling as if he was on deck, experiencing the swell of the ocean.
Lowe, as might be expected, took a more political stance. He explored the story of Jemmy Button, a native of Tierra del Fuego who was transported to London, where he became a celebrity, before being returned to South America a year later, on the second voyage of the Beagle. The song featured wonderful harmonies from Polwart, Smith and McShane and the soulful playing of Detor on piano.
Detor seemed slightly isolated from the other musicians, possibly because she was seated at a grand piano. She wrote one of her trademark ’character’ songs: a bluesy number in the form of a letter from a religious lady to Darwin with the memorable hook ’no man is gonna make a monkey out of me’.
Smith’s ’Will you be waiting’ was a question from Emma Darwin to Charles, worried that they would not be together in the afterlife. Smith’s wonderfully clear vocals were matched by some superb vocal harmonies from McShane and Polwart. This was one of several songs exploring the relationship between Darwin and his wife and the tension between his growing atheism and her religious beliefs. All this could have been terribly dull and gloomy, but in these hands there was lightness and humour as well as some well received digs at the fundamentalists on both sides of the argument.
I was particularly impressed with Hanna whose solid musicianship on the guitar and mandolin provided much of the glue holding the performance together. He had been intrigued by a traditional tune ’The Earl of Darwin’s Farewell’ which, in a modified form, provided the basis of song co-written with Smith and Lowe.
Only the two final songs featured all the musicians. The first was sung a capella, and gave the artists a chance to sing their hearts out. The encore (and 20th song) was a light hearted piece, led by Lowe, called ’Do the Darwin Walk’ and provided an opportunity for the artists to let their hair down and for some audience participation.
I felt privileged to have been part of the audience; we were treated to some wonderful music and learnt something of Darwin on the way. Although the artists have now gone their separate ways, there will be another opportunity to catch the performance at this year’s Shrewsbury Folk Festival (and on CD release). I anticipate that the songs will have evolved further by then, and to add to the attraction, all the contributing artists will also be performing individually at the Festival. I can’t think of a better way to spend the August Bank Holiday!
