Bridie Jackson & The Arbour… Tree-mendous

Showcase: Bridie Jackson & The Arbour

Published on October 15th, 2013 | Jonny Abrams

We loved “Prolong” by Bridie Jackson & The Arbour when we came across it in a recent singles round-up, awarding it four quails and describing it in the following terms:

From the winners of Glastonbury’s most recent Emerging Talent Competition, this haunting chamber-folk-pop-thingymabob is all smothered in exquisite harmonies and a gently huffing string section, stopping and starting again with a majesty not always associated with something so soft.

As we are wont to do, we winged them over our Showcase Q&A to find out more about them…

How would you describe your music, if pushed?

Contemporary folk.

Where are you based, and what do you use to record with?

Newcastle upon Tyne. We particularly like to use a studio called Blast for our recordings. The staff are fantastic, and they have a particularly comfortable sofa and a full screen telly in their studio. Plus, they make you hot dogs if you ask nicely.

Are you signed to a label? If so, how did you come to their attention?

We released our last two singles, “Scarecrow” and “Prolong”, through Debt Records, a collective based in Manchester. We actually met them through putting on gigs in Newcastle for some of their artists, and we began working together gradually through that.

Is there a full album in the works? If so, what can you tell us about it? (Feel free to be as abstract as you like…)

We will be recording our second album in December, which we are really excited about. Some of the tracks we’ve been playing live for quite a while now, and some of them are so brand new we’ve not even finished arranging them yet. If all goes to plan it will be released in April 2014, and we’ll be going on our first big UK headline tour to launch it.

Where can we hear your music online?

On our website – www.bridiejackson.com or at www.soundcloud.com/bridie-jackson or bridiejackson.bandcamp.com

We’re also on the usual places like iTunes, Spotify, Amazon etc.

Which have been your most exciting gigs and/or overall moments so far?

It’s been a very exciting year all round. Definitely the highlights have been winning the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition, playing Glastonbury, winning the CMF award, and playing live sessions on Radio 4’s Loose Ends (a lifelong ambition to meet Clive Anderson was finally actualised!) and The Dermot O’Leary Show.

However, probably the most exciting bit of it all is the response we get from our fans; two lovely fans made us some bespoke Arbour cakes and brought them to a gig recently, that was pretty amazing! And when people turn up to gigs and sing along with gusto to all our songs; you really can’t beat that.

Got any more coming up? (Gigs, that is…)

We have quite a few gigs coming up this year:

17/10/2013 – Milton Court, London – City Music Foundation Showcase
18/10/2013 – The Met, Bury – Homegrown Festival at the English Folk Expo
28/10/2013 – Kitchen Garden Café, Birmingham
29/10/2013 – Prince Albert, Stroud
30/10/2013 – The Islington, London
31/10/2013 – Sage Gateshead – with Winter North Atlantic
01/11/2013 – The Victoria, Saltburn
03/11/2013 – Old Cinema Launderette, Durham
29/11/2013 – Tyne Theatre, Newcastle – supporting I Am Kloot
30/11/2013 – House Concerts York

Our most exciting one coming up this Autumn is the CMF Showcase Concert at Milton Court (The Barbican), London. We’re looking forward to getting glammed up and enjoying champagne with the Lord Mayor!

Are there any obscure and/or up-and-coming acts that you’d like to recommend or give a shout-out to?

Carol: I really loved our fellow contestants at the GETC, The Dancers. I’ve also just been tuned in to Amanda Palmer; check her out if you haven’t already.

Rachel: I saw a band from the South West called Hot Feet at Glastonbury and they were great.

Jenny: Great North East acts: Winter North Atlantic, Tessera Skies, Ajimal, Ditte Elly, By Toutatis, O’Messy Life.

Bridie: I recently discovered a Manchester based band called The Slow Show, who are absolutely phenomenal. Can’t wait for their first album to come out.

Finally, if you were forced to spend the rest of your days in solitary confinement, but were allowed to bring the entire works of five different artists along to tide you over, whose would you choose?

Carol: Nick Cave, Nick Drake, Goran Bregjovic, Kate Bush, R.E.M, Ella Fitzgerald.

Rachel: Lau, Sigur Rós, Elbow, Queen.

Jenny: Pink Floyd, Regina Spektor, The Prodigy, Bon Iver, Paul Simon.

Bridie: The Beach Boys, The Who, Sigur Rós, The National, Billie Holiday. Can I really only have five?

Bridie Jackson & The Arbour, thank you.

Artists: bridie jackson & the arbour

About the Author

Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.