Andy Steele - Here Comes The Sunshine

Here at Bobbysix.com, we love love love Hannah Peel, or, as we call her, The Flame. You may remember we interviewed her a while ago. Anyway, a little bird told us that she is involved with another project, so we'd thought we'd share it with you. As well as continuing with her solo stuff, Peel now makes up part of Liverpool-based progressive folk artist Andy Steele's band. Also in an impressive line-up (pictured above, without Hannah) are members of Echo & The Bunnymen, Turin Breaks and The High Llamas, solo artist Helen Maher and - brilliantly - USA National Banjo Champion, John Dowling.

The band consists of an accordion, fiddle, piano, banjo and bouble bass and you can hear a couple of examples of their stuff below. If you like it, then an album, Night Fishing, is due to land on October 24th.

Andy Steele - A Wish For A Word by Bright Lights PR
Andy Steele - Here Comes The Sunshine by Bright Lights PR

Hannah Peel - The Broken Wave

We recently interviewed the lovely Hannah Peel. If that whetted your appetite to hear more from her (and why wouldn't it?) then the exciting news for you is that her debut album is set to drop at the end of this month.

The Broken Wave certainly showcases Peel's talents as a multi-instrumentalist - she plays pretty much everything on it - but, more than that, it happily proves what a fine songwriter she is. Amid structures that range from experimental to stripped-back via folk-pop, she mixes themes of falling in and out of love with tales of everyday triviality and does so in a way which manages to find a balance between being interesting and unfussy. The same can be said of her voice, which is arresting yet laconic. There is no showing off here - no vocal gymnastics - just a beguiling, pretty delivery.

The creation of The Broken Wave saw producer Mike Lyndsay (Tunng) bring his own inimitable energy to the recording process. According to Peel, if Lyndsay didn't dance around the studio when they were laying down a track, it was left on the cutting room floor. On top of that, he added his voice to You Call This Your Home.

The result of Peel and Lindsay's recording sessions is a record that doesn't so much transcend genres as not really worry about them in the first place. Sure, Peel's Irish folk roots are certainly evident on Cailin Deas Cruite Na Mbo, the brass elements of You Call This Your Home point towards time spent in Yorkshire and some of the catchiest melodies perhaps lend themselves to being a part of the music scene in Liverpool, but the truth of the matter is that The Broken Wave is an album so fine that it's kinda pointless spending too much time trying to pigeonhole it. Just put it in your ears and enjoy it.

If you want some idea of her sound, then Peel's own description of "Wonky Folk Pop" will do just fine. Wonky or not though, there is no denying that this is a quite, quite lovely record.

Review by Rob Townsend

Getting To Know... Hannah Peel

BobbySix.com first chanced upon the wonderful Hannah Peel when she was performing live as David Ford's backing multi-instrumentalist/vocalist. Since then, she has gone on to set tongues wagging with her own solo work, and is very much someone to look out for in 2011. Here, she tells Rob Townsend a bit about herself and her music:

I would describe my sound as something completely different to what everyone else thinks. Isn't that always the way? I write a lot of songs about death but they are disguised so much by the lyrics and music that you would never know. On The Broken Wave I worked alongside Mike Lindsay (Producer/Tunng). He is a vibe/party man. When making the record, if he didn't dance around the room when we were recording a song it got ditched. I loved it. I have never been in that kind of working atmosphere before. Musicians are much too precious at times (I'll include myself in that). Mike just has fun.

So my sound at the moment is a concoction of wonky folk pop with hints of traditional Irish, northern brass band bacon butties and a dash of HP melancholy sauce.

Music makes me want to do more music. However, only if I'm listening to something good. Good = interesting, unique, trying out new sounds and styles, good lyric writing, great melody. Some music out there makes me very, very sad… like the crap we get fed on TV/the charts/supermarkets. Its sad that it all orientates around money and for two minutes of fame.

I'm currently listening to This Mortal Coil.

Touring is essential. You need to see an artist live to really experience where they are coming from and to want to buy their music again. Records at times, can obscure this. But I know this doesn't work for everyone.
Personally, I find touring the one way I can connect to people properly - if they have come to listen.

If I could only listen to three albums for the rest of my life they would be:

Prelude to the afternoon of a Faun by Debussy
Blue - Joni Mitchell
Head over Heels - Cocteau Twins

Aside from music I like cake. All sorts of cake, just as long as it hasn't got lashings of cream. But my favourite at the moment is coffee and walnut. yummm.

Listen to some of Hannah's stuff at her Myspace page.