Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening – Traverse Theatre

Kathryn Tickell is one of Folk’s superstars, though it’s a title she’d probably toss over her shoulder in embarrassment. Prolific and eclectic from an early age she’s delivered albums of her own too numerous to mention since 1985 while collaborating with artists ranging from The Penguin Café Orchestra to Sting to Andy Sheppard. And most points in between, staying resolutely modest and self-effacing. Tonight, she performs with a slightly altered line-up of The Darkening, a creation inspired by twilight, or, as the French put it, ‘Entre Chien et Loup’, that time of day when a certain magic – both exhilarating and malevolent – is in the air. Together they perform what’s been dubbed ‘Ancient Northumbrian Futurism’ and while it’s an accurate description it’s also worth learning from one of Kathryn’s between-song chats that Northumbria used to stretch from the Humber to north of Edinburgh. So, plenty of raw material to plunder. And that’s what makes tonight, for a Tickell first-timer, so fascinating. To have lived in an era when artists from Davy Graham to Led Zeppelin (and endless points in between) strode the planet one realises that what Tickell is at is far closer to the source. From the start we have intricate, ages-old melodies and jostling time signatures, all evoking landscapes and atmospheres of her home turf, while at the same time making one want to dance. As fellow troubadour Jimmy Nail wrote, ‘these places sing to me’.

Tickell’s chief instruments are the fiddle and the (Northumbrian) pipes but there are other manifestations of the latter; separately the voices of Amy Thatcher (accordion, synth & clogs) and Stef Connor (Lyre, percussion & synth) thrill but in combination with Tickell they produce rich textures settling atop the drums (Joe Truswell) and guitar (Heather Cartwright). Thatcher entertains with some deft clog-work on a couple of occasions and it’s clear a Northumbrian ‘Riverdance’ should posit high on some producer’s list. It’s a night of deep joy, the band tight, polished but raw. The room was stilled by an eerie piece inspired by Latin words two thousand years old discovered at the Roman fort of Carvoran, Tickell speculating that at that moment there were troops of the Roman Empire from the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Syria, Libya and even further afield. Who knew what they were singing around the campfire on a rainy Tuesday night near Once Brewed? That people from so many distant places populated a location that at that point wasn’t England or Scotland provokes some thought.

This show would be better enjoyed in the back room of a pub or, conversely at a festival; anywhere without seats inhibiting dancing basically! Tickell cut through the staid theatrical setting with warmth and humour, peppering proceedings with anecdotes about things as significant as The Sycamore Tree Gap and as hilarious as a visit to the Princes St branch of Primark. Consign the glib popular term ‘superstar’ to the bin, replace with ‘National Treasure’ and make available on the NHS.

Reviewer: Roger Jacobs

Reviewed: 27th October 2025

North West End UK Rating: