|
Red Lion Folk Club Wednesday Feb 5th |
|
Virginia Kettle’s Rolling Folk |
|
Virginia Kettle is at the heart of the creative force within Merry Hell and the energies that have driven the band ever upwards, whether this be as a songwriter, or performing as female lead singer. Born in Manchester, raised in Chester and shaped by a lifetime of music and adventure, Virginia had long been a solo-singer songwriter under her maiden name of Virginia Barrett, releasing two albums, The Quiet Bridge and Sense Of Human, before joining husband John and his two brothers as they formed the folk-rock monster that Merry Hell has become. The formation of the Merry Hell gave a further outlet to her creativity and many of her songs have become anthems for fans of the band, with ‘Bury Me Naked’ producing mass swaying among crowds wherever they play, with others, such as ‘The Baker’s Daughter’ being so infectious that audiences can’t help but dance in whatever way they see fit. As a prolific writer of songs, Rolling Folk gives Virginia the chance to share a variety of songs not included in the Merry Hell repertoire. It is not a replacement for the band, but an additional outlet for her creativity and energy. Offering the same level of songwriting excellence as Merry Hell, but a different, more intimate feel, as well as some additional musical explorations, the Rolling Folk project surrounds Virginia with a fabulous and interesting selection of players, particularly multi, multi-instrumentalist Chris Lee, (Full House, Time Bandits, Family Mahone, Galleon Blast, Rad Co., etc, etc etc) and percussionist, whistle player and flautist, Mark Wooley (Ade Edmondson’s Bad Shepherds, Full House, session master and more) – as well as husband John, all giving breadth and depth to her musical and lyrical visions.
|
