Songs of Love & Death – album launch fundraiser

Songs of Love & Death: 10 Traditional songs is a collaborative album from two of this country’s finest and most engaging folk/acoustic acts: Reg Meuross and the duo Harbottle & Jonas. This is a fundraising gig for the album – presented in the beautiful church where they recorded the songs, St Petrocs Church, South Brent.

Born from a remote collaboration, Songs of Love & Death has evolved into a stark yet beautiful album of traditional songs. Described as “a mighty songwriter” by Martin Carthy, Reg Meuross has been a constant presence in the nation’s folk clubs and venues throughout his thirty-year career.

With thirteen solo albums to his name, songs such as ‘England Green & England Grey’ and ‘And Jesus Wept’ have entered the modern folk canon, but, until now, he has never delved into the traditional songs that have so influenced his writing.

“Songs I knew so well like they were in my DNA. Although these songs inhabited me, I realised I’d never inhabited them and I took the chance to explore, eventually settling on ten songs, and the idea of recording an album started to form in my mind. I loved what Harbottle & Jonas and I did together so much that we decided to continue work on it in collaboration.”

Harbottle & Jonas, husband and wife duo David and Freya, are “one of the finest folk duos in the country” according to Folking.com. Matching Reg’s talent for conveying the true meaning behind a song in his delivery, with David and Freya’s exceptional arrangement and accompaniment skills, Songs of Love & Death tackles some of the most enduring songs from the English tradition.

PHOTOS BY RACHEL SNOWDON & HUGH MILLER