Cruel Sister

Biography

Rachel Unthank & the Winterset was the initial name of an English folk group from Northumberland formed in 2004. Since 2009, they have been known as The Unthanks. Known for their eclectic approach in combining traditional English folk with other musical genres, their debut album, "Cruel Sister", was Mojo magazine's Folk Album of the Year in 2005 and their second album, "The Bairns", was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2008. Rachel Unthank, and sister Becky, were raised in an environment per...

Rachel Unthank & the Winterset was the initial name of an English folk group from Northumberland formed in 2004. Since 2009, they have been known as The Unthanks. Known for their eclectic approach in combining traditional English folk with other musical genres, their debut album, "Cruel Sister", was Mojo magazine's Folk Album of the Year in 2005 and their second album, "The Bairns", was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2008.

Rachel Unthank, and sister Becky, were raised in an environment permeated with music and folk song. Both of their parents are singers, and the sisters have been attending and performing at folk festivals for as long as they can remember. Later joined by two additional musicians, 'Rachel Unthank & The Winterset' came into being, and released an award-winning début album. Pianist / singer Belinda O'Hooley played an important part in pushing the harmonies, textures and sounds of the group beyond the usual folk boundaries, which rapidly made them stand out among their peers. Fiddle and vocals on their first album, 'Cruel Sister', were provided by Jackie Oates.

'Cruel Sister' was an excellent folk album; however, it is dwarfed as an achievement by its successor, 'The Bairns'. The lineup only changed by Niopha Keegan replacing Oates (who launched a highly successful solo career); but this is a much more confident, in some ways difficult, but compelling record. Originals appeared for the first time alongside traditional material and unexpected covers from elsewhere. 'The Bairns' picked up a Mercury nomination and the band surged to greater renown on the back of it and a relentless live schedule.

However, a little while later, O'Hooley decided to leave (she has since released solo material and formed the duo O'Hooley & Tidow), and after trying another couple of pianists, the quartet was eventually disbanded, the Unthank sisters and Keegan forming three-fifths of the nucleus of the bigger group The Unthanks, who have continued to equal artistic daring and greater success.

From the types of song they sing, to the unmissable passion in their performance, it is clear they believe in 'keeping folk alive'. Nominated for the Mercury Prize 2008 for the album The Bairns.

Since 2009, they have been known as The Unthanks. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.