Blackbeard's Tea Party - We Are People [CD]

Cat. no: BTP009
Format: CD
Barcode: 5052442026334
Release Date: 20 Sep 2024
Genre: Folk

'We Are People' is the ffth studio album from folk-rockers Blackbeard's Tea Party and the frst to be dominated by the band's original songs and tunes

Best- known for their punky interpretations of sea- shanties and folk tunes, this album is something of a departure for the band, bringing a political conscience to the fore. The signature sound is unchanged - a mix of high- octane folk tunes, heavy riffs, and a touch of glam and funk - but the subject matter includes Brexit, the cost-of-living crisis, the pandemic and populism.

Explaining the album name, Blackbeard's Tea Party's singer Stuart Giddens said:"If you listen to politicians, watch the news, or scroll through social media it's easy to believe that we've become incredibly divided and toxic as a country, and that the only issues that concern us are economic growth, sovereignty and so-called gender ideology. But when I volunteered at a food- bank during the pandemic I felt I glimpsed a different England, one that is essentially caring and  accepting, where people's main concerns are staying healthy and caring for their families. It felt to me sometimes like there were two Englands: the England I read about in the news, and the one I lived in every day. "There are lots of different ways to defne folk music. One is "music of the people" and that defnition is pertinent here. For this album, we wanted our music to refect real-lived experiences - our own and those of people we'd spoken to - as we navigate these uncertain times. There is more that unites us than divides us: we are people."

Blackbeard's Tea Party haven't completely abandoned trad folk though. There's enough here to keep long-in-the-tooth Blackbeard's fans happy too, with a couple of English drinking songs, a prog-folk epic about a sea-witch, and even a song about syphilis!

The album is self released and was recorded at 6Db Studios with producer Dave Boothroyd.

Tracks: England Bound / The Mystery Wedge / The Devil Mercury / The Sum of Us / Martin's Polka / Who's The Fool Now? / What Will You Do In The Morning / Mother Carey / Squeeze The Teabag / I Am People / When Jones' Ale Was New