Recorded and mixed by Rob Harbron in May 2014;
Mastered by Ian Carter;
Photograph by Dan P.K.;
Cover design by Laura Smyth

Musicians

Laura Smyth: vocals [1-5], cello [1], concertina [2-3];
Ted Kemp: banjo [1-2], guitar [3], vocals [4];
Laurel Swift: fiddle [1, 5], cello [2];

Tracks

1. Manchester Angel (Roud 2741) (2.55)
2. The Charcoal Black and the Bonny Grey (Roud 211; TYG 81) (2.23)
3. I’ll Have a Collier (Roud 3505) (2.20)
4. The Trooper Cut Down in His Prime (Roud 2; Laws Q26; G/D 7:1404; Henry H680) (3.24)
5. Joan o’ Grinfield (Roud V38524) (3.02)

All tracks trad. arr. Laura Smith and Ted Kemp

Videos

These two videos show Laura Smyth and Ted Kemp at the Green Note, Camden, on 25 November 2013:

Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Ian Carter;
Photographs by Stewart Morgan Hajdukiewicz;
Album artwork and design by Laura Smyth

Laura Smyth & Ted Kemp interview by Jon Wilks

Musicians

Laura Smyth: vocals, cello, concertina;
Ted Kemp: banjo, guitar, vocals

Tracks

1. The Poacher’s Fate (Roud 793; Laws L14) (2.58)
2. Alizon Device (4.19)
3. There Is a Tavern (Roud 18834; G/D 6:1171) (3.23)
4. Murder in the Red Barn (Roud 215) (3.46)
5. Cecilia (Roud 7; Laws N21; Henry H35) (4.05)
6. Winder’s Hornpipe / Kill Him With Kindness (4.23)
7. Here’s Adieu to All Judges and Juries (Roud 300) (2.25)
8. The Brown Hare of Whitebrook (Roud 1870, 24902) (4.28)
9. Brave Benbow (Roud 227) (2.51)
10. The Manchester Angel (Roud 2741) (2.58)
11. Wild Rover (Roud 1173; G/D 7:1480) (3.45)
12. Carrickmannon Lake (Roud 5177) (2.43)

All tracks trad. arr. Laura Smith and Ted Kemp except
Track 2 Laura Smyth

Videos

This video shows Laura Smyth and Ted Kemp at the Green Note, Camden:

The Road to Peterloo tells the story of one of the most notorious incidents in British labour history—the ‘Peterloo Massacre’ in Manchester in 1819—through some of the many broadside ballads that were printed around the time of the event. Three singers and musicians from North West England—Pete Coe, Brian Peters and Laura Smyth—trace the story from its roots in the poverty and hunger suffered by handloom weavers in the early 19th century. Their songs describe the terrible events of the day itself, when mounted soldiers charged a peaceful crowd demanding votes for all and killed or injured many men, women and children by their indiscriminate use of sabres, and tell of later political developments inspired by the carnage.

Pete Coe, Brian Peters & Laura Smyth—The Road to Peterloo by Simon Haines (The Living Tradition, issue 128)

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Brian Bedford, Park Head Studio, Birdsedge, Yorkshire;
Photos by Jim Ellam, Pear Mill, Stockport;
Album artwork and design by Laura Smyth (original linocut based on ‘Victory of Peterloo’ by George Cruikshank)

Musicians

Pete Coe: vocals [1-2, 8, 10, 13, 15], melodeon [2, 9, 12, 14], banjo [3], foot percussion [3, 10], bouzouki [4, 6-8, 10-11, 16];
Brian Peters: vocals [1, 4, 6, 12, 14-16], guitar [2, 9, 12, 14], fiddle [3, 7, 9, 11], melodeon [4, 6, 8, 10, 13], Anglo concertina [16];
Laura Smyth: vocals [1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 15], cello [2, 4, 7-10, 14, 16], English concertina [6, 11-12]

Tracks

1. The Triumph of Liberty (1.48)
2. Arise, You Sons of Freedom (3.30)
3. The Drummer Boy for Waterloo (Roud 1804; Laws J1; Henry H728) (3.07)
4. The Weaver’s Sweet Home (2.59)
5. Jone O’ Grinfield (Roud 937) (3.01)
6. The Cropper Lads (TYG 62) (2.22)
7. Tom Paine (2.17)
8. You Tyrants of England (4.20)
9. Spotted Borders / Rolling Bet (3.39)
10. With Henry Hunt We’ll Go (Roud 1117) (3.58)
11. Rise, Britons, Rise (3.10)
12. John Stafford’s Song (3.24)
13. St Ethelstone’s Day (1.58)
14. The Pride of Peterloo (3.33)
15. The Chartist Anthem (2.20)
16. Kersal Moor (Roud V33134) (3.59)

All songs trad., arr. Coe, Peters & Smyth, except
Tracks 1, 7, 11, 15 words trad., music Laura Smyth, arr. Coe, Peters & Smyth;
Tracks 4, 6, 12, 14, 16 words trad., music Brian Peters, arr. Coe, Peters & Smyth

Musicians

Laura Smyth: vocals

Tracks

1. Bills o’ Jacks (2.58)

Track 1 adapted from lyrics featured in Sophie Parkes’ historical novel Out of Human Sight