THE UNTHANKS

The Unthanks Saturday 2nd April 2011 £15 adv Buy Tickets: We Got Tickets | The Junction 01223 511511 TRANSFERRED TO THE JUNCTION

http://www.rachelunthank.com/ "Rachel and Becky Unthank are steeped in the vibrant folk heritage and rich traditions of the spiritual republic of Northumberland, absorbed at places like the Birtley folk club where the Elliotts, the revered Durham mining family of singers, held court. Since their first album, 2005's Cruel Sister, they have unflinchingly explored these roots but oddly, though, they were never fully embraced by the folk world. Not at first. In an era which saw the rise of relatively smooth singers such as Kate Rusby, people complained that Rachel's voice was too harsh and jagged, and that her younger sister Becky's creamy harmonies jarred. Yet, struck by their often poignant, frequently brutal material and the refreshingly uncompromising honesty of their delivery, the mainstream media sat up and took notice and their dark, brooding approach found a growing audience based only partially in the genre that spawned them." The Guardian