Uiscedwr
Tags:
folk
, acoustic
, traditional instrumentation
From the moment a Welsh fiddle player/singer Anna Esslemont met an Irish bodhran virtuoso Cormac Byrne late one strange, magical night when both were students in Manchester in 2002 and they resolved to make sweet music together, their rise was instant and spectacular.
Forming a trio, they won the prestigious BBC Young Folk Award having barely played a gig together, starred at the Cambridge Folk Festival the following year, went on tour to be greeted by ecstatic, jigging audiences and were no
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From the moment a Welsh fiddle player/singer Anna Esslemont met an Irish bodhran virtuoso Cormac Byrne late one strange, magical night when both were students in Manchester in 2002 and they resolved to make sweet music together, their rise was instant and spectacular.
Forming a trio, they won the prestigious BBC Young Folk Award having barely played a gig together, starred at the Cambridge Folk Festival the following year, went on tour to be greeted by ecstatic, jigging audiences and were nominated for a "grown-ups" BBC Folk Award after making a debut album 'Everywhere' that had critics and fans alike rolling on their backs and kicking their legs in the air in delight. They were young, vivacious, adventurous, exciting and original and their impossibly captivating way with everything from a bunch of reels to dark songs about broken relationships had the folk world eating out of their hands. With the sort of energised momentum they seemed to be effortlessly igniting, it seemed only a matter of time before the rest of the world would follow.
Then Anna got sick. Seriously sick. Early in 2005 friends noticed how pale she looked, how slender she'd become, how exhausted she got after gigs, how easily she bruised… and eventually she saw a doctor. After initially being wrongly told her problems were simply due to a bad diet, she was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a disease resulting in dangerously low blood counts as her immune system attacked the bone marrow.
There followed an horrendous year of endless hospital visits, appointments with specialists, tests and weekly blood transfusions and when these failed it left Anna with the hardest decision of her life - whether or not to have a bone marrow transplant. The risks were high and her consultant advised against it, but Anna decided to go for it and had the transplant just before Christmas, 2006. Happily it was successful ("though I feel like a prescription junkie!") and Anna set about putting her life - and Uiscedwr - back together.
Anna and Cormac had fought valiantly to keep the band rolling during the dark days of her illness though they were complicated by a series of disputes with guitarist Ben Hellings, which ultimately led to his departure. In a moment of divine inspiration, however, they managed to persuade one of the UK's most admired and charismatic guitarists, Kevin Dempey to replace him. He had no hair (but they didn't care) and Dempsey - singer, producer, songwriter, occasional solo artist and veteran of many adventures folk and otherwise, ranging from Percy Sledge and Alice Coltrane to Whippersnapper (with Dave Swarbrick) brought plenty to the table to sustain them.
Between blood transfusions they continued to gig and even played Fairport's Cropredy Festival (when Anna finished up a wheezing heap backstage) and Towersey Fest (where she rushed offstage to throw up and then returned to finish the set). And they even managed to record a second album 'Circle', which maintained all the effervescence of the first while moving the sound into ever bolder new shades of jazz and rock, a cracking song collaboration between Anna and Kev (Everyday Cynic) and some telling guest contributions from Joe Broughton, who produced the album.
In the periods they weren't working, Cormac Byrne's amazing bodhran rhythms hadn't gone unnoticed elsewhere. A percussionist since the age of four, Byrne didn't seriously get into Irish music until he left his home in Co.Waterford to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. It was there he started playing Irish sessions and met Anna. During Uiscedwr's 'down' time, he was awarded a BBC Fame Academy bursary which helped pay for Uiscedwr's second album. He was also snapped by Seth Lakeman and played a pivotal role in the dramatic rise of the Lakeman band.
Yet despite lucrative alternative offers, Cormac's belief in Uiscedwr - like the moral support he gave Anna - never wavered. "There aren't many people who'd put up with the crap he's had to put up with," says Anna, "what with me looking rank, being bright yellow for a time, coming off steroids and being a complete bitch. But he's still my best mate and the person I most enjoy playing music with."
Cormac turned down the chance of a major tour with Seth Lakeman to be at Anna's side on December 15, 2006 when she finally underwent the bone marrow transplant. It seems to have worked better than anybody could have hoped and as the danger of rejection receded, the music started flowing again.
For Anna it couldn't be any other way. Music has been in her soul since she first started playing violin at the age of six in Newtown, Powys. She subsequently played a variety of music in different outfits before heading off to study violin in Manchester in 2001. But she was frustrated by the rigidity of classical music and after meeting Cormac, the Uiscedwr vision came sharply into focus and she quit the course to make sure it became reality, in the process becoming the proud managing director of the band's own label, Yukka Records.
Playing their first gig after the bone marrow transplant was a deeply emotional occasion for all concerned. Kev Dempsey was booked at a folk club in Leek, playing the first half solo and - against doctors advice - Uiscedwr played the second half. "It felt so good to be playing again," said Anna. "I was exhausted afterwards, but not in the same way I'd felt before the operation when I couldn't catch my breath and felt physically finished. This felt…normal."
Since then events have moved fast. 2008 began with the premiere of the Uiscedwr Big Band, a new project for founder members Anna and Cormac to get their teeth stuck into. By adding the unlikely combination of trumpet and accordion to the melody section in the safe hands of Neil Yates and Karen Tweed, Uiscedwr have created an exhilerating new sound for their Big Band. The line-up is completed by bass player Nick Waldock and Dylan Bible on guitar and mandolin. Celtic Connections played host to the Uiscedwr Big Band's first outing and the group truly rocked the Strathclyde Suite at this year's festival; a promising start for a band set to take the folk world by storm.
The New Year also brought a new member to Uiscedwr after the departure of Kevin Dempsey who left the trio to concentrate on other projects. James Hickman joined Uiscedwr as guitarist in January and has performed to great success with Anna and Cormac much to the delight of their varied audiences. His relaxed presence, unmistakeable charm and obvious musical talents make him an interesting and deliciously attractive addition to the band. With plans to release a new Uiscedwr album and a Big Band e.p. in the next 12 months, it's going to be a busy time for this dynamic young trio.
Oh and lest anyone remains in doubt, it's pronounced Ish-ka-dooer. And it means 'water' in Irish and Welsh. Okay?
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