Kathryn Tickell and her band The Darkening play the Howard Assembly Room, with Opera North.
Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening play the Howard Assembly Room on Monday 2 November, presented by Opera North. Tickell is the foremost exponent of the Northumbrian smallpipes, and she's fronting a full band here rather than appearing solo. The Darkening formed in the shadow of Hadrian's Wall and takes its name from the old Northumbrian word for twilight; they describe their work as threading together music, landscape and people over almost 2,000 years.
Tickell herself has been working at this for four decades. Her music is rooted in the landscape and people of Northumbria, drawing on the heritage of Northumbrian shepherds alongside collaborations across jazz, orchestral and pop music. She's performed worldwide, was awarded an OBE and the Queen's Medal for Music — the first non-classical recipient of the award — and has twice won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Musician of the Year. She's a regular presenter of BBC Radio 3's Music Planet, published Folk Tunes From The Women (Faber Music, 2023), set up the community interest company Magnetic North-East in 2016 and founded The Young Musicians Fund at the Community Foundation.
On the night, she's joined by a five-piece line-up. Tickell handles the Northumbrian smallpipes, fiddle and vocals; Amy Thatcher brings accordion, clogs, synth and vocals; Heather Cartwright is on vocals and guitar; Joe Truswell is on drums; and Stef Conner adds vocals and lyres. It's a broad spread of instruments for one stage, with the smallpipes at the centre.
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Doors open at 7pm and the music starts at 7.45pm. Tickets are £22, which includes a £1.50 booking fee.
