Cove Burgh Hall was delighted to welcome Barry Nisbet this month with his latest concert - "Springbank Voyage"
The Springbank Voyage - Summary
Clydebuilt, Mexico-bound, and crewed by a gathering of Shetlanders, Orcadians, Danes, Newfoundlanders and Liverpudlians; Barry Nisbet’s ‘The Springbank Voyage’ follows this four-masted barque through her 1909 voyage of hardship, beauty and tragedy, taking in themes of industry, the final days of sail, human strength and frailty and the unfettered power of nature.
Beautifully told through song in Scots and Shetland dialect, fiddle tunes from an older Shetland style, and slides and evocative found sounds, Barry weaves the tale of The Springbank Voyage through a modern-day lens, drawing unavoidable parallels with modern-day hardships of pandemics and climate change.
Barry Nisbet – Bio
Barry Nisbet is a composer and songwriting artist inspired by environment, nature and Shetland tradition. His music features strong melodies, often fiddle-led, with a voice that explores timeless or modern themes through Shetland dialect and Isles-accented English.
Open ocean, stories, and evocative moods are often features of his music; the power of nature weaves a common thread through shared human experiences, often separated by time or space, on albums such as ‘The Springbank Voyage’ (2022).
When not travelling the seas as founder of the ‘Sessions and Sail’ project, Nisbet records and produces in Cullivoe, Shetland.
Reviews for ‘The Springbanks Voyage’(2022)
‘Emotionally bittersweet and rich in historical detail . . . a clear labour of love, and an artistic tour de force.’ - Su O’Brien, Folking.com
‘You cannot fail to be stirred by the massed vocals at the end of the track and indeed the album as a whole.’ - Marc Higgins, timepastandtimepassing
‘. . . an outstanding album where each track builds the fascinating cyclical narrative of a ship and its crew. Must Listen/5 stars’ - Paul Sudnik, Folk London
‘. . . exorcises the ghosts of the past and makes them dance to the tune of today’. – Bluesbunny
