Rough Music is a step on from the multi-award winning Anglicana, and is a powerful, vital, multi-layered collection full of dark rhythms in Eliza’s vision of English Traditional Music for the new millennium. Her backing band, The Ratcatchers, includes her long time collaborator Ben Ivitsky, and two of the fastest rising stars of the folk scene, Jon Boden and John Spiers.

The album features dense arrangements of traditional songs showcasing Eliza’s incomparable voice as well as spirited, highly original performances of English instrumental music. Billy Bragg’s King James Version and Eliza’s own Mohair complete the unique blend of old and new.

The title notwithstanding, there is nothing rough about the quality of the music – Eliza has taken the name of the album from an age-old custom and she explains it…

“Rough Music is in the Book of Days on October 28th and is described as a form of community punishment practiced all over England. If a man were seen to be (say) beating his wife, or ‘allowing himself to be hen-pecked’ it says here, he could expect to receive a concert of Rough Music. Basically if they thought you had been naughty (it doesn’t say how or if they proved this) all the men, women and children of the village would go round to your house in the middle of the night, call out your name and proceed to bang pots, pans, tin lids and buckets or whatever came to hand, to bring your crimes to attention and drive you out. When my family moved to North Yorkshire at the beginning of the seventies there was a case of a man being driven from our area by this method. However, we’ve tried to make the album a bit nicer than that.”

“Top 10 Folk Album of the Year 2005”MOJO
“An instant winner. Great singing, rousing instrumentals, fabulous album. A Best Album of the Year.”Daily Telegraph
“Rough Music feels fearless, certain and solid, putting all of Carthy’s many and varied skills into service. She can do it just by being brilliant.”★★★★ Sunday Times
“One of the brightest stars in the folk firmament. Eliza’s exquisite voice and fiddle playing make this a vibrant take on centuries-old tradition.”★★★★ The Sun
“Singer and violinist Eliza Carthy is one of the figureheads of the English folk revival and this album demonstrates why – compelling music.”★★★★ Evening Standard
“..the 29-year-old’s rawest collection to date. ..her voice lies at the centre of Rough Music’s most powerful moments.” ★★★★ MOJO

1  Turpin Hero
2  King James Version
3  Cobbler’s Hornpipe
4  Gallant Hussar
5  Upside Down (Double Lead Through + Highland Mary + Dear Tobacco)
6  Mohair
7  The Unfortunate Lass
8  Scan Tester’s Country Stepdance + Lemmy Brazil’s No.2
9  Maid On The Shore
10  Mr McCusker & Mr McGoldrick’s English Choice
11  Tom Brown

Eliza Carthy fiddle, singing, guitar
with
The Ratcatchers:
John Boden fiddle, singing, double bass, guitar, concertina, percussion
Ben Ivitsky viola, singing, guitar, low whistle, hurdy-gurdy
John Spiers melodeon, singing, one-row accordion, bandoneon
and
Heather Macleod singing
Mattie Foulds snare & lemon drums
Fay Hield singing
Mary Hampton singing
Lorna MacDonald bass trombone
Willy Molleson singing

Available now from:
TOPIC SHOP, AMAZON, ITUNES and on SPOTIFY

Download PDF booklet