Three Idle Women release debut album

The Three Idle Women
Photograph by Ian Wallman

The Three Idle Women were forged by a shared love of the Oxford Canal and a fondness for close harmony singing, folk music and stories that are carried through song. Working together since 2013, the Oxford trio bring share their diverse musical skills, instrumentation and an intimate knowledge of the life on, and along, the Oxford canal and wider waterways.

They have been writing new material, re-arranging older songs and spreading their infections fondness for the canal and the waterways. The trio are not merely traditional folk singers, they are interested in quirky instrumentation, rich vocal harmonies and strong stories which emerge from the heritage and history of the canal.

Set for release on 8th November 2024 their debut album features a mix of traditional and original songs, offering a glimpse into the lives of those who live and work on the water. From tales of love and adventure to songs celebrating the beauty of nature. All Hands Together is a heartfelt tribute to the waterways that have inspired the trio for over a decade.

All Hands Together is the culmination of over ten years working together. It is a musical journey through time. Travelling along the River Thames, the Oxford and the Grand Union Canals, navigating history, politics, living folklore, and everyday life on the water. The trio capture snapshots of life through the eyes of boaters. Exploring ideas of socio-geography, deepening connections to place and landscape and one’s relationships to nature, they reference and celebrate boaters and characters, both past and present, who have offered helping hands and embody the album’s theme of linear community, shared stewardship and belonging.

Recorded in a pop-up studio in a barn alongside the river Thames these tracks have been co-produced by Ben Avison, Steph Pirrie and Barney Morse-Brown (The Imagined Village, The Eliza Carthy Band, Chris Wood, The Hack Poets and Duotone). The album features a mix of traditional and original songs, each track offering a glimpse into the lives of those who live

and work on the water. From tales of love and adventure to songs celebrating the beauty of nature, it is a heartfelt tribute to the waterways that have inspired the trio for over a decade.

Artists’ website: https://www.threeidlewomen.com/

‘Turbulent Waters’ – official video:


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