New BTS-inspired song suite celebrates the tunneller’s art
21 April 2021As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, the British Tunnelling Society (BTS) recently commissioned award-winning folk singer and composer Nancy Kerr to write a suite of songs which celebrate tunnelling and tunnellers. The songs are now available to download.
An acclaimed name on the British folk scene, Kerr was named BBC Folk Singer of the Year in 2015. Having been commissioned on behalf of the BTS by Dr Benoit Jones (Inbye Engineering), Kerr set herself the objective of writing the music and lyrics of “anthems to nature and engineering, hymns of courage and migration, tunes and songs of celebration, innovation and hope.” The result is a catchy, mythical-industrial song cycle that is based on the stories of a spirited international workforce that helped create the tunnels and waterways that have shaped the UK landscape.
The songs celebrate remarkable civil engineering achievements created by toil, hardship and sacrifice. They were, said Jones: “Not just the dates, and landmark projects, and prominent engineers, but the stories of all of us – the hard work, humility, and sometimes hubris, the everyday courage, and everyday fears, the endless boring repetition when things go well, the pressure, amidst the noise and dust, when they don’t. The friends and colleagues we have lost or seen irreparably damaged. The ones who still stand by our sides.”
Launched on the ‘Little Dish Records’ label as a downloadable EP entitled ‘Tunnellers’, the five tracks are:
1. My Sweet Teredo (4:09)
2. Gettin’ a Rise (1:48)
3. The Shipworm/The Shield (2:02)
4. Tunneller’s Hymn (3:38)
5. Walk my Boots Clean (4:20)
Kerr sings and also plays guitar, violin and viola. She is joined by James Fagan (bouzouki, mandolin, voice, guitar); Tom Wright (bass, drums, voice); and Matt Quinn (concertina, voice).
Accolades for the songs have been quick to come in: The Guardian newspaper said Kerr had created “outstanding chamber folk”, while Folk Radio UK (FRUK) described Kerr as “folk’s poet laureate”; and The Royal Shakespeare Company said Kerr was “one of the UK’s foremost composers of modern folk and social commentary songs.”
The songs can be heard at bit.ly/tunnellingsongs. Downloading the album will also provide the musical scores.
News, events, technical and other information relating to UK and international tunnelling can be accessed on the website of the British Tunnelling Society: www.britishtunnelling.com
