As George Sansome and Matt Quinn announce their new duo, debut album and a Spring tour, George sits down with Tradfolk to talk about the video for their first single, the traditional song, ‘I Live Not Where I Love’ [Roud 593].
About ‘I Live Not Where I Love’
Where did you first hear ‘I Live Not Where I Love’?
‘I Live Not Where I Love’ is one of those songs I feel like I’ve known for the whole time I’ve been into folk music, but I really can’t remember the first time I heard it. It’s just sort of been in the back of my brain for a while, but I’d never got around to singing it. When Matt and I started making music together this one felt like a good fit. It’s always a thrill to sing with Matt, and something about the way our voices blend makes it feel so comfortable and natural.
What do you know about the song’s history?
This song more or less comes straight from Marrowbones, put together by Frank Purslow, with words and melody sung by Robert Barratt (1834-1907) to Henry Hammond in 1905. Barratt was from Piddletown in Dorset (right next to the River Piddle), and Purslow said he was “One of the Hammonds’ finest singers who sang them over 50 songs, nearly all of them complete”. A proper folk singer!
What have you done with your version?
We filmed this video with the brilliant Will Killen in the White Room at Yellow Arch Studios in Sheffield on a rainy day in October of last year. Filming two unaccompanied singers can be a bit of a challenge, but Will rose to the occasion as ever and managed to get an intimate feel and really capture the dynamics of us singing together. We’re so excited to get to do this live in front of audiences in April.
About George Sansome and Matt Quinn
Fans of traditional folk music in England will know George and Matt well, albeit from separate places. George is a regular on these pages – a polymath who performs with Granny’s Attic, helps to run Queer Folk, and frequently pops up with solo recordings of his own. Matt tends to focus on traditional songs from his native Sussex, and his previous work includes the Dovetail Trio and a number of solo recordings.
Their work together as a duo is a new venture, resulting in a debut album, Sheffield Park, arriving on 28th April via Grimdon Records. It can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp today.
For more on their upcoming tour, keep an eye on the Tradfolk events calendar.
