LIVE AT THE LODGE
LEAD SINGER of 'MABDH &THE HARLOTS'... SINGER-
SONGWRITER...PERMACULTURE VISIONARY
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So, can you tell us a little bit about your art?
I’m a folk-inspired singer-songwriter.AS Mabdh & The Harlots we make folk-indie-acoustic music with some gentle country overtones. I guess it’s fair to say we haven’t settled on a ‘sound’ yet, but I kinda like it that way!
Any inspirations or projects that mean a lot to you?
Madbh & The Harlots is kind of a big deal for me because even though I’ve studied and worked in the arts for years, I never imagined that I would actually be on stage - and especially not front and centre!
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It’s a strange thing to be performing music and singing these words that are so close to my heart - that I kept for myself and as a hobby for so long - but it’s amazing fun at the same time, and it’s a joy to be working through my stage fright with such skilful and enthusiastic musicians.
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Of course, there’s also my vegetable garden at The Lodge, which I adore working on. I think my courgettes might actually be my little green children!
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How did you meet everyone? Have you been involved with the group for long?
I met everyone at a party when I was still an impoverished theatre student, somewhere around 2012.
They offered me some work as an extra for a B-movie horror flick they were working on at the time and a beautiful friendship was born. I kind of didn’t leave them alone after that!
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What does involvement with an arts group like this mean to you, to individuals like you or the local community?
Well that’s a pretty multi-layered question! For myself, part of the beauty of being involved with this community is that I get to submerge myself in art and music every day, and that can take whatever form I like.
Whether it’s working on The Lodge itself, planting and weeding in the vegetable garden, sewing in the arts room or rehearsing with the band I can really immerse myself in the things I love doing in a way that I couldn’t when it was just me and a couple of friends in a flat in the city.
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Opening The Lodge up to the local community is proving to be great fun as well, and meeting the people around us who share our love for art and music is such a joy.
These things can really bring people together, and I think that’s important in a culture that is moving rapidly towards individualisation - a compulsory state of isolation and disconnectedness.
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What kind of people would you like to work with going forward?
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I’m open to all sorts of things really. My theatre background makes me eager to do a little more performance art and storytelling, but I love working with artists and craftspeople of all kinds. If it sounds like a laugh, I’d probably be happy to get involved.