Lady Maisery

Lady Maisery
Lady Maisery performing at Le Son Continu, 2024
Lady Maisery performing at Le Son Continu, 2024
Background information
GenreFolk
Years active2011–present
LabelLady Maisery Records
MembersHannah James
Hazel Askew
Rowan Rheingans
Websitewww.ladymaisery.com Edit this at Wikidata

Lady Maisery are an English folk vocal harmony trio composed of Hannah James (vocals, piano accordion, clogs, percussion), Hazel Askew (vocals, melodeon, harp, harmonium concertina, bells) and Rowan Rheingans (vocals, fiddle, banjo).

Lady Maisery sing traditional and contemporary folk songs. They released their first album, Weave & Spin in 2011, their second, Mayday, in 2013, their third, Cycle, in 2016, and most recently Tender in 2022.

Name

Lady Maisery's name is based on one that appears in a number of traditional folk songs, most notably the Child ballad "Lady Maisry", but also "The Laily Worm & The Machrel of The Sea" (the former of these appears on their second album, Mayday).

History

Rowan Rheingans performing with the band at Costa del Folk, 2015

In 2011, Lady Maisery released Weave & Spin and were subsequently nominated for the Horizon Award in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, and for Best Debut in the Spiral Awards. The album was also made 'Album of the Week' in The Independent. In 2012 they were featured on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour and in 2013 they have twice appeared on BBC Radio 3's classical music programme 'In Tune'.

In 2013, they released a charity download single to mark International Women's Day on 8 March—a version of Kate Bush’s song "This Woman’s Work"--with proceeds donated to the charity coalition "End Violence Against Women". This preceded the release of their second album, Mayday, which was launched in both London and Sheffield.

During 2013, Lady Maisery also gave a number of performances of "Rest", a secular requiem, composed for them by Emily Hall and Toby Litt as the third in the pair's trilogy of song cycles. Performances included the National Portrait Gallery, London, Spitalfields Summer Festival and Deal Festival.

All three members were part of the Songs of Separation project, which won "Best Album" in the 2017 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

In 2018 Lady Maisery collaborated with duo Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith to create "Awake Arise: A Winter Show for Our Times", and released the accompanying album, Awake Arise: A Winter Album, in 2019.

In 2022, Lady Maisery released their 5th studio album, Tender. The Guardian described it as a "thoughtful record" with "Inspired cover versions and splendid harmony singing" while The Times said it was, 'a beguiling blend of ancient and modern'. They followed this up with two album tours in late 2022 and spring 2023.

In 2025, Lady Maisery collaborated with Jimmy Aldirdge & Sid Goldsmith again to create the show "Wakefire: an Incantation to Summer". The corresponding album Wakefire: a Summer Album was released in May 2026 and toured in June the same year.

Discography

Studio albums

  • Weave & Spin (released 21 August 2011)
  • Mayday (released 10 June 2013)
  • Cycle (released 28 October 2016)
  • Tender (released 11 November 2022)

Live albums

  • Live (released 6 October 2018)

Collaborative albums

Singles

  • "This Woman's Work" (released as a download single, 8 March 2013)

Reviews

Weave and Spin

Mayday

Tender

References

  1. ↑ "BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Nomination 2012". Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  2. ↑ "Spiral Awards Nomination 2012". Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  3. ↑ BBC. "Lady Maisery on BBC Woman's Hour". Woman's Hour. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "Women's Day Single". Spiral Earth article. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  5. ↑ Emily Hall. "Rest". Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  6. ↑ "Rest at National Portrait Gallery, London". National Portrait Gallery London. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Rest at Spitalfields Music Summer Festival 2013". Spitalfields Music. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Rest at Deal Festival". Deal Festival. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  9. ↑ "The Winners of the 2017 Folk Awards". BBC. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  10. ↑ Kidman, David (13 December 2019). "Lady Maisery and Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith – Awake Arise: A Winter Album". KLOF Mag. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Spencer, Neil (12 November 2022). "Lady Maisery: Tender review – a welcome return for the vocal trio". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  12. ↑ Davis, Clive. "Lady Maisery: Tender review — a beguiling blend of ancient and modern". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  13. ↑ jason. "Album review: LADY MAISERY AND JIMMY ALDRIDGE & SID GOLDSMITH – Wakefire". Get Ready to ROCK!. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  14. ↑ Eliza Carthy, Hannah James, Hannah Read, Hazel Askew, Jenn Butterworth, Jenny Hill, Karine Polwart, Kate Young, Mary Macmaster, Rowan Rheingans - Songs Of Separation, 29 January 2016, retrieved 9 September 2026
  15. ↑ "Coven - Unholy Choir". Laurel Canyon Music. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  16. ↑ "Wakefire: A Summer Album - Lady Maisery and Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith". Folk and Tumble. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "Bright Young Folk Review of Weave and Spin". www.brightyoungfolk.com. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  18. ↑ "Maverick Magazine Review of Weave and Spin". workformaverick.blogspot.co.uk. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  19. ↑ "Spiral Earth Review of Weave and Spin". www.spiralearth.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  20. ↑ "Bright Young Folk Review of Mayday". www.brightyoungfolk.com. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  21. ↑ "Financial Times Review of Mayday". Financial Times. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  22. ↑ "Folk Witness Review of Mayday". www.folkwitness.co.uk. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  23. ↑ "For Folk's Sake Review of Mayday". www.forfolkssake.com. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  24. ↑ "Spiral Earth Review of Mayday". www.spiralearth.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  25. ↑ "The Times Review of Tender – A beguiling blend of ancient and modern". The Times. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  26. ↑ Spencer, Neil (12 November 2022). "The Guardian Review of Tender – A welcome return for the vocal trio". The Observer. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  27. ↑ "Folk Radio Review of Tender". www.folkradio.co.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  28. ↑ "Get Ready to Rock of Tender". getreadytorock.me.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2022.