Sean Cooney
with Eliza Carthy, Sam Carter, Ben Nicholls, Jennifer ReidPeter's Field
Hudson
Review by Chris Nickson
In August 1819, tens of thousands of working men and women gathered in St. Peter’s Field in Manchester to hear the politician Henry Hunt speak. They were difficult times, many still out of work after the Napoleonic wars, rising prices and low wages – and always those at the bottom of the heap suffering. Hunt was a famed orator, a man on the side of the people, able to stir and inspire with his voice.
Although the gathering was peaceful, the size of the crowd terrified the magistrates, who panicked and imagined an uprising. They sent in half-trained dragoons and the cavalry, who rode down, slashed and killed without compunction or compassion. In the end, 18 died and up to 700 were wounded. It was a stain on the nation, an outrage; prompting Percy Shelley, one of the poetic giants of the age, to write The Masque of Anarchy, with its famous lines:
“Rise like Lions after slumber / in unvanquishable number / She your chains to earth like dew / Which in sleep had fallen on you / Ye are many - they are few.”
Peterloo, as people called it, remains one of the seminal events in English working-class history, one that Sean Cooney of the Young 'Uns has revisited for this album of original songs, which is lavishly presented in a book with contemporary letters, political cartoons and illustrations to create a multimedia event. It’s ambitious, no doubt about that, and he’s selected some great talent to help – guitarist Sam Carter, the almost ubiquitous fiddler/singer Eliza Carthy, Ben Nicholls supplying background and texture on various instruments, and the Lancashire industrial ballad singer Jennifer Reid, who doubles as narrator.
For a small ensemble, they make a powerful noise. The songs capture the feel of the day; the anticipation and excitement at the summer gathering, the joy that turns to terror and flight as the troops charge, then the bitter, mournful aftermath, voiced some powerful melodies and very well-chosen images. As a writer, Cooney often focuses on the personal in the small tales of people like “Sam Bamford” and “Mary Fildes,” while the three short pieces that comprise “The Monkey Rides The Mare” capture the bluster and arrogance of the soldiers.
Cooney is a persuasive singer, and on this heartfelt project, he puts plenty of emotion into his voice. Having two other outstanding vocalists alongside him makes for a wonderful triple threat.
In these days when governments across the world are cracking down on protest, this stands as a sobering and very timely reminder. It’s a history lesson, yes, but the detail of the history stays in the book, while the music creates a set of songs that will resonate and remain for a long time.
Further reading:
The Young'uns - Tiny Notes (Review)
Ben Nicholls - Duets
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