A wistful mother in the 1950s makes some simple home recordings in her family sitting room. Little could she have known that decades later, her son would become one of the most poetic and influential songwriters ever, or that more than sixty years later, the dust would be blown off her own songs. On the surface, the 2013 release of Molly Drake’s work could easily have been perceived as just a curious footnote and jigsaw piece in explaining the enormous talent of Nick Drake. In the eyes of The Unthanks however, and increasingly amongst others, Molly’s work is extraordinary enough to rank alongside and independently of her brilliant son.

With encouragement from the Drake musical estate and the full blessing and enthusiasm of celebrated actress Gabrielle Drake (Molly’s daughter and Nick’s sister) The Unthanks are relishing the opportunity and will treat the challenge with the same love and diligence for their subject as they did when reinterpreting the work of Robert Wyatt and Antony & The Johnson’s on Diversions Vol 1.

Never intended for public release, Molly Drake’s recordings, made by her husband, were made at home and are of the time. In a climate where films, stories and music are being rehashed for spurious repeat exploitation, if ever a body of work actually merited reappraisal and fresh presentation, surely the work of Molly Drake is it. Her songs share plenty of common ground with her son’s – charming and bittersweet, yet dark and pensive.

A tour of Molly Drake’s work, reimagined by The Unthanks, will be accompanied by the release of Diversions Vol 4. – The Unthanks Perform The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake. Tour dates are announced and on sale today. Full listings below. More details on the album release, set for April 2017, to be announced at a later date.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the intimate nature of the music, the tour travels to venues that are mostly smaller than for an Unthanks tour. Book early to avoid disappointment!

April 2017
18  NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME New Vic Theatre
19  MANCHESTER RNCM Theatre
20  WREXHAM William Aston Hall
21  KENDAL Brewery Arts Centre
22  EDINBURGH Queens Hall
23  BERWICK Maltings Theatre
26  BIRMINGHAM Glee Club
27  CAMBRIDGE Corn Exchange
28  BASINGSTOKE The Anvil
29  CARDIFF Tramshed
30  BRADFORD UPON AVON Wiltshire Music Centre

May 2017
01  BRIGHTON Old Market
02  SOUTHHAMPTON Turner Sims
03  LONDON Albany
06  CLITHEROE Grand
07  BARROW Forum
10  RUNCORN Brindley
11  LEEDS City Varieties
12  LEEDS City Varieties
13  STOCKTON ARC
14  NEWCASTLE
The Theatre Royal
25 DUBLIN Vicar St
28  LONDON
The Barbican (Milton Court Hall)

The Unthanks Release The Memory Book

The Memory Book is a warm and personal history compiled by The Unthanks themselves; their final and most candid tenth anniversary release, following last year’s Memory Box of goodies, which the book completes.

Nearly 200 full-colour pages are packed with exclusive content, including:

* Unseen tour diary accounts and photos
* Memorabilia and artwork selected by the band
* Written contributions from current and past members, including pieces on childhood the Mercury Music Prize night, touring America, Europe and Australia, and articles on heroes and influences from within and beyond the folk world
* Unseen photo shoot outtakes
* Comprehensive discograpahy, tour date posters and fliers
* Foreword by writer Paul Morley, plus written contributions by both regular fans and fellow artists, including author Nick Hornby, actors Martin Freeman, Colin Firth, Maxine Peake and Stephen Mangan, and musicians including Martin Hayes, Glen Hansard (The Frames), Conor O’Brien (Villagers), Dawn French, Ade Edmondson, Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll and Radiohead’s Phillip Selway.
* Printed on large, thick, chalky, uncoated, matt stock and bound in hardback. with a silk screen printed front cover by Natalie Rae Reid.

For Memory Box owners (or those who sent it as a gift and want to compete the owner’s box) the Memory Book completes your Memory Box, fitting snugly inside. It is available to everyone however, as a beautiful, stand-alone history in its own right.

The Memory Book is available to buy for non Memory Box owners too, and is a beautiful account of the last 10 years in its own right.