Amber Band records Derbyshires rich heritage in their new album
Derbyshire’s remarkable and colourful history is the inspiration behind the new album from one of the county’s top bands. An unexpected benefit of lockdown was the opportunity the band had to research and write songs about our County.
County Fair by The Amber Band features 12 tracks recalling legends and stories from the past - from how the parish church at Chesterfield came to get its crooked spire, to the famous 1932 Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout, which ultimately led to the creation in Derbyshire of England’s first national park.
Guitarist and lead singer Kevin Quinlan said: “We wanted to write an album of original songs exclusively about Derbyshire where the band comes from. Derbyshire is a beautiful county lying right in the heart of England. There is so much history concerning the county and so many legends and tales that we were surprised to find that there are not more songs written about it.”The story of Eyam village has a contemporary relevance as we struggle with the coronavirus epidemic today. The song Plague Village recounts the heroism of the villagers who selflessly cut themselves off from the outside world during an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1665. By the time the epidemic had passed, 260 villagers had died but their sacrifice stopped the plague spreading throughout the county.
Dancing on a Sunday, is based on the legend surrounding the Bronze Age Stone Circle at Stanton Moor, while Pentrich Revolution tells of the last armed rebellion in England, which took place in 1817.
Ghosts of Winnats Pass recounts the sad tale of two young lovers who were murdered on their way to Forest Peak Chapel. The chapel was the English equivalent of Gretna Green where young people could marry without needing their parents’ permission. The ghosts of the two unfortunate lovers are said to haunt Winnats Pass.
The band’s latest album is a departure from their more familiar sound. Bass player Simon Martin said, “Normally we write indie/alternative material but the subject matter of the songs prompted us to explore a different genre.” Kevin added, “I grew a lockdown beard and that may also explain the impulse to write folk/acoustic songs!”
The Ambergate-based band formed in 2018 and have since released three albums, Songs, Salt & Gold and Christmas Songs, an EP, Summer Daze and two singles, Halloween Song and Blue Angels (a tribute to the NHS and keyworkers). You can check out the band on their website (theamberband.co.uk), Facebook, Spotify and all major online streaming sites.
The band members are Kevin Quinlan (guitar/vocals), Simon Martin (bass/vocals), Denise Quinlan (keyboard/vocals), Ian Kirk (percussion) and Paul Shirley (flute/recorder).
County Fair will be released at the end of October and will be available on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music and all major streaming sites. All proceeds from the album will be donated to charities particularly to the Derbyshire Air Ambulance Service (to whom the band owe a special thanks).
For more information, contact Kevin Quinlan 07712-601100
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