Kathryn Williams and Withered Hand

Sat 28 September 2024

Storey’s Field Centre

Dan Willson is Scotland’s acclaimed singer songwriter Withered Hand. He has released three albums and a number of EPs over the last 15 years and has toured internationally, amassing a devoted following while staying close to his DIY roots in the underground music scene.

Kathryn Williams is a Mercury Music prize nominated English singer-songwriter who has released 16 albums. She had collaborated with poet Dame Carol Ann Duffy, author Laura Barnett and written songs with Paul Weller, Neill Maccoll, and Michele and Romeo Stodart, to name just a few. She has written a novel The Ormering Tide, hosts her own podcast Before the Light Goes Out and tutors at the Arvon and Moniack Mhor Foundations.

Kathryn and Dan met in 2019 in a Spiegeltent in Edinburgh at a Book Festival event curated by Hollie McNish and Michael Pedersen. They both think it’s weird that they hadn’t met before as they both share many of the same friends in music, James Yorkston, Rachel Sermanni, Kathryn Joseph, etc. Sometimes they think that they might have met at a Fence Collective festival years ago. At least Kath thinks she remembers Dan but Dan doesn’t seem to remember much.

Their co-writing started when Kathryn wrote a tweet to Dan asking, “What kind of songs would we write together and what would they sound like?” or something to that effect. Dan was convinced she had sent it to the wrong person. But she hadn’t. Curious to meet and find out, Kath travelled up to Edinburgh where Dan lives. They wrote two songs together and then Dan travelled down to Newcastle where Kath lives, and they wrote more.

Then Covid hit, which prompted the technophobes to write and meet online. They both also took to live stream concerts on Instagram. By the end of lockdown, they had a whole album of songs.

“As befits her multi-arts background, Williams’ songs scan like short stories.” – MOJO

“Kathryn Williams has never made a bad record.” – Clash Magazine

“Thank heavens for Withered Hand, who plies us with gorgeous pop solace and punchlines.” – The Quietus

“He’s up there with fellow Scots Belle and Sebastian; his tunes full of warm, woozy singsong charm.” – Rolling Stone

Cost: £21.50 (including booking fee) in advance