Emily Portman

Selected Press Quotes for The Glamoury

Glamoury is a form of magical enchantment and those that are thus afflicted for good or evil can see through into the other world (sometimes called Fairyland). But please don’t think there is anything remotely twee about this CD, there are no little people here flitting round the flowers on diaphanous wings, this is the raw stuff of the great ballads – the tunes are as rooted in the tradition as a hawthorn in an old hedge bank and the writing is masterly. — Mike Harding BBC RADIO 2

Folk enchantress spins 12 eldritch fairytales
‘A bewitching collection from one of the new British folk scene’s most beguiling presences. Portman’s concertina couples with strings, harp and guitar in seductive arrangements, while her deceptively innocent voice self-harmonises lyrics soaked in folk tales, myths and disturbing dreams (check “Little Longing”, a lullaby to a sawdust baby). “Tongue-Tied”, “Three Gold Hairs” and “Mossy Coat” draw magical energy from the streets and seascapes of her Newcastle hometown, while the strange dischords of “Stick Stock” are needle pricks against a malevolent stepmother.’ — ****UNCUT.

Northumberland-based Emily Portman calls this debut “old stories with new skin”, a neat way to describe how she recasts antique folk and myth into stunning shapes. Her voice is bright and larkish but her tales are drawn from the darker realms of faerie, where human bones are made into harps and “selkies” shed their seal skins to become human. Her “Sirens”, though, wander the streets of modern-day Tyneside, and she likewise furnishes folk melodies like “Two Sisters” with inventive arrangements using twinkling harp, brooding strings and chiming vocal parts. A remarkable and original debut. — Observer

‘The Glamoury is a beguiling album, weaving harmony-laden, chant like vocals with beautiful harp playing, all underplayed by droning- double-stopped viola. It’s first impact is as a very pretty slice of neo-folk (Portman write all the songs herself), but a closer listen to the lyrics reveals a dark, other-worldly theme. There is a slightly menacing, sometimes spiritual edge to these songs, and the themes – magic, transformation, death, even cannibalism – remind me more of Grimm’s fairytales than anything else. This darkness draws you into Portman’s fascinating personal work, it lodged itself in my mind and wont leave! Fantastic stuff.’ — Sam Wise Acoustic Magazine

‘Surrounded by brooding layers of strings involving the likes of Lucy Farrell on viola, Rachel Newton on harp, Gabriel Waite on cello and Rachael McShane on fiddle and cello, Portman embraces the magical elements of folk song and intricately melds them into an impressively challenging and at times quite daring suite of songs tackling unworldly topics. […] this is a remarkable work by a singer and writer so totally consumed by folk song and storytelling that she’s moved to interpret and reposition it in such a boldly individual fashion. […] Portman is an accomplished singer and this helps enormously in the assimilation of her complex, rampantly imaginative ideas. An album, certainly that merits major respect. — Colin Irwin fROOTS

‘ […] What songs they are, growing like ivy from English folk tales and Ballads, with tangling vocal harmonies from Lucy Farrell and Rachel Newton […] Like frost on a spider’s web, the songs are intricate, beautiful and brittle, entrancing with an undertone of sinister melancholy. The result, as promised by the album’s title, is utter enchantment. When Viviane trapped Merlin, I expect her songs sounded something like this. There are many worse ends.’ — Rock & Reel, Five Star Review

With its unusual tunes, syncopated rhythms and sensitive arrangements – sometimes sparse, sometimes gorgeously layered with vocal harmonies – the songs are often hypnotic, totally immersing the listener in a supernatural world. There is an echo of Lal and Mike Waterson’s timeless and alternative approach to songwriting, a richness and depth that shows a wide knowledge and understanding of these mystical
stories. With women turning into birds, selkies, witches and more, these are magical and strange events made real and woven into contemporary life. They are not distant, but exist alongside the everyday, perhaps simply hidden behind the veil of cynicism of modern living – there a fingertip away, waiting to be discovered. This culminates in ‘Sirens’, as modern-day life meets with the world of myth and magic under the streetlights, and broken glass turns to diamonds. A sparkling debut indeed.’ — Annie Windley EDS

‘A unique and fantastic concept, perfectly executed and realised’ — Shirley Collins

‘Underpined by fables and folklore, then characterised by the slenderest melodic lines from sumptuously recorded guitar, harp and strings ‘The Glamoury’ encapsulates the mood of Shirley Collins and Karine Polwart. However, there’s also an additional genreless contemporary quality contained in these addictive stories that fans of artists as far flung as Joanna Newsom could appreciate.
Wrapped in Emily Portman’s distinctive voice the whole mood it’s highly artistic, yet at its heart is a wellspring of very real human emotion: Fabulous 21st century folk!’
Spiral Earth (online music site)
The acoustic instrumentation contributes to The Glamoury’s almost unearthly character; fiddle, viola, cello, harp, guitar and, here and there, Portman’s concertina. The arrangements are light, almost transient, on the threshold between timeless and modern tradition (nicely exemplified by de Nick Drake-sounding tracks, Fine Silica and Little Longing). Furthermore, several of the songs have harmony vocals by Lucy Farrell (also viola) and Rachel Newton (also harp) which will raise the hairs in the back of your necks. — Lars Fahlin (Lira 3-2010, Sweden)

‘Beautifully produced and sympathetic to the subject matter, this is a truly stunning debut. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from somebody of Emily Portman’s calibre. Most definitely worth the wait!’ — Bright Young Folk (online music site)

‘This is a truly extraordinary disc, which at the moment (and after innumerable plays too) still has the most seriously neck-prickling quotient of any I’ve heard since The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter. It’s not comfortable listening, being uncompromisingly demanding and searching, challenging and stimulating. But it’s also totally engrossing and beguiling, and try as I might, I really can’t dislodge its dark delights from my mind – nor do I ever envisage my wishing to.’ — David Kidman, Net Rhythms (online music site)

Traditional stories and myths molded in to something very rare and exciting by mature writing, subtle arrangements and exceptional use of vocal harmony. This is definitely one of my favourite albums of the year so far.’ — Corrina Hewitt on BBC Radio Scotland.

‘Piquantly harmonised, eerily off-kilter renderings of traditional and original songs’ Scotsman
‘Portman’s contemporary folk songs draw on balladry and fairytales for this beautiful collection which exists in a plane where fragility and strength are the two chief forces at work. Shades of light and dark coexist among sparse arrangements of harp, viola and strings and the effects are utterly bewitching. And her unshowy, but gently strident voice, will hold you rapt throughout. Just great.’ — The Crack Magazine

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