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and it would smash. He also had a junk shop bow but it was making too much noise so we decided to cover it in soap to silence it. The problem was, I had my expensive bow with me as I was about to go off and record the next day, but unthinkingly Paul Downes picked up my bow and caked soap into the hair. I came to play and it would not make a sound. So it was quite a costly experience.”

And did Clarke look like he was playing, had you taught him well?

“No he didn’t. He was great fun but it was the worst fiddle mim- ing I’ve ever seen!”

Another review of The Spyglass & The Herringbone praised the fact that you never make the same album twice. Are you conscious of that progression?

“I

t’s definitely a conscious decision. I think that comes back to wanting albums to be little moments in time. And I think the nature of folk music is that you can bend it to your own will. So why not explore? This album is completely different to the previous ones. Initially the idea was to break away from that wistful, whispery feeling. I wanted to make a summer album that was much more uptempo and joyful. It took me a long time to sense what the record was about. And I realised I wanted to incorporate some weightier songs amidst the happy English stuff.”

Do you have new seeds of thought in your head yet?

“I certainly do. I think it will be a while before I release another album under my name. But I’m really enjoying working with my friend, the songwriter Megan Henwood. We’ve been working together for about a year now and it’s opened up a side of music that I’ve never been able to explore before. I’m not someone who writes about myself. I’ve always been very shy of songwriting. It’s like talking about me running a marathon, it’s so out of my comfort zone at the moment. But I really want to try.”

Why not explore, indeed? www.jackieoates.co.uk

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Photo: © Judith Burrows