Escape That Sam Sweeney

• 1Ruby03:13
• 2Want to Fly Want to Flee04:09
• 3Feet Together Jump02:46
• 4Escape That03:08
• 5Pink Steps04:25
• 6Deep Water Shallow (End)04:08
• 7Under Gigantic Clouds04:49
• 8Westering04:22
• 9Nightshifting / Atlantica04:47
• 10Yoddin03:03
• 11Don’t Worry, Trains04:28
• Total Runtime43:18

Info for Escape That

Nominated four times, and winner in 2015, of Musician of The Year BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Sam is a veteran of the mighty Bellowhead, former and inaugural artistic director of the National Folk Youth Ensemble, founder member of the acclaimed instrumental trio Leveret.

Renowned fiddle player and tireless musical adventurer Sam Sweeney returns with the passionate, raw and expressive new album 'Escape That'. The record ties together the threads and footpaths of all of Sam's musical loves; an honest and fearless expression of himself, combining pop hooks and aesthetics with his pioneering work in the world of traditional dance tunes. 'Escape That' simultaneously presses the reset button on what a folk record should sound like while marking a major stride forward for Sam into the world of composition. Written without ever touching the violin, Sam retreated to his attic during the lockdowns of 2020-21 and created over twenty pieces of music.

Composed almost entirely on synths and guitars, with snapshots of loved ones and memories as inspiration in a time of isolation, he devised a way of writing where he'd lay down a chord sequence and then record an improvisation over the top. On listening back, anything that could be considered a hook would be kept, everything else was deleted and tracks developed by linking the hooks together to create dance tunes. Sam then translated the melodies back to the fiddle, an instrument of which he is considered a modern master.

Sam will be supporting Bellowhead on their November 2022 tour, he'll be performing some of Escape That on the tour, get there early to see him!

“Escape That is the most ‘me’ music I can imagine making. It ties together my love for traditional dance tunes with my obsession with pop music hooks and textures.

Every piece of music we have ever heard leaves a footprint in our minds. With this record I am actively retreading some of these footprints, visiting old musical companions and combining them with my love for traditional dance music. This is emotional music for me and an honest acknowledgment of all the music I have loved since I was a kid. It’s not trying to be anything. It’s as close as I’ve ever got to sharing the sound of the inside of my head.” (Sam Sweeney)

“Sweeney’s playing is unearthly at times: the singular focus of this set and the level of its performance makes this an outstanding and deeply moving experience.” ***** – Songlines

“The fiddler with the Midas touch… an English equivalent of the great Irish fiddle player Martin Hayes.” **** The Guardian

“Sweeney’s playing is unearthly at times: the singular focus of this set and the level of its performance makes this an outstanding and deeply moving experience.” ***** – Songlines

Sam Sweeney, fiddle, guitars, bass, programming, production
Louis Campbell, electric guitars
Ben Nicholls, bass
Dave McKay, keyboards
Jack Rutter, acoustic guitar

Sam Sweeney
is a veteran of the mighty Bellowhead, former and inaugural artistic director of the National Youth Folk Ensemble, founder member of the acclaimed instrumental trio Leveret, and “one of the defining English fiddle players of his generation” (Mark Radcliffe) at the forefront of the revival in English traditional music.

Louis Campbell
After meeting talented guitarist Louis Campbell as a member of the NYFE when he was just sixteen, Sam invited him to join his band to record Unearth Repeat a few years later. Louis’ electric guitar playing took Sam’s latest album Escape That into new alt pop sonic realms and this year they are releasing a duo EP exploring a more cerebral soundscape, taking influence from traditional English repertoire.

This album contains no booklet.