O'Hooley And Tidow

O'Hooley And Tidow are a British folk duo from Huddersfield, in Yorkshire, active since 2009. The group consists of singer-songwriter and pianist Belinda O'Hooley and singer-songwriter Heidi Tidow, who is pronounced “Tee-doe”.

Background

Belinda O'Hooley is formerly a member of Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, now known as The Unthanks. O'Hooley and Tidow meet in Huddersfield and begin writing and performing together in 2009. Both are brought up in Yorkshire and have family connections in County Sligo and County Galway, alongside a shared background in traditional Irish music.

Recordings and releases

The duo records their debut album, Silent June, at their home in Golcar, Huddersfield between August and November 2009. The album is released in 2010 and receives critical acclaim. It is mixed and mastered by Neil Ferguson of Chumbawamba and includes contributions from Anna Esslemont and Cormac Byrne of Uiscedwr, Jackie Oates, and the Solo Players string quartet.

Silent June includes a version of “Spancil Hill” and the song “Too Old To Dream”, which incorporates part of “When I Grow Too Old to Dream”, a song published in 1934 and associated with Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II. The album title refers to a line in the song “Que Sera”, which concerns the execution of Edith Cavell during World War I.

The duo later releases the single “The Last Polar Bear” in 2011. It is taken from the second album, The Fragile, which appears in 2012 and features Andy Cutting, Jackie Oates, Anna Esslemont and Cormac Byrne. The album also includes “Gentleman Jack”, about the Yorkshire landowner Anne Lister, and a cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop”.

Recognition and collaborations

Silent June is named among MOJO magazine’s Top 10 Folk Albums of 2010. It wins Best Debut in the Spiral Awards, organised by Spiral Earth, and O'Hooley And Tidow also receive the FATEA Innovation Award 2010, which recognises music that broadens the appeal of roots-based music.

The duo also appears on Chumbawamba’s album ABCDEFG and on Lucy Ward’s debut album Adelphi Has to Fly.