I found this Northumbrian pipe tune in a manuscript. It's called 'Over the Border' and I think was about Hadrian's Wall. I got a slight obsession with the sound of this tune, and the idea of borders. How humans perceive and create borders which do not exist in nature, and what this means for the world.
words about over the border
"Gorgeous trad playing and creative vocal twists ... a fascinating and intoxicating blend of the contemporary and traditional"
Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2 Folk Show
"Really gorgeous... Absolutely beautiful"
Shaun Keaveny
"The composing and arranging skills that match her stunning voice and violin playing are breathtaking"
Neil March, Trust the Doc
"With its minimalist vocal backdrop, it put us in mind of Laurie Anderson – certainly not a setting you’ll often find traditional music in; a bed of light, airy, harmonies onto which the old fiddle tune itself is gently laid. It would’ve been so easy for Archer to record this in a straight tradfolk arrangement. Massive kudos to her for taking it somewhere that is entirely her own."
Jon Wilks, tradfolk
"The composing and arranging skills that match her stunning voice and violin playing are breathtaking... one of the most outstanding tracks by a new and emerging artist in 2022 so far"
Neil Marsh, Fresh on the Net
"Soothing yet haunting layers of vocals and a beautiful violin through-line"
"Many hands and voices throughout history echo in this song, but it is Frankie Archer's vocal texture that is the star of this show"
NARC magazine, Lizzie Lovejoy