Live & Local: Wickenwood

As the curtain comes down on the 2024 Abbots Langley Festival, the curtain comes up on Wickenwood, namely Indie-folk trio Wickenwood, comprising Phil Marshall, Debs Marshall and Mags Layton. Back at the Hub by popular demand, their sound is based around harmony-driven vocals, with contemporary influences, and their songwriting draws inspiration from the legends and folklore of the people and places they visit.

For example, come and hear the salutary tale of James Snooks, the last man to be executed in England for highway robbery – then hanged and buried at the scene of his crime in nearby Boxmoor. Or the strange request of Norfolk stonemason Thomas Gooding, who died in 1600, and paid to be buried upright in the cloisters of Norwich Cathedral, believing that it would give him an advantage come Judgment Day.

But it’s not all about burials: there are songs about the hardships of working life such as the decline of the Hull fishing industry, and even one about Phil’s grandad, who at 13 years old, lost an arm in a mining accident. These fascinating stories are sung with respect and compassion, in their own unique style.

Come and be intrigued and uplifted in equal measure.

Wickenwood will be supported on the night by other local singer-songwriters.