Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening’s second album, Cloud Horizons, was released in September 2023 via Resilient Records and entered the Official Folk Albums Chart at No.4.

Based in the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall yet reaching out to the wider world, Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening explore the connecting threads of music, landscape and people over a period of almost 2000 years. Songs range from themes of freedom, nature and venturing out into the world after times of darkness, to a Roman inscription with links to Libya and Syria magnetically pulled into the 21^st century by Amen-inspired breakbeats, ominous vocals and the wildest of piping…

Cloud Horizons is an album of extremes – Northumbrian traditions meet global influences. Dark, edgy soundscapes flare into euphoria with the razor-sharp precision of the pipes and accordion, bombastic effects-drenched octave-mandolin, haunting harmony vocals, skillfully programmed beats, evocative slow airs and wild, heart-pounding dance tunes. Lyres, clàrsach, sistrum, bone-flute and traditional Galician percussion add potency to the compelling ambience.