Transports - Transports

2018 release that finds Britain's leading folk musicians presenting a timely retelling of Peter Bellamy's legendary folk ballad, "The Transports". Inspired by the true story of two petty criminals transported unjustly from Norfolk to Australia in 1787, Peter Bellamy created a ballad opera called "The Transports". He released this in 1977 as an album, which became legendary in English folk music. In 2016, producer Michael Hughes, of The Young'uns, and musical director Paul Sartin brought in storyteller Matthew Crampton to re-work the piece. Captivated by the original story, Crampton wrote a narration to tell the tale more fully, give historical context and set up each song and character. The musical engine room is the trio Faustus (Sartin, Benji Kirkpatrick and Saul Rose) with Nancy Kerr on fiddle, Rachael McShane on cello and Greg Russell on guitar. The Young'uns (Hughes, Sean Cooney and David Eagle) provide vocals, as do all the musicians. In 2017 the production came to live on stage, and has preserved here as a unique studio recording so these stories may never be forgotten.