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A title taken from the Book of Revelation; an intro that includes Morse code; music that is revelatory in nature and created extemporaneously, The Ciderhouse Rebellion announce their fifth album, ‘And Even the Sheep Shall Dance’. Each track made-in-the-moment, without anything other than decisions made in the micro-second of each note. As always with the duo there was no planning - other than being present to the creative process - and no conscious thought put into the music, just genuine spontaneity.

Recorded in just 24 hours, over two days in the Spring of 2023, this album is Summerhayes’ and Grainger’s response to the current state of the world – post-COVID aftermath, global political turmoil, Putin, climate change… the masters of improvisation respond to global adversity.

As Summerhayes explains: “I was thinking about this apocalyptic world we appear to be in and then I just thought I’m going to create a made-up biblical quote: ‘As the apocalypse comes, and the end times are upon us, cider should be drunk and even the sheep shall dance….!’ It’s not getting rid of the problem, it’s just an antidote to all the doom and gloom,” he concedes, very much in keeping with the burgeoning Jazz Age during the Great Depression of the 1920s and 30s when people just wanted music that was upbeat and uplifting.

For the first time the duo use a stomp box that enhances the danceable quality of the music without detracting from its complexity and the beautiful moments of stillness. The album also comes with a graphic novel, brilliantly illustrated by Summerhayes in a Quentin Blake-esque style, depicting a crazy story about sheep, warring rabbits and the impending apocalypse.

Summerhayes concedes that while there’s an undeniable silliness involved in Even The Sheep… “at the same time a lot of what we produce is quite dark and moody and I don’t think we could be more deeply serious about what we do.”

Accordion player Murray Grainger illucidates, “we had to react to our world, through our music. Otherwise, god helps us. In a way, we’re confirming for ourselves that there’s a choice in how we respond to the doom and gloom around us. The stomp box gave us a groove which changed how we played, but also added a new, integral energy to what we do. It’s essentially pogo-folk music, but somehow we transformed our malaise into something worth dancing to.”

With this CD and book The Ciderhouse Rebellion have managed to strike a remarkable balance between demonstrating their irresistible sense of irreverence while never compromising on their virtuosic musicianship. Essentially the overriding message is that in spite of everything, life is to be lived and if it all goes wrong, then party!

For Adam, creating music in the moment has been a lifelong path “I was laughed at in the industry only a few years ago and told to forget the idea.” But now, five albums in, his no-safety-net approach has shaken the tree and gathered the ripe-fruit from those prepared to hold their nerve: “I wanted to turn folk music on its head. Instead of focusing on the sacred artefacts of an old tradition, I want to mine the ancient bloodstream that is the language of the tradition itself.”

The Ciderhouse Rebellion, “And Even the Sheep Shall Dance” is released on 7 June on all platforms.

Two virtuoso musicians playing some of the most startling and original music you will ever encounter. Compelling, exciting and utterly original" Phil Beer

The duo brings together master accordionist Murray Grainger and fiddle player Adam Summerhayes.

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