A Conversation With (THE YOUNG’UNS)
A Conversation
With Sean Cooney
Of
(THE YOUNG’UNS)
Twenty years ago you might have thought it a far-fetched prediction. But today there’s no denying it – The Young’uns have become one of UK folk music’s hottest properties and best-loved acts.
The then teenage friends Sean Cooney, Michael Hughes and David Eagle had literally stumbled over folk music in 2003 in the back room of The Sun Inn in their native Stockton-on-Tees, never knowing that such music existed. They became regulars and, as the youngest people in the room, were dubbed ‘The Young’uns’ – a name that, for better or worse, has stuck.
Building and honing their act, Stockton Folk Club’s star graduates went on to clinch the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards ‘Best Group’ title two years running (2015 and 2016), toured their unique act in the USA, Canada and Australia, played Glastonbury Festival, as well as scooping the coveted Best Album award with the hugely impressive Strangers at the 2018 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. More recently they have touched audiences on both sides of the Atlantic via their acclaimed stage show The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff, based on the life of a Teesside local hero.
With their strong songs, spellbinding harmonies and rapid-fire humour (Eagle is now also an award-winning stand-up comedian), they have achieved one of the trickiest balancing acts – an ability to truly ‘make ‘em laugh and make ‘em cry.’
Their narrative songs – often moving, never mawkish – cut through the noise and get straight to the heart of the matter, be they personal stories that triggered global headlines or more intimate tales of everyday heroes closer to home.
On April 7th 2023, The Young’uns will unveil their latest studio album ‘Tiny Notes ‘- probably their most powerful and affecting release to date. Bold, profound and resonant it showcases the ever-growing talents of ‘premier league songwriter’ Sean Cooney who says writing songs about real, ordinary heroes has become ‘a personal passion’.
Tiny Notes will be showcased via an extensive UK & Irish tour (April-June 2023), including a return to London’s Union Chapel – a full list of live dates is at the bottom of this page.
NSGs Billy Vitch caught up with band member Sean Cooney for a natter
BIlly: Good afternoon and how are you? What have you been doing today and how’s that going?
Sean: I’ve been writing a song about the town of Preston with some primary school kids. It’s going really well. They’ve just written a Lancashire rap about how to make a butter pie!
Billy: Where did you grow up and how did your music journey begin?
Sean: Stockton On Tees in the North East of England. I was a late starter. I couldn’t access music at school. It felt like it was something for other people. I discovered folk music one night in a pub in 2003 and it changed my life. I had no idea that there were songs about where I came from (that weren’t about football), that you could sing in a Teesside accent and that you didn’t have to play an instrument. I became a folk singer.
Billy: Your music and songs cover some harrowing events and stories in the subject matter with songs like “Jack Merritt’s Boots“, remembering the 25-year-old killed in a terror attack at London’s Fishmongers Hall in 2019; that recalls other young lives lost – Cambridge graduate Tim Burman and Northern Ireland journalist Lyra McKee and the daughters of Andy Airey, Mike Palmer and Tim Owen who tragically took their own lives and who are and who are remembered in the poignant track “Three Dads Walking“. You also write extensively about social injustice on an international scale. What made you want to write about such poignant things and why is it important to you?
Sean: I never set out to do it. For years I was obsessed with traditional songs and learning as many of them as possible. I went on to realise that the old songs I loved so much were always commenting on the times they were written in and it seemed like a natural progression to try and write songs about things happening today. It’s important to me because I know that some of my songs (in particular “Be the Man“) have made a difference to people’s lives. That drives me on.
(The Young’uns Tiny Notes artwork)
Billy: When ‘The Young’uns‘ formed was it your intention to write about the things previously mentioned?
Sean: No. We started off singing sea shanties and old songs from the North East. The first songs I wrote were about local history. Our inspiration was in the past. We thought that’s what folk music was. We got a review for our first album that said ‘folk singers often fight yesterday’s battles but today’s problems deserve their attention!‘ I realised it was true.
Billy: Are you surprised by the level of your success? Your rise to prominence has been somewhat meteoric, hasn’t it?
Sean: The last 20 years has been one big surprise, really. When we got into folk music we had no idea we would ever be a band, do gigs or make records. It never seemed like a possibility. We often reflect on how lucky we were to find folk music, to be made welcome by the people who championed it and to meet and be inspired by the hundreds of performers who helped us on our way.
Billy: You also sing about fighting fascism and supporting immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in your song “Cable Street“. Here in the UK, we have seen a massive rise in fascism and hatred towards immigrants and asylum seekers in recent years. Can you give me your thoughts on this subject and are you worried about the direction we are going in a country?
Sean: Cable Street comes from our theatre show ‘The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff‘ – the true story of one teenager’s journey through the upheavals of the 1930s. We first performed it in 2018. The themes it deals with have gotten more relevant in the last 5 years. It’s been a shocking shift and, yes, I’m very worried about what it could lead to.
Billy: What is the dream as a band? What do you hope your music achieves?
Sean: I hope the songs we sing continue to make a difference to people’s lives. The subjects we’ve chosen to sing about on the new record – in particular, suicide prevention (“Tiny Notes” and “Three Dads Walking“) – are born from tragedy but are inspired by a tremendous sense of hope.
Billy: You kick off your 2023 UK tour in April and you’ll be coming here to Liverpool on the 8th. Have you ever been to Liverpool before and if so what is it about the city and its people you like the most and did you know that Oswald Mosley got knocked out by demonstrators in Liverpool in 1937 when he was due to address a rally of his British Union of Fascists here? Lol
Sean: Yes, I had heard of Mosley’s visit! My favourite memory of playing in Liverpool was the Tall Ships Race in 2008 – singing sea shanties on the boats in front of thousands of friendly people. It was the first time I’d ever been to Liverpool. It was the first time we got to meet and sing with our hero Johnny Collins, the legendary singer and shantyman (who died a year later). He made such an impression on us and I think about him often when I sing.
(The Young’uns spring 2023 tour poster)
Billy: If you could sit down with three people from history, past or present, who would they be and why?
Sean: Bob Dylan – my first and biggest influence, whose work opened the door to a world of literature, art, fairytale, history and so many different genres of music. Johnny Longstaff – I spent 2 years writing about his life, his world, and his principles. I read his books, I talked to his family. I know his voice so well. I would have loved to have met him and lastly, Charles Dickens – the ultimate storyteller.
Billy: What do you think is the key to happiness?
Sean: Making kids laugh
Billy: What is the rest of 2023 looking like for you after your tour?
Sean: We will be playing a bunch of festivals over the summer. I’m currently finishing off some songs for The National Theatre‘s production of The Odyssey and have a few other projects I’m trying to get off the ground.
Billy: Thank you so much for your time. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Sean: It’s been a pleasure, thank you
The Young’uns Tiny Notes Tour 2023
8 April Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
9 April Edinburgh Summerhall
10 April Shrewsbury St Mary’s Church
11 April Norwich Arts Centre
12 April Shoreham Ropetackle
13 April Sandwich St Mary’s Arts Centre
14 April London Union Chapel
15 April Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall
21 April Sheffield Firth Hall
20 May Dublin Pavilion Dun Laoghaire
26 May Gateshead Sage
27 May Cleckheaton Town Hall
28 May Bristol – The Redgrave Theatre
30 May Oxford North Wall
31 May Cardiff Acapela
1 June Lincoln Drill Hall
2 June Manchester – The Stoller Hall
To follow on social media or buy tickets for the upcoming tour click on the links below
