5 Minutes With...

The Mediaeval Baebes, who bring their soaring blend of medieval and modern music to Christmas concerts in Norwich Cathedral and St Nicholas Chapel, King’s Lynn

TWENTY ONE years ago a group of young women, dressed in white robes with ivy headdresses, sang in a cemetery. It was the Mediaeval Baebes’ first concert and since then they have performed all over the world, in venues ranging from castles and caves to nightclubs and cathedrals. Singing in languages including middle English, Latin, medieval Spanish and Arabic, as well as modern English, they also play ancient and obscure instruments such as the hurdy gurdy, oud, cuatro and daruan.

Musical director Katharine Blake (who also sings and plays the violin with the group) and founding member Marie Findley talk about angels, carols, cage dancing and Game of Thrones.

How would you describe the sound of Mediaeval Baebes?

The Mediaeval Baebes use traditional instruments and employ lush, vocal harmonies to produce haunting melodies, ethereal enchantments, rousing incantations and cheeky ditties with catchy hooks, which play to everyone’s romantic sense of our past in a very accessible way. Let me expand on that a little: at times we sing traditional medieval songs and try to replicate an authentic sound as best we can, but most of the time we set medieval poetry to our own original compositions which are designed to evoke our most indulgent fantasies of the Middle Ages. Game of Thrones eat your heart out! 

What have been some of your most memorable concerts?