Poetry

Roseberry Topping

roseberry

Since high enthroned on Ida's fateful plain 
Sat Odin, when the Northmen hither roved 
They chose this throne-like hill for him they loved, 
Here o'er Valhalla should the great god reign; 
Hard by ran Mimir's fountain, whither, fain 
To know if Heimdals warning could be proved, 
When Asgard trembled and the earth was moved 
By Ragnarok, went Odin, but in vain. 
Fountain of sorrow, hill-top dark with fate. 
The cloud pavilions reared upon thine height, 
The stars that tremble o'er thee, speak of woe; 
Yet this of solace have we, that we know 
Neither the day we shall be desolate, 
Nor that dread hour when o'er us falls the night. 

Sonnets Round the Coast by Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley. Pub. 1887
thanks to Graeme Chappell

Long Meg & Her Daughters

 

Long Meg Tree

THE MONUMENT COMMONLY CALLED LONG MEG AND HER DAUGHTERS, NEAR THE RIVER EDEN

A WEIGHT of awe, not easy to be borne,
Fell suddenly upon my Spirit–cast
From the dread bosom of the unknown past,
When first I saw that family forlorn.
Speak Thou, whose massy strength and stature scorn
The power of years–pre-eminent, and placed
Apart, to overlook the circle vast–
Speak, Giant-mother! tell it to the Morn
While she dispels the cumbrous shades of Night;
Let the Moon hear, emerging from a cloud;
At whose behest uprose on British ground
That Sisterhood, in hieroglyphic round
Forth-shadowing, some have deemed, the infinite
The inviolable God, that tames the proud!

William Wordsworth 1833

The Black Path – The Album

black-path-poster

 

Linear Obsessional is proud to release this compilation of pieces that almost accidently refer to the demise of the once great steel making tradition on Teesside, in the North East of England.

“The Black Path” was an exhibition held at the House of Blah Blah in Middlesbrough in January 2016. This CD is a recording of sounds, music and poetry from that exhibition.

The download includes a 24 page PDF booklet of notes, photographs from the exhibition, and an essay by Alistair Nixon.

released October 21, 2016

https://linearobsessional.bandcamp.com/album/the-black-path

The Black Path is an ancient route. It has been many things: the northern boundary of an Anglian Kingdom, a medieval sailor’s trod, and a convenient path to work for the steelworkers of Middlesbrough.
The Black Path Project commenced in early 2015 as collaboration between Chris Whitehead and Gavin Parry, they soon realised that a number of other artists in the area had also created work based around the path. They then set about contacting artists and asking them if they would be willing to join the project with a goal of producing an exhibition. Once assembled, they approached the House of Blah Blah, who were very enthusiastic about the project and agreed to work with the group.
The goal of the project was to present a contemporary response to the Black Path, at the time no one could have predicted what events unfold over the following months in terms of the collapse of the steel industry. This project now has an added poignancy; it has accidentally captured the end of an era.
The exhibition and show features, field recordings, paintings, photographs, sculptures and music, all created as a response to the Black Path. The exhibition commences with a performance by two groups of musicians, Ammonites and Warped Freqs. both of who have written music especially for this occasion.