The 16th and 17th Century Scottish witch trials were one of the darkest periods of Scotland’s history. An estimated 2500 people were executed, 80% of them women.

In this new project, Rachel Newton and Lauren MacColl pay tribute to these women exploring historical beliefs in the supernatural and parallels in our society.   Each piece of music is based on specially commissioned works by celebrated author Mairi Kidd – tales of real women who were persecuted and tried as witches, and characters from the folkloric tales and mythology enshrined in our oral culture.

Rachel (The Shee, The Furrow Collective, Spell Songs) and Lauren (Salt House, Rant) are two of the country’s most celebrated folk musicians. This project gave them the opportunity to work as a duo for the first time.