New single launches today! "Poor Cousin Jack" Out now!

Illustration by Molly Biscoe

I am thrilled to announce that I am launching a single today! “Poor Cousin Jack” is the single from my upcoming EP “Richard Gendall’s Cornish Protest Songs” which will be out on October the 23rd 2026. You will find the single on all the usual streaming sites!

This is an EP of four of Richard Gendall’s songs written between 1973 and 1980 which deal with the struggles of the Cornish community, half a century ago!

Poor Cousin Jack is about a young Cornish couple who can’t find anywhere to live, priced out of the market by second home owners. Fifty three years later, we are seeing this amplified to a much higher rate. This song was never recorded or released by Brenda Wootton, who Richard Gendall wrote hundreds of songs for.

The EP is available for pre-order today from Bandcamp and can be accessed HERE where you can see more information and track listing and credits etc. This is the first glimpse at the beautiful EP cover designed by Nic Zuppardi who was created another beautiful linocut image, depicting Cornwall as an island in the ocean and referencing all the songs on the EP.

I will be launching the EP at St Ives Arts Club on the 25th of October. This is a Sunday afternoon gig at 3pm. I will be joined by Kath Buckler who has played lots of cello on the EP, as well as Sam Stephens who lends his vocals to one of the songs. I will also be joined by Neal Jolly and perhaps some other familiar faces too!

Tickets for the launch are available HERE.

Photo by Imaginink

Artwork by Nic Zuppardi

Here's my brand new film - St Dennis Goose Fair!

Huge thanks to Grace Fox Films with Grace and Rob Moth. Huge thanks also to those who either appear in the film or helped make it happen!

🪿Although now very much a clay village, St Dennis was once a collection of rural hamlets making up the Parish of St Dennis. One of the rural events of the year was St Dennis Goose Fair which was at it's height in the 1880's.

🪿Thousands of geese would be reared down on the Goss Moor, where they would enjoy the pools left from the days of tin steaming (a long established practice in that area).

🪿In October the geese would all be marched across fields, up the steep granite lined paths to the top of St Dennis, and then down through the village to Olver's field, next to the Old Rectory at the bottom of St Dennis. People would come to buy their goose and take it home to fatten it up ready for Christmas.

🪿I have mixed this history with a story closer to home. My Great Auntie Gladys was born in 1914 down at Carne at the Trethewey family's small holding on the Goss Moor. They family had many animals but none more troublesome than the Goose!

🪿I like to imagine Gladys and the Goose had a hate-hate relationship, but that my Great Grandmother Blanche Trethewey dearly loved this Goose.

🪿In real life, Gladys was chased by the Goose, and running scared she picked up a stone and threw it behind her, hitting the Goose square on the head and killing it - a story I found very funny as a child!

🪿In this song, Gladys has the idea to ship 'Goosey' off to St Dennis Goose Fair with the other Geese passing their house, but Goosey has other ideas and gives chase! Gladys does indeed run scared and throws a rock which kills Goosey! In the song, Gladys tells her mother that Goosey sadly died of old age and her family then decide not to waste a good opportunity and celebrate Christmas early - with Roast Goose! The song imagines that every year since then down on the Goss Moor there is a family celebrating Christmas in October in old Goosey's memory.

Where does the name Goss Moor come from? Adrian Wilson, eminent St Dennis historian, wrote: "Nearby Tregoss means 'Fen Farm', so Goss may be an anglicisation of the Cornish 'Cors' meaning fen or marshy ground. But there is a chance that it may mean 'Goose Moor'. Gosmour was mentioned in 1502 and Geese were indeed kept by St Dennis people in the pools created by tin streamers on the moor." - Adrian Wilson, 2020

Lots going on!

There is a lot to catch up on so I will try and keep it brief!

I had a wonderful time hosting Johnny Coppin at our gig in Lanivet Church last month. We filled the church and it was a real honour to get to perform four songs with Johnny too. A very special moment!

Photo by Steve Hobden

Photo by Terry Harry

I am writing after a very busy weekends of gigs and partying!

Friday the 18th was supposed to be a ‘cosy night out’ on board The Lady Daphne in Charlestown but following the failing of the harbour flood gates the evening had to move! I decided to make it a fundraiser for The Old Lady as all her events for the winter have had to either be cancelled or rearranged.

Thankfully, St Austell Library stepped in to help host a cosy night out which included bring your own cheese and wine to share, a log burner, lamps, candles, slippers, and more cheese and more wine! I was joined by Molly Biscoe and Jamie Sterritt with songs and Harp music and we also watched several of my films. It was a really lovely evening!

Photo by Steve Hobden

Photo by Steve Hobden

After a lovely evening spent with friends on Saturday (more wine) Sunday saw the launch of “Sons of Cornwall” my new release of two tracks inspired by Cornishmen (or adopted..) who did incredible things. William Stephens (1740 - 1822) who gave Leek Seed Chapel at St Blazey it’s unusual name and Richard Jose (1862 - 1941) who left Cornwall as a child to provide for his family and went on to become one of the world’s finest singers!

It was also the launch of my film ‘The Old Gardener ‘ which tells William’s story so what better place to launch it than to return to Truro Plaza Cinema where we drank bubbly and watched all my films before I sang the two new songs and then let everyone watch some of the outtakes!

Linocut artwork by Nic Zuppardi

Photo by Steve Hobden

Photo by Steve Hobden

I also launched lots of lovely new merchandise using Nic’s wonderful design. I have some beautiful enamel mugs made by “Cut by Beam” in Cornwall as well as new tea towels, tote bags and an art print complete with lyrics and free download of the new songs!

The art prints are available from my bandcamp page HERE as well as the tracks to download individually if preferred. I am keeping the other merch for live gigs for the moment. I just don’t want to let it go yet!

I have already had radio play from Celtic Radio FMas well as 3B’s radio and as I type I am waiting to hear Forest FM play Richard Jose tonight too!

There is so much more to write but I am going to keep the bubbles flowing again tonight instead!

Richard


Exciting Gig Announcement!

Get tickets HERE

I am thrilled to announce that Johnny Coppin is going to make a rare appearance in Cornwall at Lanivet Parish Church!

Just two minutes off the A30 and blessed with an abundance of free parking Lanivet is the perfect gig location!

Johnny’s effortless vocals have graced the folk-scene since the emergence of Decameron in the early 1970s. An experienced solo performer, he is a talented songwriter and a fine interpretative singer.

Johnny has recorded over fourteen albums including The Winding Stair, Borderland, Edge of Day with writer Laurie Lee, his latest album River of Dreams, and he recently celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the release of Forest & Vale & High Blue Hill – his first album of Gloucestershire songs.

 Playing guitar and piano, his songs are always melodic and evocative.

For many years Johnny toured as a duo with Phil Beer (Show of Hands). He now works solo, in a duo with Paul Burgess (ex John Kirkpatrick Band), and as a trio for an annual Christmas tour with Paul Burgess and Dik Cadbury (ex Steve Hackett, and Decameron).

 “A gifted songwriter”- Daily Telegraph

Johnny has performed at many festivals, and venues large and small and for over twenty years he presented an Acoustic Music programme on BBC Local Radio across the West.

TV appearances have included his own programme ‘Song of Gloucestershire’ for the BBC, ‘Stars in a Dark Night’ for Channel 4, and ‘Between Two Rivers’ for ITV.

I am also thrilled to say that I will be playing a solo set supporting Johnny Coppin on the night, performing some of my best loved songs and showing some of my films too!

Get Tickets HERE

Bringing the Harvest Home - Video Out!

After it’s premiere at last nights ‘A night at the Movies’ at Truro’s Plaza Cinema, I am thrilled to publicly share my brand new video ‘Bringing the Harvest Home’ .

The Kea Plums of Cowlands and Coombe are renowned, and the area is one of the most beautiful and timeless places in Cornwall. Large orchards of plums and apples grow, as well as in gardens and even along the river banks. It has long been a personal family favourite place to visit. I read a beautiful description of the plum harvest being brought in from David Mudd’s 1989 book ‘Around and About the Fal’. There was a particular description of people arriving at the creek on foot, in boats and on steamers to visit the famous orchards that caught my imagination and inspired this song.

Huge thanks to all who worked on this whether musically or as part of the filming and production!

Two Halves Album Sampler!


Here is the album sampler for 'Two Halves'! Thanks so much to Grace Fox Films for putting it together and to all the musicians who joined me in the making of this album. Wish we had captured more photos and film of everyone in the studio but I think we were too excited recording!

Fun news - I sold out Plaza Cinema Truro! Because we sold out screen 3 with over a month to go we have moved Richard Trethewey – A Night at the Movies! Plaza Cinema - Truro to Screen 2 which is a bigger screen and features the original stage and screen position from the original cinema! Don't delay in purchasing your tickets if you haven't got them yet as when they're gone they're gone!

You can pre order through the shop on this site or Bandcamp!

Unveiling the 'Two Halves' album artwork!

Here tiz!

Here is the beautiful album artwork made by Lisa Wisdom.

You can buy it at the SOLD OUT album launch at Malpas in March or at the Plaza Cinema event in Truro in April. Tickets available HERE.

Pre ordering for postage in March is now possible via bandcamp HERE. It is also possible through the shop section of this website but if buying multiple products I would probably recommend bandcamp as the postage options are more straightforward!

A Night at the Movies!

I’m very excited to share the news that I am going to be hosting an event at The Plaza Cinema, Truro on Thursday the 25th of April 2024 at 7.30pm.

We will watch the four films I have made for the songs ‘Hope in a Jam Jar’, ‘Queen of the Cornish Rhine’, ‘Frenchman’s Creek’ and not yet released ‘Bringing the Harvest Home’ (and maybe some outtakes too!).

I will also be joined by Steve Hawker and Neal Jolly on piano and double bass respectively to play the album ‘Two Halves’ live for those that missed out on getting tickets for the launch at Malpas Village Hall in March.

Book early to avoid disappointment. Get your tickets HERE.

https://snappytickets.co.uk/events/richard-trethewey-movie-night-at-truro-plaza-cinema/

There will be refreshments available from the bar and I will be selling vinyl, CDs, Books, and other merch on the night. Card payment possible.