Gilmore & Roberts - Conflict Tourism (2015)

"People come here every day to see the show," says Marom, a retired Israel Defense Forces colonel who now works in the tourism industry and brings groups to this point to gaze down on Syria's bloodletting. "For people visiting the area, it's interesting. They can go home and tell their friends, 'I was on the border and I saw a battle." - Debra Kamin, The Atlantic, July 2014. Conflict Tourism is the fourth album from award-winning duo Gilmore & Roberts. Following a year of touring in mainland Europe, Canada, and their native Britain, Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts noticed a common thread running through their latest crop of original songs. Conflict, whether an internal struggle between positive and negative, or a healthy body and a disease, is an everyday phenomenon captured perfectly by these 11 tracks. Previously nominated twice at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Gilmore & Roberts cover a broader and more contemporary genre-spectrum than might be expected from a duo wielding guitar, fiddle and mandolin. Produced by Mark Tucker and featuring Matt Downer (Jamie Smith's Mabon), Phil Henry (Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin) and James 'Hutch' Hutchinson (Bonnie Raitt), Conflict Tourism packs a considered punch from start to finish. From the industrial weight of 'Cecilia' and the insistent energy of 'Peggy Airey' to the hauntingly hypnotic 'Jack O Lantern', Gilmore & Roberts' songwriting inflicts multiple earworms after a single listen. "Conflict is universal - everyone, everywhere, experiences it every day, in its smallest forms" says Katriona. "We liked the idea of being tour guides through a minefield of different decisions and drama." "And good tour guides are passionate about what they're showing you" adds Jamie. "They're not detached from the subject. It's personal - it's people and stories. That's the starting point for every song." Having already made a name for themselves on the UK acoustic circuit, Gilmore & Roberts are known as much for their exceptionally dynamic live show as they are for their prize-winning songs. With international tours and a formidable new album newly wedged under their belts, the duo are racing from strength to strength. Pay no attention to tour guides who read from the script - these two speak from the heart.