Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
The Art of Authenticity: Crafting Songs that Resonate with Nature and Spirit with Shannon Pearl
293 Plays21 hours ago
In this episode of The Bell Witch Podcast, host Swailes, the friendly green witch, chats with witch pop and folklore singer Shannon Pearl. They explore Shannon’s creative process, her deep connection to nature and the moon, and the folklore that inspires her music—especially selkie legends. Shannon shares stories of mystical encounters, her song writing rituals, and the balance between her spiritual and everyday life. The episode highlights the intersection of witchcraft, music, and storytelling, offering listeners insight into Shannon’s artistic journey and the magic she finds in the world around her. Her unique style of singing which often involves the traditional Kulning technique to interpret the spirit of the trees and nature is one of true enchantment.
Cover photo by Adam Kennedy https://linktr.ee/akennedyphotographer
Latest single: (all proceeds/royalties go to mother earth) : https://youtu.be/1_GuzUZRhBs
New Music video for next single 'Echo' out 27th May. (This is the one about selkies) : https://youtu.be/6yz3GneDvcg
www.shannonpearlofficial.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannoninthewild_/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShannonPearlOfficial/
Bandcamp: https://shannonpearl.bandcamp.com/music
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shannoninthewild_
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/23qgYPUKTf7RnlHPHu0kvu?si=4nFJnYxGTfuMgELh8qzMqA
Podcast Pals- https://open.spotify.com/show/1MgemzSNz1fjXA4UNvJ8no?si=a4bff773eba34cdd
Part of The Darkcast Network Podcast Network | Darkcast Network
Made with love and magic by Swailes the Friendly Green Witch friendlygreenwitch | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
Join the NEW Patreon for bonus content and exclusive episodes The Bell Witch Podcast | Podcast | Patreon
Supported by Otley Ghost Tour -https://turnipfishtheatre.com/otley-ghost-tours
Official podcast sponsor Whimsy Goth Market London- thewhimsygothmarket.uk
DISCOUNT CODES- 'bellwitch' for 10% off www.theteatonic.com
Discount Jasper cacao affiliate link - https://www.jaspercacao.com/shop/?affiliate=2714
Follow #TBWP on Instagram The Bell Witch Podcast (@the_bell_witch_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos
Music by Geoff Harvey of Pixabay
#WitchPop #Fullmoon #Folkmusic #mootloot #witchs #selkie #folklore #kulning
Recommended
Transcript
Invitation to Otley Ghost Tour
00:00:00
Speaker
There's something frightfully chilling going on in Otleytown. Book yourself onto the Otley Ghost Tour and embrace the miserable history of Otley in Leeds.
00:00:13
Speaker
A seemingly quiet, quaint, historic market town settled beneath the looming gates of the ancient chevin learn about the small town eccentrics who once upon a time hobbled over the cobbles and find out about the phantom characters who still persist today your ghoulish guides will regale you with tales of bygone days and you will finish the evening with an optional free drink in one of otter's most haunted brew houses
00:00:47
Speaker
Dear listeners, if you fancy yourself a deliciously dark evening in Otley, I'll let you into a little secret. I have formed a deal with the ghost leader, Spindle Shanks McScrew, and you will receive a free gift if you repeat this quote prior to your tour.
00:01:06
Speaker
Ooly booly, let's get ghouly. Have a grisly good time, witches.
00:01:17
Speaker
Darkcast Network, bringing our indie podcasts out of the shadows.
00:01:45
Speaker
Bye.
Introduction of Bell Witch Podcast and Guest
00:01:57
Speaker
Now then, witches and beautiful souls, welcome back to another fantastic episode of the Bell Witch Podcast with me, Swales, at the Friendly Green Witch, a podcast to help you get witching in the 21st century.
00:02:14
Speaker
This is episode 60. Yep, I've made it to 60. It is a glorious day today on the 11th of June. It is the strawberry moon and I'm feeling alright, I'm feeling motivated. This moot loot episode is so special. It's with Shannon Pearl, who's a witch, pop and folklore singer.
00:02:38
Speaker
She's such a lovely lass and we had such a gorgeous interview. It is a very inspiring conversation. And I've brushed up all my editing skills and inserted little bits and pieces of songs for you to hear.
00:02:51
Speaker
ah think it's quite swish that, if I do say so myself. And also at the end of this episode, there is the full length version of one of Shannon's favourite songs called Celestial.
00:03:04
Speaker
So do stay tuned for that.
Festival and Community Engagement
00:03:07
Speaker
As this episode comes out, I should be on a train on the way up to Newcastle as I'm attending the Manifest, a spiritual, magical wellbeing festival by Matt of Canny Crystals. I bought this ticket so long ago.
00:03:25
Speaker
so I'm going to be hanging out with the podcasters again. Woohoo! If you're around or even you're listening to this on your way up, which would be amazing, do come by and say hi. I'll be floating around in a very nice hat because that's what I do.
00:03:38
Speaker
I'll probably wear my podcast t-shirt just so people can spot the swales a mile off. So yeah, that's exciting, isn't it? Shout out to the new Patreon subscribers. We've got Kate Bishop, Christine Monger Manning,
00:03:55
Speaker
Billy, Rowanna Avalon, Ashley and Fiona Murray. Thank you so much for joining in and giving the Bell Witch Podcast Patreon a little chance.
00:04:06
Speaker
Do get yourself on the Discord channel if you'd like to connect with me direct. I do like to chat all things spooky, witchcraft, magical or just random. Honestly, it's right good fun.
00:04:22
Speaker
And also check out the subscriber only mini episodes I'm starting to produce. One is called Witch Stories. So this is this really cool little book I found in my kids library, little libraries, and it's called Witch Stories for Bedtime. And it's quite interesting just to see how witches are portrayed back when it was written in the 80s. It's quite a beautiful book.
00:04:45
Speaker
It's got gorgeous illustrations and I think it tends to flip-flop through positive and negative witch stories, which is good fun. I joke that it's a bit like witchy bingo.
00:04:56
Speaker
I was thinking maybe I could do one with a glass of wine and maybe some people on a call and I could read to them. and see how the banter progresses. That'd be fun. So if you're up for that, do send me a DM.
00:05:06
Speaker
We could have a bit of witchy fun. And also I've started another one called Cauldron of Woo. So this is going to replace what the TikTok, because as you know, I got cloned. It really annoyed me. TikTok didn't give a hoot.
00:05:21
Speaker
And so I've been that, although I do get a little bit from TikTok. I'm looking elsewhere for information and not just on that platform. The masses of books I am collecting is such a problem at the moment I just can't stop buying them so I should totally get my nose in books and stop looking at the internet basically there will be conspiracies there but there'll also be a bit of magic a bit of witch tips a little bit of omens and why we find them unlucky just things that interest me really that I'd like to discover a bit more it'll be like bite-sized chunks
00:05:53
Speaker
of topics here and there that are magical, that float the swales as boats.
Bell Witch Podcast on YouTube
00:05:59
Speaker
lastly, i am back on the YouTube. I've set it up so it automatically feeds the episodes to my YouTube channel, which is The Bell Witch Podcast.
00:06:09
Speaker
If you prefer to listen to your stuff on YouTube, please do go over there and subscribe. I don't think you can do ratings, can you? But subscribing and comments and likes, that would be amazing.
00:06:23
Speaker
That's it from me because as you can hear, I've got another sore throat and annoying little cold. It is the podcast's worst nightmare, honestly. It's no good when you're a podcaster and you're always having sore throats.
00:06:35
Speaker
Boo! Hiss!
Interview with Shannon Pearl Begins
00:06:36
Speaker
And so I shall hit play on this fantastic moot loop with Shannon and I hope you really enjoy it and do check out all the links in the show notes for her music and catch her on tour because she'll be magnificent.
00:06:49
Speaker
I'm absolutely buzzing that she invited me to come and see her play so woohoo! I wish I could sing, tell you.
00:06:59
Speaker
Welcome Shannon Pearl to the Bell Witch Podcast. It's great to have you here. how are you feeling today? I'm buzzing. Thank you for having us on. I realise it's actually a full moon tonight.
00:07:11
Speaker
No way. Do you think that's uncanny? Did we plan this on purpose? No, I only found out yesterday like, oh, because I'm a bit of a shabby moon witch myself. I don't suppose you've got any plans for the moon, have you?
00:07:25
Speaker
Funny enough, today i did a little bit of manifesting. because I felt like it. And I thought the moon was yesterday, but it's obviously today, so it's hardwired in us somewhere. Of course it is. know when, I think.
00:07:38
Speaker
But no, apart from going and having a look at it outside later on when it gets dark, nothing planned. I mean, I get the feeling you're quite a moon witch from what i read about you and listen to. I would say so, yeah.
00:07:51
Speaker
Not purposely. It just happens to be that way. There's moons in your songs? Moons in my songs, moons in my rituals, just moons in my everyday activity. Everyday activity.
Music Genre and Inspirations
00:08:05
Speaker
I moon people a lot. ah I knew that would come in. I knew it.
00:08:09
Speaker
No, do. It's a thing. Bit of mooning. So I've recently discovered your music from hearing you on another podcast interview. is so beautiful. Gosh, it's like proper goosebump central. Amazing.
00:08:23
Speaker
Thank you. And it's categorised as folklore witch pop, which sounds so fantastic. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Describe your sound.
00:08:34
Speaker
Yeah, so a lot of people are confused by the term witch pop, but I kind of had to make my own genre up because a kind of don't sound like Anyone else?
00:08:45
Speaker
And then I'm popular with the witches, so I thought, oh, which pop it is. and You could call it neo-folk as well, because it's just a new style of folk music, what encompasses a lot of different genres. So there's some pop elements in there. There's definitely folk elements, but there's also electronic elements in there.
00:09:04
Speaker
I'm very influenced by the blues, so there's a little bit of that underpinning everything because that's originally what I started out in, the blues. So there's always going to be a little bit of an echo of the blues in my songs.
00:09:16
Speaker
That sounds like a poem or something, like echo of the blues. And there's folklore tales within your songs. Yeah, of course. So I'm very inspired by landscape and place, and I think the root of folk music for me as a person who enjoys listening to folk music, is always the stories that are attached to the songs and they're always inspired by place mostly rather than emotions or people's situations. It's always based on something that happened on the land and I feel like that's such a magical thing and that it's quite unique to folk music in that you can always connect the songs to the place and there's always like a geographical style that comes with each song
00:10:01
Speaker
artist who produces folk music so I don't know I just thought I really wanted to delve into what made me want to produce music in the first place and it definitely is just being really inspired by the land and the landscape around me which the northeast of England yeah you're more northern than I yeah but I spend a lot of time even further up north in Scotland I feel like my heart belongs in Scotland so I spend a lot of time up there, like loads of my songs are just trying to encapsulate the vibe of certain places up there.
00:10:37
Speaker
I've got one song called Kiss the Ground and that was me sort of trying to paint a picture sonically. of my favourite place ever. It's called Coria Gavel, which means it's like the Lost Valley.
00:10:51
Speaker
It's halfway up a mountain. There's like a lovely pasture that you wouldn't know was there unless you went exploring. It's quite a hike uphill. But when you get there, it's the most serene, perfect place.
00:11:03
Speaker
And I really wanted to capture the vibe that I felt there. It was so enchanting, but also really homey. Like I'd been there before, but I hadn't I recorded some birdsong while I was there and used it in the song. So when you listen to it, it's actually you can actually hear a piece of the place in the song. So compliments to Mother Nature there singing for me.
00:11:25
Speaker
Have you got any folk tales that come to mind that you could tell us about? ah God, where do I start? Well, recently, the one that connects to my music now is The Story of the Selgi, which is sort of Outer Hebrides in origin.
00:11:41
Speaker
I'm sure we've all heard about Selkies if we're into witchy things, but I'll tell you the story nonetheless and tell you how it connects to me. So Selkie is shape-shifting creature. So in the sea, a Selkie is a seal and on the shore, their skin is shed and they become usually beautiful people. And usually in the stories, it's always a female, always a woman.
00:12:06
Speaker
And they come out on full moons to dance and enjoy the human form for the length of the full moon. And then they usually return to the sea. But there's always stories of naughty human men who have been probably fishing and then spy these naked women who are gorgeous dancing in the moonlight. And they always realize,
00:12:27
Speaker
oh It's a Selkie because they've been around in folklore forever. So they know about them already. And the way you capture a Selkie is you've got to steal the skin and hide it away because without the skin, they can never return to the sea.
00:12:42
Speaker
And so it's always this horrible, but also, don't know, it's kind of romantic in a way, in some stories anyway, where... The Selkie lady sort of does fall it in love eventually with this, with our captor, the fisherman, who forces us to marry him and have children. And she does love the children.
00:13:02
Speaker
But it always ends up with her yearning for the sea and going back to the sea in the end after finding her skin locked away in a cupboard or something. That is what one of my most recent projects is based on I've got a song coming out on the 27th of May, and it's called Echo.
00:13:21
Speaker
It's written sort of, not
Pagan Animism and Sound Sensitivity
00:13:23
Speaker
directly about a Selkie, but it's an epic love tale. And um the video that we made in conjunction with a company called k Crew Gal is based on the Selkie story. So I had to go in the sea and like,
00:13:36
Speaker
returned to the water which is really funny because it was bloody freezing. Be a seal. Oh god i tried my best but I'm not very graceful. Freezing.
00:13:47
Speaker
Yeah but the video's already out so if you want to find it on my YouTube and watch watch me flapping about in the sea you can. I'll absolutely link that in the show notes below. Why not?
00:13:58
Speaker
I recognise this story. I think I read it in If Women Rose Rooted, you know that book Yeah, yes, I do. I'm sure it was in there. and They had children and then didn't she leave her children but she left them with the message of look after the earth. Yeah, and it's always the same thing.
00:14:16
Speaker
message at the end and it's always the most important message that humans could ever take on which is to look after where you live and recognize the environment as a living being rather than just something we can trash and use up and never give back to. yeah And I think that as an artist, as a musician, that's what my main...
00:14:38
Speaker
goal is is to bring awareness to the fact that everything is sentient in some way and we're all connected to each other in some way we can't understand it and that's fine but it's true that's where you believe everything has a soul yeah so i'm a pagan animist i've come to realize over the past years I don't know, 10 years of being witchy and pagan in the fact that I don't really have a specific path that I follow.
00:15:11
Speaker
I take things from different, different crafts, different parts of the pagan world and, and sort of make it into my own. What's, what's that called? Like an eclectic witch or something.
00:15:22
Speaker
Yeah. I like your saying like a patchwork witch. Yeah. You've said it a few times and i've I've read some stuff as well, like interviews and you've said it and like, I like that. Yeah, yeah, well, yeah, it's like a tapestry, isn't it? You weave all the threads that you want into your masterpiece that will eventually be yours when you come to the end of your life. And I think for me, I've got so many threads, I can't possibly put a label on them.
00:15:49
Speaker
So it's nice to be very interwoven with a lot of different things and feel perfectly at home with all of them. And um animism is a huge part of the way I live my life.
00:16:00
Speaker
I talk to literally everything. I talk to my house. I'm like, bye house. See you when I come back. My fiance is like, what? ah No, it's good. I talk to the house as well when and you leave it. It's true. Yeah, it's good for you, isn't it?
00:16:13
Speaker
And the plants, I always talk to my plants. Yeah. Well, if you talk your plants, they grow more and the more prolific with flowers. And it's just true. I don't care where anyone says. We've done the research, me and you. We know. We know. It's true.
00:16:27
Speaker
But everything, though, even man-made objects are not that far. Yeah, yeah. No, my car's called Betty. My piano's called Uriel. My laptop's called Skippy. No, sorry.
00:16:39
Speaker
My guitar's called Skippy and my laptop's called Ulfson. Oh, my gosh. I need to name my laptop. Yeah. Not this onek because it's on Blink, but I do. LAUGHTER I'll just call it Blinky, there you It might start working now, it's got a name.
00:16:55
Speaker
ah probably will if you're nice to it. I think, do I believe that? think I agree things have a vibration, maybe that's the same. no I agree, yeah. Well, we're all made of particles and particles travel on waves and all waves are of vibrations and all vibrations are a sound, so technically we're all a song.
00:17:15
Speaker
I love that. but all um You can have that one. But yeah, so i think that's why as well. You know, have you ever been in a right mood and you're just having a bad day, but then you'll hear something like a song or a story or something that is told to you in a way?
00:17:33
Speaker
sonically and you just feel lifted and you feel better because the vibrations have affected you in a certain way well it goes both ways you can be affected positively by sound and you can also be affected negatively there's so much going on that we don't realize is affecting us like for example i live near the docks right so i'm one kilometer away from some docks in sunderland And I can hear every boat that comes in and out of there. And the boats have such like low frequencies when they come.
00:18:04
Speaker
And not everyone can hear them. I've got supersonic ridiculous hearing, lucky for me. And I can just, I get buzzed every single night. That sounds good, but I don't mean in that way. i mean in the worst way possible.
00:18:16
Speaker
I can feel my teeth chattering in my head because of these boats. And it's infrasound. So it's on such a low level that you wouldn't really notice it if... you're just a normal person. I'm just so weird. I can hear it. It really affects us all and it makes you feel anxiety. it can properly give you nightmares.
00:18:33
Speaker
Like it brings you on a different conscious level. I think some science needs to be done about it. Blimey. Yeah, man. It's really, really bad to i think now science is moving on we're doing more more research into the bio field like into Reiki and into frequency and vibration and things and I can't wait for it all to come out and for it to go see I told you to everyone who's like shut up we'll all be there like yeah and we've been done about this for centuries exactly and the poor whales that are getting beached and stuff it's probably because all of the blubbing drilling in the ocean and all of the boats going about have you ever looked at the the map
00:19:10
Speaker
on I don't know if it's Google, can't remember. but But anyway, you can Google it and it shows you a point for every single ship that's active in the water all over the world. And there's blooming
Viral Video and Musical Upbringing
00:19:21
Speaker
millions of them. I couldn't believe it.
00:19:23
Speaker
It's horrible when you think about how noisy the ocean must be because of us. Anyway, I'm going on another tangent, but yes. It's all right. yeah No, even the sky, though. I mean, the sky littered with planes. Oh, don't get me started on the bloody Starlink.
00:19:38
Speaker
Christ. No, I get what saying though. I live next to a farm and the cows this time a year come really close and they've got such a deep moo. Really? Me and my husband are starting to know who's who from the moos.
00:19:53
Speaker
You know which one's which? One of them has got a right deep one and one of them sounds like it's proper sharting at you. LAUGHTER angry And of them was like, I can't be bothered to moo. It's like, no. And they make me so happy. I love them.
00:20:07
Speaker
Bless them. ah Well, I think I'd rather be bothered by cows than boats, to be honest. Yeah, i when I moved in, I was a bit like, this is a bit weird. But I love it now and I never change it.
00:20:20
Speaker
Picture this. You're standing at the peak of a mountain, watching the sunrise paint the world in shades of gold. That feeling? Pure magic. The kind that makes every grueling step worth it.
00:20:33
Speaker
But what happens when that adventure takes a turn for the worse? When the trail isn't what you expected, and the great outdoors shows just how wild it can be? That's where tragedy with a view comes in.
00:20:45
Speaker
I'm your host, Kayla, and in this podcast, I tell the stories of adventures gone wrong in some of the most beautiful and unpredictable places on Earth. From natural disasters that catch even the most seasoned explorers off guard to true crime trails that unfold where tranquility meets terror.
00:21:03
Speaker
We dive into these close calls with disaster that remind us just how small we really are. But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. Every story comes with a perspective, a chance to reflect on the fragility and wonder of life.
00:21:17
Speaker
After all, what is life without close calls with disaster? So if you're the kind of person who loves a good adventure and doesn't shy away from a little chaos along the way, tune in to Tragedy with a View.
00:21:29
Speaker
You can find us wherever you listen to podcasts. Grab your hiking boots, your sense of wonder, and maybe a little caution. And join me as we explore the untamed beauty of the world one story at a time.
00:21:47
Speaker
Since we're on the topic of cows, we've got to talk about the cows. That came about organically, didn't it? It did. I've kind of became ah synonymous with cows and mooing and singing to them because I had a viral video recently. Well, in January, actually.
00:22:03
Speaker
I was just walking my dog in Penshire Wood next to mine, s singing me songs and recording myself as you do when you're me. And one video just took off and got like 2 million views in a week and I couldn't believe it.
00:22:15
Speaker
And my phone practically broke in half because I couldn't handle everybody talking about cows. And it's because what I was singing is culling. And culling is ancient Scandinavian singing technique where you use really high pitched frequencies to resonate in alpine areas. So they would use this technique in sort of like Sweden or Finland.
00:22:39
Speaker
and they would communicate with each other across the deep valleys and the mountains. And also they would use it to herd the cows back home because the cows would be out grazing on the alpine pastures.
00:22:53
Speaker
They would obviously need to call them home somehow, so they trained them to come home with a song, and I think that's so beautiful. And I didn't realise that it was a thing, so I've been culling my whole entire life and only realised it was a thing after i was...
00:23:07
Speaker
Googling like folklore of Sweden and to do with music and things. I did a research of some different areas that I'd never heard of before and Culling came up and i was like, no actual way. This is a thing. Like the way I sing, there's already a word for it. Like just very short, high pitched melodies blew my mind. And it's obviously blew two other million people's minds as well. Cause it's quite fun to do.
00:23:30
Speaker
A lot of people want to learn. So I've did some tutorials. Oh, so you've brushed up on your skill. Yeah, it's made me go further into the skill itself and learn why and what and how. and
00:24:05
Speaker
Although it does come naturally to me, it's really hard to learn if you don't know already because you have to reach the heights to make the sound travel so far. But it is doable. It's just practice. so did you just start doing that naturally when you were singing?
00:24:19
Speaker
Loads people have asked us this. I've never had a singing lesson in my life, right? Honestly, ah blame it all on my mum. She did not ever tell me to shut up when I was a kid. She would just let us...
00:24:30
Speaker
be loud and let us put summer shows on for her and let us sing Andrea Bocelli really loud with a giant hat on. you know what mean? And I think exercising your vocal cords and really sort of pushing them to the limits when you're small trains your voice for when you're older. And if you just don't let the muscle fade, if you keep on doing it, keep exercising the muscle, then you're going to keep the
Instruments and Music Creation Rituals
00:24:53
Speaker
range. And I've just happened to have done that.
00:24:55
Speaker
So I'm very lucky in that respect that I never got told to shut up. That's so cool. I love it. It's so nice. At the moment, my kid is learning the mini trumpet, you know, the cornet.
00:25:06
Speaker
Oh, really? That's amazing. And it so loud. And, you know, I could see my husband, like, his eye twitching and stuff. And I'm like, don't you say anything. Don't you say... Let her practice. like No, you've got to let you've got to let them when they're younger because I really wish I'd pursued more instruments when I was younger.
00:25:23
Speaker
But I didn't. It wasn't because of any reason, but it would be nice to have been, like, encouraged. Maybe it's a little bit more like he's a violin. I ah wish someone came as a violin when I was younger. I'm so jealous of Jen, who plays violin in my band. Like, she's just, oh, she's got such a musical ear. She just hears things.
00:25:42
Speaker
But we're on the same... wavelength so whatever I'm thinking and she just naturally is already playing it and I'm like oh my god yes this is why she's in my band she's very clever very talented you don't play anything I play guitar piano no I'm not even going to say mandolin I used to play mandolin and So you can't play, you're making out that play anything, you've got loads.
00:26:02
Speaker
I can, I can, obviously I write songs on instruments, but playing them live is a whole different kettle fish, and I used to do it more a long time ago, but then I just got a band to do it for us.
00:26:14
Speaker
So that I could have more fun dancing about on stage because I don't like to be encumbered by things. I like to frolic. Frolic on the stage. Yes.
00:26:25
Speaker
That goes on to my next question about the instruments. I love the drone sound in music and there's something about that deep droning in there, which is kind of similar to a violin.
00:26:36
Speaker
It really speaks to my inner fibres. Yeah. Have you got any instruments that do that to you? Yeah, the same as you. I feel that as well. Really, really. That's why I got a Shruti Box, which is the drone. I've got a Shruti Box!
00:26:51
Speaker
Have you? Do you love it? I'm trying to do it, but I can't ah can't keep it going. You know, it's a skill. Get all of the air you can get in it first, and it's easier to keep it going if it's full already.
00:27:03
Speaker
But yeah, the Shruti Box, I purposely got that because I wanted to recreate the drone, but not with my voice, because I've got a loop pedal and I can do a drone with my voice, but it wasn't as sort of boomy and low-end as I wanted it to be so that people could feel it, because when you play the Shruti Box, you'll know you can feel it in your chest, can't you?
00:27:22
Speaker
And I think that's what... speaks to so many people's like primal brain or something it's like a sound that we would have heard in ancient times because the drone is such an ancient thing and an old instrument and from all over the world as well so you've got the didgeridoo Australia a that's a form of a drone instrument any drone instrument for me I'm absolutely in love with the bagpipes don't even start with that you should totally learn that ah I want to have a go, right? But I looked to see if there was any for sale on Facebook market players or something. the really expensive. i couldn't just grab something to try it.
00:28:00
Speaker
But I am supporting a traditional Scottish band in July, so I might just be like, can I have a little toot on your pipe?
00:28:08
Speaker
I went to a Mother Blessing and the lady was running it, she had a big one, you know, with the keys. they started Oh, yeah, yeah. A piano accordion or something.
00:28:18
Speaker
Very similar, but it's like a shooty box and it's got a key. Yeah, what's it called? My friend plays one and I bloody forgot. But yes, I know what you mean. beautiful. This instrument that we couldn't remember the name of is called a harmonium.
00:28:33
Speaker
and i remember just being next to her and every single hair stood up. And was bit like, what is going on here? This is mad. Not every everyone gets that when they listen to music. Some people really feel it as well as like hearing in it. And if you but if you have full body responses like that, it's not, not everybody does that, did you know?
00:28:52
Speaker
Music is so huge to me in my life. Same. Like, how can you live your life not really caring about music? I know. Some people do. It's weird. But it's just like them people who don't have dreams, who cannot visualise. They don't have dreams.
00:29:05
Speaker
What the hell? They can't imagine going square, can they? No, it's mad. But I really like your fringe. I feel like we're a bit fringe twins. We are, yeah. Twinning. Do you cut it yourself, Alice? Yeah.
00:29:17
Speaker
Yeah, me too. So do you use your music in circles and magic? I do. Only recently because I used to keep music and magic and spirituality separate, weirdly, until I realized they were one and the same.
00:29:37
Speaker
I went to Glastonbury a couple years ago and did some training. and to become a sacred celebrant so I can marry people within the spiritual faith or any faith really but obviously it's not a legal marriage but I can celebrate any faith but usually it's pagan people who I get and we do a lots of hand fasts and some things I also run moon circles which are like community groups really because you'll get so many different kinds of people coming in and out and uh They always really benefit from it.
00:30:06
Speaker
But not everybody is witchy, but we do do group rituals and ceremonies and spells and things. And we work with the wheel of the year. So I occasionally do drum circles and sing and get everybody to join in.
00:30:20
Speaker
And it's really a lovely heartwarming thing to sing in unison with people. I don't know if you've ever sang in circle with other people before, but it's really powerful. And I don't think people realise just how powerful it is until you do it.
00:30:32
Speaker
And then all of my music that you hear on the internet now that is kind of like starting to get some traction
Music, Spirituality, and Witchcraft
00:30:40
Speaker
is... only about two or three years old because I've been terrified my whole life to let this side of me be public being like witchy and being spiritual and having very strong beliefs and being a bit weird can sometimes put you on the periphery of social circles and different groups that you might want to be part of so I've felt like that my whole entire life being a bit bullied at school for being a bit witchy
00:31:10
Speaker
a bit weird and then all of a sudden I stepped into my own power after this training down Glastonbury. I met so many like-minded people who made me realise that it's alright to just be yourself and to embrace it and really powerfully we went through all the ceremonies that we were going to be able to do for other people after the training. But we had to go through them first.
00:31:34
Speaker
So I went through a naming ceremony, a renaming ceremony for me. And my name that I stepped into on that day was Shannon Pearl, Sacred Sound Carrier and Witch of the Isles.
00:31:47
Speaker
oh And I love that so much. That's technically my new title, but I don't tell many people that. But the whole mark and things with ceremony, I think needs to be revived. And I think it is actually being revived at the minute.
00:32:02
Speaker
and A lot of people are realizing how it can help change mindsets and it can help sort of pin down emotions in your brain. It's like a spiritual marker in your brain for events and it helps you process things, I think.
00:32:17
Speaker
So any advice I would give to anyone would be just make everything a ceremony, make everything special. And it really has helped me. And that's how I've been able to connect my celebrancy, my music and every other aspect of life really with spirituality, with witchcraft and music and just all
Social Media Authenticity and Performance Energy
00:32:36
Speaker
in one web.
00:32:36
Speaker
So before that you just did your music without the witchiness. Before that I wasn't witch pop, I was just doing blues music and covers at weddings and things.
00:32:48
Speaker
It was lovely, I did enjoy it and it taught me so many lessons how to go on really. I've built my platform over about 15 years, but 13 years of that or something has been not authentically me.
00:33:01
Speaker
It's been finding out what that is. So it's been a very long process, but to be where I am now, and to feel the way I do about what I'm giving out, which is just absolutely buzzing all the time.
00:33:15
Speaker
I feel like it was worth it going through that time and through that journey. Seems like cosmic timing a little bit. Definitely, there's loads of synchronously. Yeah. I'm kind of there as well, and I thought it was an age thing because you get to thought you're like, fuck off.
00:33:29
Speaker
Yeah. but But maybe not. Maybe it's just timing. to I mean, because I went into all the spooky goth stuff and I didn't make it that way you know to witchcraft. I try not to kick myself over it because obviously wasn't the right time. but Yeah.
00:33:43
Speaker
I am also like, fuck off, because I've made unreal boundaries and like have really stuck to them. And you can so tell when you start doing that for yourself and not being scared to say no. And not even in an astuator, just to just...
00:33:58
Speaker
Let people know where you begin and end and where you can not step over the line. It's really nice to be confident enough in yourself to be able to do that. And having a practice, um a spiritual one, that sort of backs that up and allows you to embrace that and to teach that to others is lovely.
00:34:16
Speaker
I found that really imp empowering and really comforting. to know that you can give that to other people. It must be quite hard when you get criticism because you're on such a public platform now.
00:34:28
Speaker
I mean, do you find witchcraft helps you deal with that better? No, I wouldn't say so. No, it must be hard. To be honest, it's not hard. Like ah I've got, what have I got? 25,000 followers or something on Instagram now.
00:34:44
Speaker
And like my phone just blows up every single day. I didn't realise how much attention you would get. when you start getting traction. I found being perceived is hard. Like sometimes you just don't want people to look at you or know who you are and you want to just crawl in a hole and pretend you don't exist. And those days are hard when you have to sort of be present for your art form and keep it going. Because in this day and age, you do have to post up and you do have to be in everybody's face all the time.
00:35:13
Speaker
ah feel like that is an important thing to do. if you want to get your art form out there. But for me, I haven't had much negativity at all. I'm really actually surprised the other way.
00:35:24
Speaker
I've had so many lovely encounters with lovely like-minded people. I think I've had three trolls and they've been the best trolls of my life. Like, I'll tell you one. I actually really love trolls. Now I'm going to get millions. but You are, yeah.
00:35:38
Speaker
I cut me hair, right? You know, me knew and you. Not each other's hair. No, I'm not that close to you. But cut our own hair. And ah someone, I nearly died laughing.
00:35:50
Speaker
Somebody just was like, what in the Oliver Tree is this? What in the Oliver Tree? you know who Oliver Tree is? Right. Well, after this podcast, you need to go and Google Oliver Tree and you will find that it is a man, but it's me.
00:36:04
Speaker
And he's got a bald haircut and he's like, and it's just really funny. And it was the best troll I've ever had in my life. My pagan mind was like, olive tree. course it was. Why not olive tree? And I was like, oh, that's quite nice. That's quite nice. Olive oil is good for you.
00:36:20
Speaker
ah no, it's nice to hear you've had nice, lovely things come you. Yeah, I've had more acceptance now in this day and age than I ever have in my life. And I think it comes with not being scared to just be like, this is me, like, just love it or hate it. I'm just going to do it anyway. Yeah.
00:36:38
Speaker
And I think people more people find that endearing and more people want to be like that and so they want to be your friend instead of the other way. Yeah, it's because you're authentic as well. People know, they can sense it. the Yeah, the bullshit detectors are strong, man. They are. The force is strong.
00:36:56
Speaker
So when you go on stage, is that hard to deal with? Nah, I love it. My favourite thing is like waiting to go on stage like five minutes before performance a performance. I wish I could bottle that feeling and put it like for when I was feeling shit because it's just so good.
00:37:12
Speaker
I can't describe it apart from being terrified. but also so excited. And and I think they're the same feeling, but the fact that you don't know which one it is makes it even more buzzy, if you know what I mean. Yeah.
00:37:26
Speaker
You know what reminds me of? When you're waiting for a roller coaster, you know, when you're the kid. Oh, my God, yeah. I bet it's just like that. Like, I'm scared, I'm scared, but I can't wait. I'm scared, I'm scared, but I can't wait. Yeah, exactly. And it's like when you come off stage, it's like not dead stoked. Like, oh, my God, I've just done that.
00:37:42
Speaker
I have just been part of something that is really unique someone has had an experience because we have just did this performance and we will be burned into the whole of the audience's memory for a long time because of what we just did and the comments we get after shows are wild they just get more and more more and more profound i find the more I do it for example someone said to us You're purely divine, but also slightly terrifying.
00:38:13
Speaker
ah I love that. I'll put that in my bio. Thanks, hun. Don't know who are, but thank you. Famous quote. Yeah. like And people really get what we've been talking about, about being connected and about it being sort of a sacred experience for me and for everyone in my band and for everyone who's listening at the time. It's a really...
00:38:35
Speaker
sacred exchange I think of energy that you don't get all the time it's special because the music is made from inspiration from the land from my connection with nature from paganism from animism from every book I've ever read about trees you know what mean like all of this goes into the music and you can give it to people in an energy exchange and I think people get that but they can't put it into words so when they try it's funny it comes out like you're purely divine but you're also terrifying you know what I mean I love it but I love doing gigs because afterwards it's like you're so on a high aren't you from connection of vibe special isn't it and it must be a right witchy bunch now all your fans oh we've got a good cohort of like pixies that follow us about like but I was saying to John
00:39:24
Speaker
my other half, and he's also the drummer and the guitarist in the band. Not at the same time, but he's jamming and doing everything. Hell, the only other the time people congregate in such mass is for, like, sport or to go a church.
00:39:39
Speaker
Definitely music, for a positive reason. Everybody gathers, and I feel like it is definitely, like, a different kind of worship, a different kind of spiritual experience.
00:39:50
Speaker
People just don't realise it. I want to go to a concert now. Well, come to mind for free. Come on now. Oh, yes, it's going to happen. One day it's got you. Where are you based then? Where are you? I'm in Leeds. You've just been, haven't you?
00:40:03
Speaker
I've just been. I'll come back. Next time I'm in Leeds, I'll text you. This is where I had to have a word of myself to try and be cool because Shannon Perler just invited me to one of her concerts.
00:40:15
Speaker
I'm not showing off or anything, but yeah, I love podcasting.
Songwriting Process and Favorite Songs
00:40:19
Speaker
Anyway, back to the interview. Do you have any rituals before on stage?
00:40:26
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I have my own little ones. And then I make the band. I force the band. I was like, if you're going to be in this band, you've got to do witchy shit before we go on stage, right? My ritual is the getting ready.
00:40:39
Speaker
I love routine. If I don't have my getting ready routine, I feel really off kilter and I can't even deal with it. So I spend a long time... with costumes i don't know if you've seen any of the pictures of what i wear i have yeah like it's something more intricate than others but i um do put a lot of effort into my makeup and things i wear a lot of white eyeliner in different ways on my face and every time i'm painting that on it's like a ritual it's like a meditation almost because you have to be very concentrating when you're doing it you have to be careful not to put it in your eye for example
00:41:12
Speaker
And when you're drawing intricate patterns, the patterns are normally symbols, they're normally runes, they're normally mean something. So to me, if I do one wrong, that's like a bad omen. So I have to be in the zone. I have to do it really well just to feel good before a performance. So that's one of my rituals.
00:41:32
Speaker
The other one is sometimes if it's a big gig or a really important gig, I get everyone to just do a little bit of mindfulness and we'll put a bit incense on backstage.
00:41:43
Speaker
We all have a bit of a moment. I do a little guided meditation and then we're like ready to go, like just with the team who's backstage. So we've only done that twice because we felt like we needed to, but it's lovely to be able to share that with my bandmates.
00:41:57
Speaker
We all did a bit of collective manifestation tonight, which is nice in our different houses. Yeah, we all, for the moon, we decided we're going to we want to do a little bit of collective manifestation.
00:42:08
Speaker
So it's lovely to be able to do that with everyone. it It feels more powerful when you do it with people. Yeah. I love that you you do runes, I guess, like sigils in your eyeliner.
00:42:19
Speaker
Oh, my God. I need to do that. That is fantastic. Do it. It's so powerful. Yeah. love sigils. favorite one is a spiral I love to draw a spiral right in the middle of my forehead like ah ah it could be giant or can be little and I always draw a spiral on my hand and to me that represents the sacred womb of the earth so you come out from the the womb and that's your journey of your life coming out of the spiral and then when you die you go back in to the womb of life so it's like death and rebirth and it's the labyrinth
00:42:50
Speaker
of your mind it's the labyrinth of finding out what path is yours it's sort of a journey so i like to have a spiral on us somewhere to remember that i'm on my journey i'm somewhere along the way and i just need to take everything as it comes oh i love that on any hand it's usually my left one because i draw with my right gonna say yeah and it's really hard to do it on the other hand it was like yeah it's awful do you have any rituals for writing as well?
00:43:19
Speaker
Writing music? Oh my God, yeah. Everything's a bloody ritual in a ceremony with Mayman. You did say that earlier on, actually. Yeah, so the best way I've found that I like to write songs is by putting a circle of light. So I like to have lovely light.
00:43:36
Speaker
If I don't have nice light, I can't write. So I usually write the most in the autumn because it's dark and I can curate what light's or around my house. So I'll put a circle of light and I'll sit in the middle of the circle and I'll have me loop pedals in front of us and a notebook. And I usually make songs by creating the sounds of each instrument with my voice on my loop pedal.
00:43:59
Speaker
So I'll just do like the bass line first and the drum second, and then I've got a groove and then I'll make some noises that might be a violin and Possibly do like a guitar solo with my voice because I can make it sound like a guitar if I want to.
00:44:14
Speaker
And then I'll do lyrics and sort of layering of harmonies and then boom, you've got a song. And it's like, whoa. I always feel really inspired within circles and within light, like different vibey lights.
00:44:25
Speaker
And then I'll give that to the band and the band will be like, right, we'll make it real now because that is wild. It's like a beatboxing, isn't it? It It's really fun. It's a fun way of creating. haven't done it for a little while because it's been too bright.
00:44:38
Speaker
So I'm excited for it to hibernate and go inwards and see what I end up with next year in the form of material. Because you're dead busy, aren't you? You're on tour. Oh my God. So that's action and then your writing is the autumn winter. So that makes complete sense.
00:44:52
Speaker
Yeah, it's sort of going with the wheel of the year, but musically, ah try and stick to the cycles. There's there's one one song that listen to. Oh my gosh. Faith Faller. Faith Faller.
00:45:05
Speaker
fear feller when I heard that oh my gosh it was just like ah that's cloning singing to the trees is that what it is yeah yes so all each track has got a different name of a different tree and those songs I wrote spontaneously I sort of intuited them while I was out in the forest. So I didn't think about it. It wasn't preempted.
00:45:29
Speaker
ah literally touched each tree and sang a song. And that's what came out. And to me, I'm very touchy-feely person. What do you call it? It's not cla... What is it? Clairsensian.
00:45:40
Speaker
I don't know. It's something like that. But I get feelings from things and I get vibrations from things that turn into songs in my brain. Like, I don't know what happens. It's the sort of thing I don't quite understand, but I...
00:45:52
Speaker
can do it and so that's what that was i was sort of seeing what the tree was saying and then singing so that's where all of those tracks came from and they're only very short but they're really special i really love birch birch is my favorite one
00:46:32
Speaker
I find that just massive. I mean, like the tree gave you that song. That just incredible. Well, the thing is, none of my songs are by me. Like, I fully believe that I'm just a conduit to the universe. Like, I really don't think that I write things myself. It's obviously already existent and I just have the ability to pluck it out of the ether and make it into a physical thing because it needs to be in the world physically.
00:47:00
Speaker
So whatever ideas come through, i feel like, right, okay, I'll use it because it needs... to be out there otherwise it wouldn't have popped in my brain how am I going to write stuff and I feel like my songs are mint like I actually love listening to my own tunes because they're not even mine yeah they're from somewhere else and they carry a message that needs to be heard I think and that sounds mental to a lot of people but that is really how strongly and Seriously, i feel about it.
00:47:25
Speaker
I love it. Yeah, it just, oh my gosh, so my kind of music. I love it. Oh, I'm so glad you love it too. The best feeling ever is like talking to people who understand, understand.
00:47:36
Speaker
don't need us to explain it because we've already listened and we've already felt all of the feelings that was meant to be conveyed, if you know what I mean.
Musical Growth and Festival Excitement
00:47:43
Speaker
Yeah. I'm surprised it's taken me this long to discover you, to be honest.
00:47:48
Speaker
Have you got a favourite song then? Well, in general, have you got something that's like your highest standing out work? Or do you love them all differently? it's hard. It's really hard to choose.
00:47:58
Speaker
ah have a one that I love performing the most. I really love performing Celestial because that one was the most poignant song on the album for me because it was the first song I wrote for the album and it was also the quickest thing I've ever written in my life because it was totally downloaded from the universe in 15 minutes, fully formed.
00:48:20
Speaker
It was wild how that happened and I couldn't believe it. and couldn't believe how good it was. And John was like, what the hell, where did that come from? And like, I don't know. But then everyone loves it and I love it so much for that reason.
00:49:09
Speaker
You can have it all if you are willing Elemental forces, they are listening now
00:49:22
Speaker
Static in my head, you know harms me I just chewed right in and now you found me Information downloaded, it sounds me So when I perform it, I like to tell the story of how I was in my little circle of lights and this song just came to us out in nowhere and it's not even my song, but you're meant to hear it.
00:49:45
Speaker
And everyone really vibes with that. So I love Celestial for that reason.
00:50:09
Speaker
Your other stuff, like your blues stuff and that, is that available? So we still we still have ah covers band that we do occasional covers gigs with. And this is the one that we also have some blues original music with as well. It's called Yuma.
00:50:24
Speaker
And it's like the place in Arizona, like Y-U-M-A. Some people from the Northeast think it's Yamaha because they're bloody daft. Well, it's not. That's such an obvious thing to assume, yamma.
00:50:36
Speaker
Like, no. Yeah, you can listen to our stuff. It's still on there. We still love it. It's just baby Shannon. You can so totally tell that I'm so young when I'm singing. Like, my voice has matured so much. In a good way. Yeah. But I listen back to them songs and my lyrics...
00:50:52
Speaker
are still quite like spiritual and relevant to today and I'm really proud of that I think it's hard to write lyrics that can last through time and still be sort of relevant so well done baby me bless us have you got anything you'd like to add loads but I'll go on for a million years so I'll keep it short add it it's fine I just want To tell everyone what I'm up to and if anybody wants to join in because you know I'm always looking for new people to hang around with and being a pixie tribe.
00:51:22
Speaker
So if anybody wants to come to some festivals I'll tell you some that I'm playing. um I'm playing main stage Lindisfarne this year which is really good because Lindisfarne is the first festival I ever performed at.
00:51:36
Speaker
And they looked after us so well. And I was on the Viking Brewhouse stage the first time and I was terrified. And then I've evolved and now I'm playing main stage with my best band ever and I can't wait. And I'm going to put on such a stage show you don't even know.
00:51:49
Speaker
So if you want to see that and have a really nice weekend and I possibly might have a discount ticket link, then please do and DM me. Find me on Instagram at channelinthewild underscore underscarre i I'll give you a little Dizzy link.
00:52:04
Speaker
When is that? That one is in August, the beginning of August. Oh, okay. No, sorry, the end of August. That's me being daft. You're dead busy, aren't you? Dead busy. Well, I'm so busy, like, things fall out of my brain, you know, there's just too much.
00:52:17
Speaker
But in a good way, I'm so happy we're so busy because it means, like, we can do more of what we love. Like, I've dropped a day at work because ah can do more of this, like, and It's starting to get where I might be able to pay the bills in a minute with it.
00:52:33
Speaker
And that's like goals. Like i've been trying to do that for years. I know. I'm buzzing. Is your other half witchy? My other half? John?
00:52:45
Speaker
Well, no, it's funny because witchy people always end up with like scientific people and I don't know why but Johnny is he's coming around he's coming around oh that's good yeah mine is also not witchy at all really it's funny isn't it I think you need I think it's purposeful you need the balance don't you because you know without them I'd probably I'd probably be too well too woo woo to function so he like keeps us grounded he's like think about it for a minute shall and Should you be doing that? That's what get. Should you be doing that? Is that a good idea? Do you really want to chop that bird skull off its spine or not?
00:53:21
Speaker
That was what he said it was the other day. He was like, that's horchum. Do you really want to? Are you going to? Really? And I was like, shut up. It'll look good in me little cabinet of curiosities, lad. And I left an offering in return.
Ghostly Encounters and Mystical Stories
00:53:32
Speaker
Oh, you're all right then.
00:53:33
Speaker
You're covered. Exactly. Gigs I've got coming up, I really want to to mention a few of them. I'm playing Forgotten Lands Festival in Bewcastle. And if you don't know where Bewcastle is, it's like in Cumbria, but it's on borders with Scotland.
00:53:46
Speaker
So it used to be called the Debatable Lands because that land has been fought over by Englishmen and Scotsmen for centuries. So there's loads of folklore and loads of like stories rooted in that land. And it's so cool to be able to sing my songs, which are really inspired by said folklore and said stories.
00:54:05
Speaker
in the place where they're inspired from. So I'm really excited on the 25th of May to be playing Forgotten Lands Festival. It's a little small festival, but there's some unreal, like really folk down earth acts that I think people need to know about. So go and have a look on their website.
00:54:21
Speaker
As well, we are playing Northern King Festival on the 1st of August. That's going to be so good. Can't wait for that. I'm playing the Three Wishes Fairy Festival in Glastonbury. So I'm going to be prancing about like a fairy. No, I can't wait.
00:54:38
Speaker
It's not on Glastonbury, like not in Glastonbury the festival, it's in Glastonbury the place. And it's on the 3rd of August, so our catch is all there. I'm really excited for that.
00:54:49
Speaker
Where else are we playing? We're playing Brewridge Bay Festival, which I can't wait for. That's going to be so good. And we've just played yesterday, were performed at Sun Plugged, which is The first festival that I've headlined in my hometown.
00:55:03
Speaker
And for a long time, I felt really sort of out of place where I live because I'm really Macam. I am like the most Macam person. But I've never felt like musically like I've belonged because everybody here really likes indie music and it's very indie vibe everywhere go.
00:55:20
Speaker
And so Witch Pop and Woo Woo is just like people go... What? Or they just don't listen to it at all and they don't know what you mean? I've always felt a bit out of place, but yesterday we performed at Sun Plugged and it was unreal. Like, we created this little...
00:55:35
Speaker
bubble of like magical environment and everyone was so in it and everyone joined in and was so like buzzing I couldn't believe it so I feel really accepted by my people now by your people yeah my hometown people actually have come round to Witch Pop which is really nice and the fun thing is that pub me Nana Connie and my granddad Bob used to have that pub when I was little so I used to sort of sleep over there loads and the room where we played was actually their bedroom at one point so it was really weird to do a gig in my granddad's bedroom and it's haunted course it's all the ghosts were there and it was really nice to visit them again they were loving it they must have been buzzing because have you seen any ghosts oh god you quite open to all that
00:56:23
Speaker
It makes us ill, but yeah, I'm sad. That makes you ill? Yeah, I'm scared. Are you not scared? I'm scared of it. No, I love it. I'm scared of, like, you? Yeah, yeah. I've had a couple of unnerving experiences. I used to work at Sunderland Empire, which is a very, very old building.
00:56:39
Speaker
I worked in the Ambassador's Lounge, which was sort of a mezzanine floor in the middle of all the other floors. It was like a VIP place. and um there was only 30 people could get into this little bar, but it used to be the bar belonging to a woman called Vesta Tilly, in 1901 or 2, or something like that, so a long time ago, but she apparently was a legend, and she was like one of the first females to dress as a man on stage, and like they do like her act in men's clothes, and stuff, she was like really out there for her time, anyway apparently one day she went
00:57:14
Speaker
out and didn't come back and people have speculated why she didn't return for ages but she disappeared didn't come back so a ghost now haunts that room that where i used to work apparently so i'm like this is about 12 years where probably more 12 year ago now I was at work in this little lounge and I had a cupboard at the bottom of the room. It was only a room about the size of somebody's living room. It wasn't that big.
00:57:40
Speaker
And I was making provisions for the people coming back for the half-time break and I heard crying. so I was like, oh no, somebody's kid has been like trapped in a fire exit or something. like I was looking all over for this kid crying.
00:57:54
Speaker
And I went down to the bottom of the fire exit stairs. Nobody there. Looked in my cupboards. I had a wardrobe at the time where you keep cloaks. And I thought somebody might be stuck in there. Couldn't find where this crime was coming from.
00:58:06
Speaker
And then I went to the bottom of the room where my drinks closet was. And it was coming out of there. But when I got next to the door, it stopped. And I was like, me hairs on the back neck went a bit weird.
00:58:18
Speaker
And so I knocked on and I was like, is there anybody in? And nobody answered. And I was really scared to open the door. Like I was thinking, what if it's a person or it can't be a person because they would answered us.
00:58:29
Speaker
I had a radio on at the time and I radioed my boss and I was like, um can you come, can you come down here? Because i I don't want to open this door. And I'm a bit freaked out. I don't know if it's a person or what. So he was like, God, right. Oh, I'm coming.
00:58:42
Speaker
and And the crying continued until he got there. And I'm like, talking to the door as if it's a person and nobody's answering the crying's just continuing and um he came he heard it and he was like what the hell and i was like i know and he opened he had to put the key in to unlock it and opened it and there was nobody there and the crying stopped as soon as he opened the door and it just freaked us out so much i was like what the hell that's so strange because i checked everywhere to make sure like nothing else could have been making this noise that wild oh my gosh that's that's not even the worst one from that place because you know how
00:59:17
Speaker
Theatres have different levels. So the upper circle was where I would get posted quite a lot. And there toilets on the upper circle. But bearing in mind, like, it's a really old building and you have to go up all the stairs because there's no lifts or anything. So I'd be standing there, sure would finish. Everybody was going. But before everybody left, you had to, like, pick up all the rubbish and then you had to, like, check no more was in the toilet before we went home.
00:59:39
Speaker
So I was waiting because someone was in the toilet. And this is like nearly half ten, eleven o'clock at night. So everyone wants to go home. No one wants to be sitting there. And me, definitely not. I wanted to go to bed.
00:59:50
Speaker
So I'm waiting in for this woman to like come out the loo. Somebody walks out. So I goes and does another check. But there's still someone sitting on the loo with the door shut. I could see the feet and stuff underneath. So I come back out and I'm waiting here.
01:00:01
Speaker
And it gets to like eleven o'clock. Five past eleven. Ten past eleven. And I'm like what the fuck is going on? So I just opened the door and I was like, hiya, just to let you know, like, we're closing, you're going to have to make your way out as soon as you can.
01:00:13
Speaker
Nobody answered. And people are on the radio are going, Shannon, will you hurry up? Like, what you doing? Why are you taking ages? And um I was like, oh, there's just someone in the toilet. And when I went in, pushed the door open. There was nobody there.
01:00:25
Speaker
But I saw the feet. You the feet, yeah. And there weren't, like... The thing is, you would think if you saw a ghost, it would be, like, old-fashioned. It wasn't. It was just, like, a little nana's feet, like anyone's nana now, nowadays.
01:00:38
Speaker
Just some little sort of Velcro shoes. Oh my God. And I could bet like a million quid that someone would be in the toilet and I pushed the door.
01:00:49
Speaker
And honestly, I didn't work on up circle ever again. But yeah. That's So believe something's going on. i don't know what it is, but it gives us the spooks. I love the spooks. I love them.
01:01:00
Speaker
I think I saw a fairy once too. Oh, really? cryptid mate and John, and John is a science man, and he will vouch. If you need us to get him to vouch, I will get him.
01:01:11
Speaker
So this happened two years ago because we were playing our friend's wedding down south, so we went all the way to Devon to play our wedding because she had it in this beautiful Viking longhouse, right? It was the best thing ever.
01:01:23
Speaker
And we performed, and then we were going to sleep in our car because we just like absolute... loonies and just sleep anywhere on the floor in the car whatever we don't care as long as we get to go on our adventure so we're just finished and we're walking down this sort of mud track to go to our car to sleep and um there's one beam of light coming off like the shed behind us and it was dark we didn't have a torch so we were like relying on this beam of light didn't even think to put our phones on because we're daft but whatever we're walking there's a hedge about six foot on the left and a fence six foot on the right and the walkway could fit two people comfortably side by side walking right and a car could come up and down there was nobody else everyone was still partying in the longhouse but we were going to bed so in within the beam of this light i saw a frog and it went you know in wet mud if something sort of makes contact with the wet mud you'll hear the splat
01:02:14
Speaker
So it went splat splat and I love frogs so I seen this frog and I went to pick it up immediately. i was like a frog and both heard it go splat splat and it flew.
01:02:26
Speaker
shitty knot this massive frog flew it went up it was like in a split second it went splat splat like this in the air And like rustled the bush, you know, the bush on the left that I said earlier.
01:02:41
Speaker
it It was like up here in the bush, made a like rustling noise. And I was like, what the hell? And John was like, what was that? and i was like, I don't know. So here's me on my hands and knees in the mud raking to see if there's a frog.
01:02:51
Speaker
Right. And I mean, I was there about 10 minutes looking for whatever the hell it was. We couldn't believe it. Did it leave an imprint? It left frog marks and then it was gone. Oh my God.
01:03:03
Speaker
It was really confusing. But then, we funny thing, we rang John's dad, right? We were like, because he loves out like that. He's a proper, he loves haunted house stories and cryptids and all that. So I was like, Mike, we saw a fairy or something.
01:03:15
Speaker
And he's like, I know what it was because he obviously knows all of these things. He was like, that was a water leaper. So if you Google a water leaper, it looks like a frog with wings.
01:03:28
Speaker
I was like, how do you and know this? He's like, I read some books. And I was like, all right, okay. Did you hear it fly off? Did it like make wind noise? It made a flutter and it made a noise like a bird. It was splat, splat frog and then bird. I can't describe it any differently. It was weird. so It was so weird.
01:03:45
Speaker
But also magical, but also slightly terrifying. Oh, my God, that's so amazing. That's my favourite story. I love it. There's a podcast, actually. I think it's called Real Life Fairy. It's called Modern Fairy Sightings. Yeah. i love it. It is really good, isn't it? I want to go on it, so I don't forget my name, but if she wants to get us on, I'll tell you some stories.
01:04:06
Speaker
Yeah, as she will. She will. I'll nudge. Let's tag her. Tag her in the show. Tag her. Oh my gosh, what a fantastic way to end this lovely interview. Oh, thank you. there's nothing else, I mean, I'll tag all your website and stuff.
01:04:22
Speaker
I'll send you all the links for all the Raj stuff I talk about, yeah. Yeah, Raj. Thank you so much. What's Raj? Raj. Have you never heard Raj before? No, not in Yorkshire. It means like nuts, like out there. barmy.
01:04:41
Speaker
Barmy, aye, that's a good one. Like barmy, but Raj. And you'd normally say, like, if you were describing someone who was a bit nuts, you would say proper raj packet. Raj packet. What a raj packet she is, aye?
01:04:56
Speaker
You've learned a new phrase. A northern education here from two northern birds.
01:05:05
Speaker
You have been listening to the Bell Witch Podcast. Created with love and magic by me, Swales, the friendly green witch. I love to hear from you and I absolutely love, love, love, love to celebrate you.
01:05:19
Speaker
if you have a podcast or a business, a witchy business, a pagan related topic you love to talk about, you can reach me on the bell witch podcast at yahoo.com.
01:05:32
Speaker
dot com send me a trailer and i will absolutely play it because there is magic in sharing audiences amongst podcasts music by jeff harvey of pixabay the official bell witch photographer is the lovely beverly thornton thank you so much for choosing the bell witch podcast to fill your ears stay magical witches
01:06:44
Speaker
You can have it all if you are willing Elemental forces, they are listening now
01:06:57
Speaker
Static in my head, you know harms me I just chewed right in now you found me Information downloaded is
01:07:47
Speaker
Circles they surround me. Sea of knowledge, although I'm not drowning. High pitch frequency.
01:09:20
Speaker
you