Popular songs from 17th Century England and Scotland recontextualised by lutruwita / Tasmania’s musical historians.

Music can be as simple as a love song. But keep digging and you’ll find buried secrets, double meanings and encrypted emotions. In the 17th Century, songs concealed clandestine messages, spread political propaganda and revealed signs of witchcraft.

Cloak & Dagger sees Van Diemen’s Band time travel to 17th Century England and Scotland – an age of political turmoil, religious upheaval and social revolt.

In bawdy taverns they find hop-soaked protest songs; and in domestic manors, tightly-buttoned pop tunes designed to reinforce societal and gender norms. With Cloak & Dagger, Van Diemen’s Band recontextualises centuries-old music, finding relevance to today’s social and political climate.

Image by Albert Comper