A conversation with Giddens is like crossing a river: as with her music, it’s full of swift rushing thoughts and sudden, unexpected deepenings. In fact, there is something a little shamanistic about her ability to conjure the past and give it such vivid expression. Is she religious? “I consider myself a very spiritual person,” she ponders. “I feel like things move through me sometimes. There’s been so many terrible things done in the name of organised religion, but the spirit at the centre of them is beautiful.” Before we wade too vigorously towards the esoteric, I ask about the development of her career. She trained as an opera singer, but achieved recognition with the old-time string band, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, who formed after the first Black Banjo Gathering in 2005. Their 2010 album, Geniune Negro Jig, won best traditional folk album at that year’s Grammy’s. As black artists, they stood out in a genre which is still troublesomely caught up in Southern, Segregationist politics.