Phil Tyler and Sarah Hill first met in Newcastle where they played in local folk nights and sang in Sacred Harp sessions, leading to Hill contributing vocals to a few songs on Tyler’s solo album We Sunk The Ship To Get Rid Of The Rats. Before Hill relocated to Brighton they recorded an album together, "What We Thought Was A Lake Was A Field Of Flax". The record is a mixture of songs they used to perform around the city and some others that they liked and worked well with their voices. The songs are primarily traditional, learned from versions by folk legends like Shirley Collins, Bob Copper, Martin Carthy and Peggy Seeger, although two – ‘Sweet Lemney’ and ‘Golden Lads’ – have tunes by Tyler, and the latter words from their mutual friend Jo Ellis.