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Album/EP Reviews British Cabaret Energetic Folk Music Folk Stories Historical Myths Trad Covers

Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman – Personae (2018) Album Review

“Sharp, witty and accomplished there is a class to Roberts & Lakeman’s new album that cannot be measured on any known scientific apparatus”

Album: Personae

Producer: Sean Lakeman

Tracks: 10

Iscream Music Records (2018)

Released 9th March 2018

Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman are indeed a famous duo. Maybe the best known in folk circles due to the two well-deserved wins for “Best Duo” at the Radio 2 Folk Awards. People always presume that the difficulty in fame and music is in the ascent, but surely Lords and Ladies have the added pressure of walking their parapets safely once they have been built. Roberts and Lakeman haven’t  installed a hand rail on their high wall though to keep them safe however. They are still dancing, leaning over the outcrop, shouting to the crowd and having a regal ball in plain sight. Their new, fifth album “Personae” is an album of energy showing no lack of original ideas, adventure or showmanship in the realm of fantastical stories.

It all starts with the cover photograph (by Niki Bidgood) which is either an otherworldly rodeo or Roberts is performing a superhero feat of strength with her hips. It is warmly baffling, but in the best possible way. Perhaps as the album is called “personae” it is in the spirit of one “reining” in their outward appearance. The whole scene is like a painting where your eyes cannot be trusted- here you wonder if it is sea or land, it could be either. Whatever the intent, there is a lot of fun to be had here and this definitely spills over to the album. It spills over despite any attempt to keep it contained like a rainbow bucket filled with sparkles.

The CD starts with a belting version of Child Ballad 265, “The Knight’s Ghost”. The duo’s rendition makes it rather a favourite for ourselves. We love traditional and maintaining the way things have been; here the song isn’t just elaborated, it is upgraded.  Like most ballads the advice of the story inside is of mixed quality. It does remind how grief can make us take rash actions (as the main subject begins revenge against those that she thinks have done her husband harm) though maybe in everyday life we cannot rely on our late partner’s ghost pointing out our errors.  For an opener on an album it is a vivacious interpretation that benefits from clear guitar work and emotive, nuanced vocals. It is quite a powerhouse. Sam Kelly’s additional vocals are characterful and fitting. Overall when thinking of the track, going back to the comparison rodeos, this song is much like that the bucking animal who sprints out at the fire of the gun, it bucks and hops and is determined and fierce. A great opener.

Track 3 “Tribute of Hands” is an original fast-paced number that brings some more of the myth to the table. Inspired by the story of the founding of Antwerp the duo have managed to create something as bloodthirsty and grim as any song from the folk song canon, and it fits especially well. Along other tracks, It forms a  backbone of tracks about history; legends with a slight fairytale kick and mischievous attitude that give the CD a fantastical anchor. The woodwind in the middle ramps up the mystery and wonder, it is as much of the song as dry ice is in a Prince music video. It all works very well as it speeds along exuding charm. We need more fantastical stories of this kind being brought to life, though this might mean I would stop reading fairytales.

“The Street of the Cats Who Dance” is our favourite of the quintessential piano-led ballads on the album. At first we thought the song might refer to Istanbul which I believe is heavily linked with cats, but the song actually refers to St. Malo, a town in France. In history the governors had the idea of unleashing hungry dogs at night to enforce a curfew on wrongdoers. Night time curfews and nightwalking in history are fascinating reading (I have a great book to recommend on this), but this aside the cats are dancing because the dogs were eventually banned from being used in this way following a particularly gruesome death. The song is incredibly well mixed, Lakeman has created some good harmonies of Roberts’ voice which shines throughout. The song has stirrings of early Tori Amos which, in my opinion,  always gets the senses going. This is no Amos tribute though, it moves it’s feet to it’s own beat. It is hard to imagine who else would have the presence to take this song on in the future, but for now this is the least of our concerns.

 

There are many other fine tracks on the album. The vaudeville, “poison club” exemplifies the mischievousness, playful nature of two folk artists quite perfectly listing some of the best ways substances to have fun to (or die from). Their cover of Sandy Denny’s “Solo” is pure beautiful intention, and “Old, Old, Old” (about a Seychelles tortoise) could be part of a growing tradition of the duo pointing out remarkable creatures  in the world around us. Throughout Lakeman doesn’t miss a beat in the instrumentation. It is a credit to his mixing that the weapon of choice on whatever song he is performing on sounds more like a pumped-up army as opposed to a single man, the depth across the disc even on more poignant numbers like “Independence” is breathtaking.

We cannot fault this album. The disc is thoroughly entertaining diving right in and waving to the crowd; it is a work that will be spinning in our music player for periods of time not yet anticipated. For any sci-fi fans it is fairytale in a similar way to Matt Smith’s run on Doctor Who with it’s kind of cool, slightly unusual but prestigious appearance.

Another way to understand the value of this album is to imagine that in the depths of Winter you were cold and someone recommended you buy this disc because it would keep you warm. You might don your pickaxe and hard hat to go down the mine in preparation for finding some coal, but what you would find  instead is a cave of diamonds from floor to ceiling that shine in the dim amber light of your torch. Take the bag that is your heart and fill it to the top.

Which is just as well because energy prices are going through the roof.

“Personae” is best ordered direct from Roberts & Lakeman at: https://www.kathrynrobertsandseanlakeman.com/

My other half recently interviewed the duo, find out their favourite poisons here, http://www.lastnightidreamtof.co.uk/music/kathryn-roberts-and-sean-lakeman-interview/

(I do not claim ownership of pictures and media referenced in this article, they belong to their respective holders).

Categories
Album/EP Reviews Folk Music Modern Arrangement Trad Covers Traditional Vitality

Peter Knight’s Gigspanner “The Wife of Urban Law” Review

“An album that greets old friends with a warm handshake which has arrived with a zest for life and a sense of adventure”   

Picking up Peter Knight’s Gigspanner’s “The Wife of Urban Law” you might think that the soul of this disc is wrapped up warm in a coat of high reputation. Like a naughty child with a spoon of sugar, the character of sweetness must be coated on the tongue of every person whose ever heard of Peter Knight as they will make the assumption that there will be fiddle and it will be as luscious as condensed milk… and you would be right. But fiddle alone does not necessary dictate the character of an album and here the excellent efforts of Roger Flack (Guitar/Bass/Vocals), and Sacha Trochet (Percussion, Bass, Vocals) also contribute to the full flavor that rests within this metal disc.

The album is quite distinctive in appearance. With some of the brightest colours and blend of photography and artwork, it is somehow spectral without being one iota dismal or dark. A bit like a hybrid of the “found footage” technique of films and a hyper-fantasy style, the album cover is both powerfully real and imaginary. It is beautiful and eerie and brings to mind the incredible cinematography of James Hawkinson (Hannibal) with it’s accomplished modern style. Credit to all involved Tim Marris, Kate Stretton (artwork) and Captblack76 (123rf.com photography) this is a fine piece of design.

In fact track 4, “Lament for the Wife of Urban Law” conceptually and in delivery matches the artwork aesthetic faultlessly. Ethereal and stirring the instruments are almost shred the heart and soul and leave sadness out in plain sight. An instrumental that aims high and delivers higher, playing this late at night with the lights out might make you think that the dark has a character manifest. Executed wonderfully, it is our favourite track on the disc.

The whole work could be considered a bit of a “best of” classic folk tunes recognizable to anyone whose walked into a gathering of people cheering for murder ballads and felt a kinship,  but what makes Gigspanner’s  album particularly good is the manner in which it is presented.  The album displays some interesting diversions along the ways, it is sprinkled with an exotic arrangement that gives the whole thing a kick. The drumming is golden turmeric, a scattering of spice and the venture in full is like a bunch of English Folk Songs who have gone on an expedition in their youth and come back older and wiser with a bunch of tattoos and stories about close run-ins with crocodiles and other wild beasts. It is all the better for it, there are many sonic layers that are incredibly pleasing, the mixing is top notch and the CD is evidence of seasoned minds at good work.

Their version of “Green Gravel” reflects the dark origins and subtext of the children’s playground game quite well. Through the bass and percussion that thumps it marches alongside exploratory strings and we get a rather sad affair that brings the urban to stories of the countryside and graves.  Knight’s voice captures a weariness and futility rather than outright doom but along with the harmonies provides more levity than you might initially think a song such as this could have.

“Bold Riley” is a like a proud pony clopping on the cobbled street. As with all of the well-known folk songs on this album, Gigspanner bring something different to the song. In the middle, Gigspanner bring an urgent and pressing fiddle (perhaps this is a pony who has bolted) that warns of ill tidings. Maybe it is the tumultuous storm at sea or possibly the anxiety of the sailor’s wives at looking their best for “White Stocking Day”, either way it adds a great deal. Coming back to the cinema imagery, this instrumental middle (and others on the disc) add a certain touch of class a bit like the “Gongman”at the beginning of a film you know is going to be some epic, biblical Charlton Heston affair.

“Penny the Hero”, a newer track (renamed and continued from the Steeleye Span version “Seagulls”) is as the name suggests a feathery, floating number that charts a kind of love-hate relationship with the game of “shove penny.” The mandolin is clear and fast, the acoustic mastery on the number is second to none; it is a joyful addition to proceedings.

There is plenty more to enjoy on Gigspanner’s latest entry, it would a shame to spoil it for you. “The Wife of Urban Law” is a fine collection and a playbook in how to reinterpret, deeply understand and make one’s mark on a body of familiar folk songs.

If you wish to buy the album or find out more; check out the bands page, http://www.gigspanner.com/shop.html

Here is a sample for any who are still unbelievers.

 

Categories
Acoustic Album/EP Reviews Blues Folk Music Trad Covers

Bella Gaffney- Heaven Knows – Album Review

Album: Heaven Knows

With:  Bella Gaffney (Vocals and guitars, concertina, and more)

             Lauren Deakin Davies (Bass guitar, keys and percussion)

             Nick Hall (Backing vocals and lead guitar)

             Tim Spencer (Drums)

             Chris Elliott (Fiddle)

            Heather Sirret (Bass Guitar)

            James Gaffney (Piano)

Tracks: 11

Produced by: Lauren Deakin Davies

FOLKSTOCK RECORDS – Released July 2017

 

“A folk-blues charmer of an album, Heaven Knows is the wonder of biting into a Wispa and realising it’s a Wispa Gold”

 

PICK OF THE ALBUM: “Grandma’s House”

From the expertise of Folkstock Records and wordful mind Bella Gaffney comes a new album of acoustic delight. The joy of Folkstock is that it is rather skilled at representing an awesome range of female (and sometimes male) voices to the folk world and recognising artist talent that others might miss. Not only this, they work with these artists to bring the magic out and in doing so promote musicians with a unique sparkle that doesn’t follow a prescribed definition of folk music. Gaffney certainly has her own shine; if she was coming to your party she would wear her folk music like a bright and colourful flower on her shirt but not without a cool, slightly worn Blues Brothers trilby too. These images and sounds compliment better than the description might make out, they certainly do in her song style.

Bella can be found somewhere between Bradford and York though this year she has been on a well-received tour of clubs and festivals (we had the pleasure of seeing her in Hebden Bridge in 2017). As an artist on a journey, how was her album release?

“Heaven Knows” is not only a crisp, veritable slice of humble and capable songwriting; it serves as a reminder that  unlike the cooking of al-dente spaghetti, everything doesn’t have to be thrown at the kitchen tiles (recording process)  in an attempt to make something stick (in that time honoured way I was taught to cook pasta). On paper there are a lot of instruments here ranging from concertina to fiddle, bass guitar, piano and more but everything is in it’s right place. It is the difference between putting a seashell to your ear to hear the sea and sitting in a Ferrari with the sounds of waves vol 2 playing through the stereo at max. There is a conciseness to the selection of instruments, it is beautifully orderly like the musical equivalent of the KonMarie Method.

Looking at the tracks there is joy all around and, like the best cheeseboard, enough variety to mean you are not leaving your seat anytime soon.

“I am the tide” (Track 2) and track 3, “After the fall” are in the order they are a rather neat set of stages in a relationships: adoration (track 2), and then a break-up number (track 3). “I am the tide” is a self-proclaimed love song with a “big folk ballad feel.” This is definitely not far off the mark. Starting gentle like lapping waves at the shore there is a folky-ache in Gaffney proclamations that strikes like an aggravated cobra as she hangs on the words .”After the fall” is even better. It has some notably refined lyrics as Gaffney laments and expresses several cutting metaphors of disappointment, “strip me down, use me up, wash me clean, with your tears from the flood.” The guitar cuts down like sheets of rain in the storm of this track, the voice rises like dry ice. Another good song.

When it comes to covers, Gaffney’s version of “Cocaine” is as dedicated, characterful and hazy a cover that can be asked for. It is dark Americana in a disused alleyway, it is a sharp intake of breath contrasted with the frosty exhalation of winter air during the late end of Autumn. The song is what it says on the tin, the thought and experience of the drug,”cocaine is all running round my brain.” More lingering than John Martyn’s original it has a slower bite. It deservedly calls for your attention with it’s minor harmony creating a nice accompany to the main singer’s smouldering dark lullaby and a tragic but addictive tone. Gaffney has embraced the song and the era bringing all the delightful wonders of the age with her, her voice shines as it rises and falls in a marvellous addition to the album.

“Grandma’s House” is not alone on the CD in being a relatively quiet and introspective powerhouse of a song. It is based on the true life story heart-warming tale of a grandmother in Greece who takes in a whole family of refugees who don’t speak her language. It is a great song on many levels, the addition of concertina, low backing vocals and some fiddle alongside Gaffney’s venerating and sweet voice builds a picture of a song of pure empathy and power. This kind of songwriting reminds of the best of other artists like Louise Jordan and her recent World War concept album. As Jordan does, Gaffney celebrates kindness in a hallowed, rich hush that many artists strive for and she hits on the head. This is quite possibly the best song on the album with it’s ability to paint a picture of the coast, it’s heart-wrenching fiddle work and ability to replay through your brain through your working day. A very good track.

Out of the ten tracks on the album, for us the only track that doesn’t shine as much as the others for us is Gaffney’s version of “Gallows Pole.” It has her signature thoughtful approach and is sung well (Gaffney’s voice doesn’t faulter at all through the life of the disc). It’s stylings are closer the more modern Willie Watson’s version rather than Odetta or the rockier Led Zeppelin cover leaving it with a less pacey and urgent character than we prefer on this track. It has some measure of reflection to it, it just doesn’t quite hit the mark though I have heard her sing this very, very well live. As well, if it did resemble a hard rock track it would be out of place amongst

It is a lean album. It is muscled like Mo Farah rather than Charles Atlas as the CD definitely is geared for distance rather than brute strength and there are some fine tracks on the CD. Gaffney has some good songwriting skills that she brings to the table here. She makes it look easy as she does her sprint for glory following an excellent year of songwriting and performance, as a growing recognised artist she is certainly coming into her own.

Check out Bella’s website to have a little listen to some of the tracks here, or check out the sample video below!

The CD is available to buy from Folkstock Records here.

 

Categories
Album/EP Reviews baroque British Debut Energetic Folk Music Historical Trad Covers Traditional Vitality

The Twisted Twenty (Debut Album) Review

THE TWISTED TWENTY

From: Penny Fiddle Records

Tracks: 8

With: Holly Harman (baroque violin, vocals), Alexis Bennett (baroque violin, guitar, bodhran, electronics), James O’Toole, David Rabinovici (baroque violin), Ewan Macdonald (Cittern), Lucia Capellaro (baroque cello), Carina Cosgrave (baroque double bass

Producer: Sam Proctor

 

Zesty yet focused, the Twisted Twenty’s Debut is a fantastic window to the Baroque era that you don’t want to close.

As bright and bold as the assorted splashes on their front cover, “The Twisted Twenty” arrive with their baroque-character instruments and are on a mission  to bring back 17th and 18th Century folk melodies (but were they ever truly out?)

Launched early in the year, their self-titled debut album does indeed deliver on this mission, and it does in the form of a mostly instrumental warm brew that shares a rather rich concoction of strings, other instruments and a scattering of almost marshmallow vocals. Whilst I can fantasise about hot chocolate, I am saying this from the cold, steadfast shell of Autumn, but the album is quite firmly a Spring album (it did come out in April).

It could be the image of spirals of hay and scattering straw with the welcome lightness of touch of Ruidleadh mo Nighean Donn – Cuir I Gluin Air a Bodach which seems to be capturing rays as it plays or the slightly mischievous and joyful collection of instruments of Track 1, The Ragged Sailor Set in all of it’s sparky, plucky energy; there is a good sense of fun which plays throughout the disc. The mixing is top notch, unlike Morecambe and Wise in some well-resourced sketch, you never feel that an instrument is jostling for the limelight, the cello and double bass do not announce their arrival and refuse to sit down; it all works together very well indeed.

 

SONY DSC

There is a lot to like, the regality of James Oswald’s, The Banks of Forth/She’s Sweetest When She’s Naked is intriguing. Their take on Arthur McBride is a gently moving, and rather earthy as the focus is drawn to the larger stringed instruments. The base is a quiet shudder, maybe the earth giving way for a seedling to grow. When he hear some traditional song lyrics such as those for The Three Ravens, we are not disappointed. Holly Harman’s voice reaches with a kind of sadness and fitting lament of the said ravens in the story who are eyeing a potential meal that ultimately they do not get.. The melody has a cool, sparseness like the chilled intake of breath before Three Good Fellows the following track which is a short but exuberant number is tailed by a stocky, gallant bodhran that gives it a definite kind of kick.

Everything is in it’s right place and this album is a great introduction to this period of history. Fresh and restless it is a dog’s bright keen eyes to it’s walking lead, one cannot deny the confidence that the Twisted Twenty walk in with here. For a man who likes his vocals and lyrics, The Twisted Twenty sit up there with Leveret at the few predominantly instrumental groups who I like to listen to, and when they do tackle lyrics it is as glorious as a dancing cat.

Check out the Twisted Twenty’s webpage, it is cool and puts mine to shame! There are some samples there https://www.thetwistedtwenty.com/

The best place to buy their album is from the Bandcamp page here, https://thetwistedtwenty.bandcamp.com/album/the-twisted-twenty

 

If this does not sway you, check out the video below:

 

 

 

Categories
Album/EP Reviews British Energetic Trad Covers

Kim Lowings and the Greenwood – Wild & Wicked Youth – A Review

FANCOURT MUSIC

Album Release: 8 September 2017

I continue to wade through folk CD reviews as there are many.

The next artist I would like to talk about is Kim Lowings and the Greenwood and their release “Wild & Wicked Youth.”

Let me just say to start and paint a picture; Kim Lowings has a great folk song voice. Somewhat Traditional yet quite invigorating her confidence has come a long way in recent years and after a few years of paying in she is cashing in and sounds exquisite (unlike pensions funds). With this experience she seems to be building a committed and loyal following on the road, but then as a fellow Midlander I will of course hold a little bias.

Even though I live in South Yorkshire, I more a Midlander than a part of the scenery in Yorkshire. After all, I lived for quite a while in Worcestershire in my youth, and well.. lets be fair.. I can’t be considered a Yorkshireman until I’ve lived in Sheffield for a hundred years, have donned (more) tweed and participated in the Henderson’s Relish Ritual.. and even then they might stop me at the last moment for refusing to call a bread roll what it is. But, bias aside, Kim Lowings has created and participated something rather good here. In a straight-talking and melodic fashion, she has brought an album of unpretentious joy with a “logwood pile” sturdiness that has folk at it’s heart. If indeed it has folk at heart, it has got some powerful arteries to pump around the lifeblood of this album.

After all, it is an energetic one. The album isn’t running at breakneck speed, but it powers through like a well-tuned engine in the hands of a professional. I particularly love the sound production on this album as Dave Draper has managed to preserve the lyrics at forefront in all their clarity but there is no neglect of the full instrumental picture. Just as the high rising tide of the sea is nothing without the sound of it hitting and chopping the shore, the deeply pleasant double-bass, percussion and strings crash together like the turning of Poseidon’s right hand and sound delightful. The band consisting of Kim Lowings, Andrew Lowings (guitar, bouzouki, bodhran, backing), Dave Sutherland (double bass, backing), Tim Rogers (Cajon, percussion, drum kit) and guests Lewis Jones, Shannon Johnson and Ami Opprenova have taken this sound mix to more than a handful of traditional songs and added something rather spicy to the musical stew.

Quite tricky, and quite risky as fans of the trad don’t always like things being changed about or altered, but folk music to me is essentially adding, taking away and reinterpreting what has gone before. This album does do it incredibly well too, the songs within are strongly recognisable, Lowings et al have done more than retain the essence of the songs. If we consider it like adding cheese to a mashed potato (pretty delicious), the original is not lost; there is just something else in the mix (and the naysayer who disapproves has probably added it in other potato pie contexts). As we shall see of the songs there is a lot of substance and a lot to enjoy. On a side note the photography on this album (Miss Whittington’s Photography) will be identifiable to many folk listeners in style. This is because it’s fantastic, powerful, mythological and intriguing all at once. But what of the music?

Lowings does not hang about on this disc. The opener “In Spirit” is rather raucously pop though decidedly folk in it’s themes of the ocean and natural environment. Tinged with mythology  she has (as she has done later too) mixed the two genres as effectively as one the colours on a fiendish Rubiks Cube. A good indicator for things to come, Lowings voice starts and deliciously hangs on the words, like dropping brown sugar cubes into a a sensuous, fresh coffee. Then the song takes on an unexpected bounce, the potential for the solemn becomes a determined pop hook with incredible punch, imagine a cat dancing around as milk is poured into it’s saucer. Drums hotly pepper the song as she sings about “Daniel the fisherman”, with a deft lightness of touch “My heart belongs on land, my soul longs for the sea.” No dirges or naval curses here.

Like the previously entry by Kim and the Greenwood “Historia”, I find these artists they have a certain mutant superpower for doing full-throated, unafraid, and self assured versions of well known songs from yore. On “Historia” there was a simplicity and honesty to Lowing’s version of “Dark-Eyed Sailor” but here instead we get a knee-slapping, barn-on-fire take of “The Cuckoo.” Don’t get me wrong, I love the more stripped back Mountain versions of this song (and particularly like the Rheinghans Sisters’ take), but unlike the drive for technical beauty of the former, Lowings is the fun and tumble companion, crooning away with the energy of a woman possessed, and possibly on a good roll of poker cards.

The band also (aptly as we are near Halloween) attempt one of the more gruesome, spooky versions of Two Sisters, “Oh the Wind and Rain.” Complete with dark story and a fiddler who a bit short of cash, we learn how following murder he decides to make a violin out of the main subject’s bones and hair (I haven’t got to this point yet myself, I must add). Lowings’ enjoys herself on this track and it does that fantastic phenomenon of folk where the assuring, light and chipper number stands at an equal contrast to the grim meaning and content of the lyrics. Quite strong and authoritative, especially on the anthem-like chorus there is also an great aura of emotion in her voice. There are many other moments of joy too on the album.

Lowing’s take on, “Away ye Merry Lassies” (a song about witches just on a night out, not doing any evil stuff) is pretty solid and joyous as it goes. On listen you get images of how (if it wasn’t relatively contemporary) it might be the old-time, folk equivalent  “It’s Raining Men” or a Beyonce track on a medieval hen night. I picture the night involving a wheel of cheese and someone falling into a muddy goat pen after some serious intoxication; but that is just my imagination run wild, I can’t say I’ve been on a hens night. I’m sometimes mistaken as a serious man, but I would have to be a machine not to enjoy Lowings’ take on the lighter side (of the dark side), and to make it clear this is a compliment, many a night in my youth I could feel the curtain of stress float away when the Weather Girls gave me a storm update.

As an album, energy runs right through. It feels like Lowings and the Greenwood have tamed the heat of the blacksmith irons; it is not rushed but as a chicken pecks at it’s mountain of feed, the CD continues with it’s shiny eyes fixed on the prize. The best example of when the album takes a sideways step is “Firestone”, a number with a piano that is strangely sad yet exuberant. It has dashings of Kim Edgar’s in it with Lowings voice touching the far reaches of a wide oak’s canopy, a delight from start to finish.

“Wild & Wicked Youth” is a great addition to their discography and it is undoubtedly a step up from “Historia.” The album has some excellent production and the CD bursts at the seams with an energetic yet charming character, it is a flock of  Will-o’-the-wisps circling the folk forest, climbing and dancing, never stopping.

Check out her website for details on getting the album, here.

If you want more convincing, see the videos below!

 

Categories
Album/EP Reviews Folk Music Nature Folk

Oka Vanga -Dance of the Copper Trail – An Album Review

Hot on the heels of their previous entry “Tales from Eyam” the latest album from the acoustic duo, Oka Vanga, has arrived. In fact it arrived 31 March but let us not dwell on the time that has passed. As Spring has undoubtedly turned to Autumn with the hints of amber leaves blowing in delightful spirals, what better time is there to review an album of orange and earthy brown? Let us head in and maybe grab a bourbon for the journey while we do. First of all, who are Oka Vanga?

Oka Vanga is made up of Angela Meyer (Vocals, Guitar) and William Cox (Guitar, Ukele, Mandolin) with some input here from Oliver Copeland (Double Bass), Patsy Reid (Violin), and Mark Tucker (Percussion). Angie hails from South Africa; she met the other half of the duo, Will in London at an open mic, and since then they spin some delightful mixes of history and folklore. This is certainly the case with their latest disc, “Dance of the Copper Trail” which also channels both individuals’ love of travel. While the tracks together do not follow a linear story as you might imagine from point A to B on a map, the ideas and subjects combine into an accomplished sensory experience from history which in a way is better, it leaves more to the imagination and personal perspective. The fantastic guiding star of the double bass on the CD brings the veritable bounce of travel you might picture from the Wild West and also opens up the excitement of discovery, much like a child at the sight of a big crimson bonfire and fireworks. The wheels of this old wagon are indeed spinning on their way and as they do the sun is shining on their mahogany hue.

One of the defining factors of Oka Vanga’s previous work, the “Tales from Eyam” EP was an evident well-disciplined approach from track to track. On the disc we saw a creative and thoughtful work as a story about two people in the famous plague village from history, Eyam fall in love and then part with a beautiful yet sad tone. All-in-all it was not a disc for wandering; instead it was like a greyhound chasing the rabbit, it’s eyes were fixed on the prize. In doing so it felt like Oka Vanga either through design or just consistent writing, knew what they were singing about and stuck to it with determination. It was a kind methodical, thorough determination to telling a story and doing a good job of it. “The Dance of the Copper Trail” does much the same except there are more tracks for them to play with; so what we get is tightly, knit professional feel that expands with the extra space. It does indeed touch on the senses and imaginations of what the stories of the “Copper Trail” could in fact be, you get a big sense of the craft at work here. I liked “Tales from Eyam” it was an interesting piece; but the scope, delivery and writing on the new disc is even better, there are several opportunities to inhabit the idea of travel, the Old West and folktale.

I am keen to talk about the tracks and sound, but lets say something about the artwork. I love it. The browns are like rich grizzly leather and there are reds like vials of turmeric, rusting iron and the aforementioned scraps of copper being forged into tools. The cover has the iconography of a boat, a bear and the sun, it looks very much like a storybook; it is incredibly cool. Credit to Coildesign.net who have surpassed what you would reasonably expect for an album cover, it all helps create the environment which Oka Vanga are looking to share, and it is the first step on the dance they are choreographing.

The opening track, “The Wicken Tree” starts as a mildly mystical expedition into the Rowan Tree and it’s place in myth and history. It ponders, Angie’s voice reverberates, the fiddle seems to lurk in the shadow a little  til the final third; it all works very nicely. Not bombastic and overtly energetic as an opener, but the Double Bass hints at the positive vibes to come. It is slightly shamanistic, there is myth at work as the lyrics entangle our irrational fears and those of our ancestors. I like the exploration of the track and way that it sets the scene. Another track where it seems the song skims the reeds of the mind is the deep, winding and rather spiritual apex of mandolin and tremolo guitar in “Song of the River.” Here Angela Meyer’s voice hearkens, speaks into the black stillness of the Deep South and stirs the surface magic. The wonder you expect is at every turn, and this is further enhanced but the particularly nice mandolin on this track, this should definitely be an inclusion to keep for future works.

It’s not all in the mind though. In fact the album feels very earthy and physical. The joy of nature and the world is really let lose on track 2, “Capercaillie” which kicks it up as a joyous, old-time song about a bird that sometimes sounds likes a horse.  Much like the grouse of the song title, the duo are “flying low in the sun” with this song. Shades of sunshine and the playful side to nature come to the fore, it is smiles all-round. It has the strength of familiarity, a good looping structure and a fun subject matter. It is the kind of track you might expect your young child to like the most from an album, but just treating it is as a song of this level belies that there is some delicate and speedy mandolin at work, and a great warm, universal appeal at work.

For myself, “The Devil Inside” is the standout track on the album. From the opening you might not be sure what is about with it’s mellow enticing work, but like a flash this gives way to a more urgent, celerity with a doom-telling voice, evocative fiddle and omnipresent double bass. It is a track about a semi-mythical female pirate, and as you listen this becomes more and more apparent with it’s talk of the “seas” and the “wind.” You can almost see the shark on the horizon. Even with the sea aspect put to the side, it still feels like a timeworn story from the Americas, and be equally considered a dust-bowl allegory of faith. What we get is a woman with sass who turned heads, knew her mind and possibly broke a few hearts with her flintlock pistol along the way. It is a warning to those good, law-abiding 17th Century sailors but also a bit of a motivational work, “40 years you’ve waited.. to be Captain of the Seas” that tells us that  hard work and perseverance pays off. It is actually quite a venerating little ditty which generates awe and power in a woman I previously knew nothing about, and is a joy across the board.

 

Mentions should also be made for “Out of the Fire” that deals with the main singer’s transitions of thought, the acceptance of stepping back, and returning to music-making that feels as in place as everything else on the album. The final track, a version of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s gospel song, “This Train” is a lovely bookend to an album bulging with auburn wonder and surely a great crowd-pleaser wherever Oka Vanga goes.

There is variety, yet it all ties in nicely. More importantly there is a spirit of optimism that runs through the disc. Much like the gold panning miner who finds a nugget, the authors of this work have taken an entrepreneurial approach and taken a gamble. Well it has paid off and the result we have is an incredibly listenable album that is tightly managed and has a pretty rich, consistent sound that could not conceptually fit it’s theme any more than it does, it’s great.  Mystical, magical and earthy it’s feet are firmly planted on the ground and it’s taking us on a trail of discovery.

Here is to the road!

If you would like to listen to some samples and find some more information, go to Oka Vanga’s website here where their album is available.

Also, take a listen to this sample below, taken from Oka Vanga at the Village Folk room from Derby Folk Festival 2017!

 

 

Categories
Album/EP Reviews Debut Folk Music Nature Folk

Elfin Bow – A Debut Album Review

Elfin Bow – (Elfin Bow)

Elfin Bow Music

Recorded at: Hound Dog Studios, Liverpool

www.elfinbow.co.uk

Released 18th March 2017

 

Elfin Bow is very much the ringmaster in this positively creative and interesting debut that takes the best elements of her musical inspirations and fuses them with the mysteries and wonders of folk music.

 

Elizabeth Anne Jones aka Elfin Bow has arrived. Wherever she has been waiting, she comes from with a musical sound  from parts of the 70s I see and hear when I consider a decade I was not a present in. I think of the joy, love and colourful air  filled with the scent of sweet flowers; Bow’s debut has this kind of energy and intention. It can be seen from the get-go with Bow’s characterful album cover art which she has creating, and on it herself as a larger than life character. The instant impression is something rather Lewis Carroll-ish from the portrait on the cover pointing to a surreal content inside, especially with the clock motif. While I wouldn’t strictly categorise the album as “surreal”, it it anything but drab and the artwork is quite lovely.

This is not to say that Bow’s debut album is all blue lagoons and influences from the age of flares, for there is a depth of thought to be found running through; quite a fresh and original one really. Indeed these waters harbour a shark or two inside the lyrical structures, and persistent instrument arrangement, Gary Edward Jones’ production and Gary Lloyd’s mix makes some excellent choices throughout. Rather than going straight for the jugular of folk convention, it walks the tightrope that is between accessibility and deep folk themes; there is a lot to like on both counts. It is not full on psychedelia, but the songs within have a flourishing of consciousness and bright shades, it romps through with the content with a giving it a confident, contemporary edge. Her particular sound might be due to how she describes as a “strict upbringing” in regards to the music she was allowed to listen to. It was only more recently she managed to hear and be influenced by PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, and Bjork. The kind of spectacle and slightly flamboyant character building she has taken on  herself in the album does remind of the flame haired pianist herself with the  direct, self-believing songs on the disc. In fact, at times there are passing nods to Fiona Apple also.

With such comparisons, the big question might be, “Is it folk?”

Yes, it is indeed. There are many elements of the folk tradition brought in, be it the seasonal “First Red Leaf of Autumn” or “Daffadilly Down”, the menace of “Grimshaw and the Fingerclaw” and “Holler in the Hollows,” or the banjo-love on “Prarie Madness.” It is just not all one thing and one thing only, there are singer-songwriter elements to the presentation but if you are a person who holds your genre dear in a singular way there isn’t much to fear by getting this. The reason is that this is not an album of piano cabaret or post-ironic, experimental work, these styles couldn’t be further from Bow’s consideration. Instead it seasons folk music and folk music topics with these influences like mozzarella on your restaurant pizza; the album ends up partly straddling magic and folklore, and also a celebration of the natural world.

For example, “The First Red Leaf of Autumn“ opens within the context of a relationship with reference to the seasons. Bow almost seems like the subject of the song here. She writes with a keen eye, rather than falling into the musical rut of being surprised about how people and feeling changes she sings with an enthusiasm for change and opportunity (mirroring her enthusiasm for this debut maybe?). Optimistic and indicative of an artist drawing inspiration, it is a nice opener, a subtle and enigmatic note to start.

“Grimshaw and the Fingerclaw” with it’s darker bass (Oscar South) running alongside a slightly nautical pacing and shanty structuring is an exceptional addition. The mandolin and percussion gives it a rather adventurous feel. It casts images of shady brothels, misdeeds, dark stout and Chinese dragons as it paints a picture of urban shadow and inviting further examination. Spending much time showcasing the fantastic cymbal crashing, weaving soundscape and evocative flute (Victoria Wasley) as it does; credit should also be given for the wonder-baiting and silken voice of the lead. The quality of the mixing with the vocal harmonies is superb, it might take you a while to fully grasp it’s intricacies as you follow the strong melody but there is so much fun to be had listening carefully and making sense of this number. It is like a flint sparking the mind, and the sparks are the wonder spraying outward.

“Edith’s Song” follows the previous track (it directly references the characters) but takes things out of the urban and into a kind of monologue being sung by the central witch character. It is one of the best songs on the album, not just because I am a fan of witch songs. It starts off with a kind of ambience that could go a number of ways, like a nameless spell it isn’t obvious at first how the song will take shape. The guitars tease that it could be more of a blues track or a gloomy instrumental; throughout there is a low hum that waits like an owl about to dive for prey. It then moves from a stirring introduction; the drums beat a sweet beat (Daniel Logan) and the wind blows (Saydyko Fedorova) as it takes flight. Bow’s voice once again reaches out and this track is a fine example of the observations about nature she makes on her debut work as she ropes in this imagery. Truly a gem of nature folk with it’s lyrics, “call me a flower on the water with pebbles that float in the rain” it is a heady mix of mystical vocals with a penetrating quality like an Arctic Wind.

There are a few other musical stops that are made,“The Wisdom”  (which has recently been released as a single) is more of a self-healing, encouraging simplicity in thought about making one’s own mind up about things, “He preached the word of God in the market, but I didn’t hear it, it left me cold”. Cold in word but not especially in sound, the strings sound particularly warm here and a certain fragility is wrought from the material with the singer’s voice. This track certainly has wide appeal, there is a thin veneer of acoustic pop and indie folk here too as the trumpet keeps it’s company in the corner. Not quite as “showboating” as it does in much indie folk, it is quite an asset in Charles Sweeney’s performance fitting nicely along the lyrics and meshing together pleasingly. There is also “Hey Auld Friend” a find of shamanistic, urban folk-rap that reminds me a little of the musical opening to “The Affair” (Container). I say shamanistic but maybe humanistic is a better description. A bit of a bluesy protest it eschews religion and places quick-stepped and varied vocals to honour the memory of others. Among the guitar and wider instruments there is a certain satisfaction in viewing the world through the natural prism of the album,  “I wasn’t fashioned from the bone of a man, and I’m content to be erased by the sea and the sand.”

Mention must be made for the final track for “Prairie Madness” is just a joy to behold. Whatever you read into the mixed light/darkness, introspective/moral parts of the album, there is little ambiguity in its closing call with old time number about waiting for a father to return, “his cart is green and yellow and his horse is mottled grey.” There is reference to clapping, there is clapping and banjo (Jamie Francis) makes an appearance cheering as the song bounces along. One might remark that the song doesn’t really fit but it goes out on a high note, and if ever there was a song that stirs memories of Charles Ingles (Michael Langdon), then this does it. Very jolly, worth a listen.

Spoilt for choice on an agile album that seems like a project borne from a hard-earned happy place, it is a very good debut indeed. I say this with compliment as often people consider that misery and depression are your best bedfellows when writing music, this is proof that this is not always the case. You can almost hear the snapping of jungle vines as Bow escapes the uncreative clutches of teaching and throws herself at any musical resistance like hot knife through butter. Having brought the best sensibilities of her musical inspirations and the positive, engaging vibe of earlier decades we see demonstration of her energy is like a serpent, quite playful, dark in places and full of conviction. It is with great pleasure I recommend Elfin Bow’s debut.

You can buy the Elfin Bow album here: http://www.elfinbow.com/shop

 

 

Categories
Album/EP Reviews Celtic Folk Music

Roving Crows – “Bury Me Naked” Album Review

It was a few years ago I saw the Roving Crows now. I remember in Bromsgrove.

Not far from Ledbury (their home turf) andalso not far from where I spent my youngest years (in Kidderminster); it was an interesting experience when I was relatively new to folk.

It was not just an introduction to the band and the genre but also the Artrix, a venue that looked like it had descended from space. Modern with sleek edges, its appearance did not match my initial thoughts and with it I brought home a new interest that had developed far away. This was a surprise.Another surprise is Roving Crows’ new album “Bury Me Naked”. I liked the Roving Crows when I saw them but I can’t say I loved them. However, coming one full circle (with many more to go) I can see now that their new album (along with their music) reminds me that social and environmental issues can be “rocked” and “jammed”in music as much as quieter acoustic numbers in the corner of a pub and still be polished and interesting. And so a change of heart has taken place.

“Bury Me Naked” is a fun album. It doesn’t just stick to folk, it goes on a whirlwind tour of pop, rock, and reggae blending it together in an attractive package. There is a mix inside the packaging too. I like the rather earthy photography within the album sleeve; bright and bold it is a contrast to the sharp dark lines and concert photography across the front of the album. It is almost telling you that they are live performers first of all with a hat tip to the social causes they are supporting with their music and tour  (drinking eco-friendly water, recycling and vegetarianism). When listening to the album along the way these themes do explicitly rise on the disc. “Refugees”, “Revolution” and “human Regret” you could say the three R’s.

The title track of the album “Bury Me Naked” is great folk rock. After the introduction segment of the song, it really gets going, punching the air as it continues. The fiddle ambushes from the side and an early listen to O’Neill’s voice is smooth and spectral giving it a slightly otherworldly feel. Instrument-wide there is a nice variety between the drums and wooden percussion (Tim Downes-Hall) that scatters down the tracks like the softer patter of a wolf. There is also a bit of menace from the electric guitar as the singer croons, “you said love was a weakness, you’ve got me on my knees.” Taking influence from Native Americans and their suffering it sounds like a scene on prairie land with nature and wildlife all around. It is quite interesting, it changes pace as it casts it’s entrancing spell; it has an epic Celtic Rock spirituality with it’s reverb and hefty backing sound. The same atmosphere calls over to track 2, “New York Love Song” except of course more suburban and with a greater interplay between singers Paul O’Neill and Caitlin Barrett in the vocal department.

“Refugee” is reggae. It doesn’t disguise this, it just is. Sometimes the best things in life are clear and straight and it works a treat here where opulent drums meet with an unabashed fiddle. Being uplifting and a part of a time in history that is still dealing with refugee affairs and how they impact on society, it does stand out as being different to the rest of the current crop of songs about refugees with it’s more sunny outlook. This might bother some people but not me. It does kind of appear from nowhere, you don’t automatically expect reggae but there is a cold place in your heart if the upbeat “sail away.. war-torn refuge.. world does not understand me” rhyming scheme does not put a smile on your face. With a great harmony (the best harmony) on the disc and exquisite fiddle from Caitlin Barrett (as always) it is more than a great addition. “Passing on the Love” is similarly like an Irish Coffee and a Bahama Mama being spilt together by the waiter in this joyous Caribbean mashup. Later on it descends into a kind of Celtic Dancehall track you could do some ska stomping to, it all civilised though and is a treat.

“If I had to choose” is an example of a standout track from the album’s which appeals to a slower, more considered melody. Paul O’Neill sounds at his best and the instruments blend together for a lyrically short, but expansive feeling piece of penultimate entertainment with lines such as, “If I may be so bold; all that glitters is not gold.” It’s rock sound appeals more to me than the more monologue sounding “The Last Breath”, though the latter does carry some beauty with it. Quite distinctly introspective when the track comes on the album it is like that moment you drop a needle on an old Blues record and await the the searching intake of breath before the evocative lyrics.

As previously mentioned the identifiable sound spiritual Rock permeates through many of the tracks here. With this we don’t get the same kind of feeling of remembrance you find in a lot of folk music where a story is told, the moral is clear (or hazy) and we never forget what has happened. Instead much of their sound is like an echo of a unifying cosmic energy that people can approach and understand on their own terms. It all comes to a head with their working of an old folk staple “Ride On”, the final track on the disc. It is large scale, it is quite resounding and heart-pounding and the arrangement brings a lot, burning an impression like an Eastern Desert’s winds on your face. Barrett captures the ballad sensibility well, wearing influences of alt-rock and dare I say, a quiet grunge in her consistent vocal performance that rises and falls delightfully. One of my favourites, it demonstrates that Roving Crows are not just a band striving for identikit energy tracks that you cannot distinguish on an album, but instead considering fast and slow, thoughtful and energetic in equal measure.

A nice mix of genre and with an spirituality and concern for the world, the Roving Crows set out and have a good time with it, which many would consider contradictory. But it’s not, they entertain and achieve buckets and buckets of likeability along the way.

There is also a good range of tracks with some being more about melody and others more about the words. Jovial and wide-reaching in scope the quality of the music production is second to none. There has certainly been a progression.

More importantly for me, they have dragged me out of the chair, unfolded my arms and invited me to dance.

 

The Roving Crows are on tour and “Bury me Naked” is now for sale.

Go to their website for more information on both these things http://www.rovingcrows.com/index.html

 

Categories
Album/EP Reviews Americana Political Traditional

Geoff Lakeman – After All The Years – A Review

Observational and considered, Lakeman collects a squad of influencing folk artists that bring his rich imagination and celebratory character to life

Released 3rd February 2017

Geoff Lakeman, in a rather circular and interesting path has recorded his debut solo entitled “After All These Years.”

What I mean of course is that Geoff is known to many being a renowned journalist for several users and also being father to Seth, Sean and Sam Lakeman; all musicians, all well known and father-in-law to equally renowned Kathyrn Roberts and Cara Dillon he has influenced some great musical talent, but he himself as never done a solo recording. I’m sure there is some saying about Salmon returning to where it was born or something about rivers and the ocean (I am not sure myself what I mean) but this personal wish to have have a disc made is a big one, and a timely one of that.

In a world where politics are more than ever discussed and the issues of truth and honesty are being debated; there is something refreshingly simple yet powerful about the contents of “After All these Years.” After all, Geoff was a veteran observer and recorder by profession (in journalism), it seems that however the world has turned Geoff would have seen and heard all and he is presenting what he knows to the listener. As a result we get an album that feels like it honours the songs within that he covers as well as the working man; it speaks from a wise, considered approach to the fundamental traditions of folk and has a pretty humble quality to it. Another way of putting it is that there are few “airs and graces” to be had here, the album is a listener and thinker not the debutante who wants to be seen and heard at all costs (and more the better for it). As a listener, Geoff puts on a quiet celebration.

Indeed, the album is characterised by it’s celebration of the past and in order to do so Geoff is joined by a multitude of artists. Not only is there family as Sean(producer an guitars), Seth (violin, viola), Sam (piano) and Kathryn and Cara (vocals) but also the well received Jim Causley (vocals, accordion), Jamie Francis (banjo), Ben Nicholls (bass, harmonium, jaw harp), Dan Crimp (whistle) and Gill Redmond (cello) also along for the ride. This crew of forces are to be reckoned with, but then they are topped off by legendary guitarist Nic Jones who sings some backing vocals on “England Green, England Grey.” It all builds a picture of an album intimately assembled with it’s supportive and close roster of characters. How are the songs?

There are some great Geoff Lakeman original works here. “Tie ‘Em Up” is one example of many on the disc where Lakeman is holding his principles dear, standing up for the fisherman with their imposed quotas and livelihoods that are being toyed with by officials, “We’ve risked our lives, left our wives. Missed our children growing up. Now we are high and dry upon the shore. On the dole – won’t fish no more.” A bouncy type of shanty and a sideways jab at authority like the latter original track “Doggie Song” (that we will see later), it would not be out of place in a musical on the stage with professional dancers in yellow fishing macs juggling buckets of fish. It oozes character as a squid oozes ink, the vocal harmony injects an infectious energy throughout and the concertina, as you would expect, is faultless. This all comes together in an even grander way for the “Rule and Bant”, a song about two Cornish miners who were trapped underground in the latter part of  1800s and the events that unfold as air was pumped down to keep them alive. It booms as Lakeman weaves the story around with harmonies that plunge deep like the obsidian earth itself and promising doom. A clear favourite that incorporates some nice touches with history.

But also there are covers that showcases Lakeman’s ear for a good tune and history in the folk scene. For example, Geoff’s version of Buddy and Jullie Miller’s sun-scorched “Wide Wide River to Cross” gives several of previous renditions a run for their money. His voice is warm with crystal clear enunciation, a beautiful trill of a vocal harmony and performed with a truly emotive mix of instruments it really gets into the corners of Americana’s dusty barn. If old folk songs were cowboys, this would a sheriff. The concertina bites delightfully across the track like the wind of a dustbowl’s cold evening nights, it is all very enjoyable and another favourite on this disc. Whilst historical in nature as it touches on other times and places, Geoff’s recording of Reg Meuross’ “England Green and England Grey” is very much of now, a political powerhouse and a commentary of the state things. It might be somewhat topical with its distrust of the “BBC” and “the NHS, our England jewel, is bartered by Westminster’s fool” but it really could be any time, especially as  it recognises our British empire past. Managing to be both celebratory and critical of the state of things it perhaps places what it is to be British beyond all these events and ends with a collective call. Singing with Nic Jones shows a lovely contrast on this track, they work really well together and bring a several sided look at strength, fragility, morals and tradition to mind. Wonderful stuff.

Most importantly though, the cd never takes itself too seriously. Indeed if serious “down-the-line” folk is a bus then at a couple of points on the disc Geoff makes a stop to find a real ale tavern leading to some excellent diversions. It is hard to pinpoint the parts where he particularly relishes the fun side of “folk” but “When the Taters Are All Dug” and “Doggie Song” are pretty good candidates. The former is Lakeman at his fullest rural peak, as I picture him drinking milk with a straw hat while agricultural machinery is strategically placed in the background. Lovingly committed to the song throughout, the charm emanates all round be it the distinct twang within, the high caliber squeeze box or Lakeman’s own voice that rises and turns to the challenge. You can almost picture his smile through whatever audio equipment you are using. In all the best ways possible, you can imagine “Doggie Song” as being part of a vaudeville act. Gently lamenting on there being nowhere where his dog can go for some much needed relief it playfully paintings beach inspectors as some kind of organised cabal of fun haters and the South of England gets painted jokingly as no place for a dog. As an original track it is an interesting glimpse into the Geoff’s mind and it makes you wonder what else he has yet to reveal. It’s chorus will certainly linger in the mind, “you can’t bring your doggie down ‘ere.”

What can I say? The album is like a film with Lakeman being the ethical director, the heart and soul that shapes the performances around him. There are many other gems to be found here which I haven’t mentioned, so I heartily recommend. The production is crisp and captures a fine balance of instruments, the duet concertina is very much a star but not at the expense of the other fine performers and instruments here. He leads in an admirable way on the disc, being fearless of reprisals and confident of the dignities and rights of people. When such a moral attitude is combined with some of the most recognised performers of the day, you expect magic to happen; and it does in spades.

Check out Geoff’s site here for details of purchasing the album and for more information.

Categories
Album/EP Reviews Folk Music Gigs Historical Nature Folk

Isembard’s Wheel “Common Ground” Album Launch @ Shakespeare’s – 1-04-17 Sheffield

Isembard’s Wheel sit between modern indie folk and more traditional folk fare that should properly interest the industry both as a great live band and one with crossover appeal.

Introduction

The Shakespeares Pub in Sheffield is hosting some great artists; some new and some established. I don’t want to gush too much, the pub gets a lot of praise for it’s real ale, and (for me personally) a pretty extensive catalogue of whisky too. If you are in the steel city, I say check it out (go here)

Relatively speaking Isembard’s Wheel are fairly new to the scene, though they have appeared in a few prestigious places (Warwick Folk Festival), and have had a mention on BBC Introducing too. Tonight we see them for their album launch of “Common Ground.” It is a rather joyous affair with fire dancers, some warm-up acts and some great beer on tap.

There is definitely something here with this band. On listening I would say that their music could be considered a kind of keystone of folk music. It is like an indie folk band in terms of arrangement and instruments but there is a keen, natural eye that looks to traditional folk for songwriting and themes which goes beyond most indie folk artists; and this for me is pretty exciting stuff. Many an hour can be spent debating what “folk” is and lamenting on the state of live music or volume of young audiences but truly a band like Isembard’s Wheel (in my mind at least) has the potential to be the bridge or even reception room to the vast, varied and interesting genre of folk music.

 

Supports

Before the group takes the stage we are treated to some support acts. Acoustic singer/songwriter Jordan Wrigley took the stage first.

Jordan Wrigley, from Wakefield is a student of Law at Sheffield Hallam. He has performed during SHUfest (a celebration of talent at the University) and a few other places too. There are no dusty tomes to be seen or any interrogation of witnesses, for his knowledge of performance is up for judgement on this night.

Wrigley has an enthusiasm and also brings a quiet sensibility to his set and character. A good and practised voice, his cover of “The Banjolin Song” from Mumford and Sons benefits from being a more stripped down version of the song. I prefer it to the hit number which is more buried in layers of reverb and production and in hindsight too many expected conventions. Wrigley’s effort draws in more attention to the lyrics and celebrates the acoustic form as much as a bear celebrates honey. He also plays Paulo Nutini’s “These Streets”  too laying down a consistently positive attitude throughout the course of the songs. All this being said, in the best possible way, his own songs overshadow the covers and hint at a deft hand for folk writing; for example “The Charge”, a song heavily influenced by the Charge of the Light Brigade. Quite persistent in how it grabs you, there are some interesting storytelling elements within and of the soldiers’ lived experience. With a little more instrumentation and arrangement that could bring the deeper boom and impending doom of this subject matter further to the listener’s consciousness, the song’s could shine even more and would not be out of place on a veteran folk artist’s album. He also shares an original song based on Wuthering Heights, and  some more familiarity with a bit of Springsteen. It is good to see consummate ukelele play and a positive reception to this set from the audience. In sum a refreshing amount of variety, a good opening and an artist to keep an eye on.

The second warmup act is The Idolins. Somewhere between the Cranberries and The Corrs the group occupy a scene within pop-folk with a seasoning of rock. Coming to the stage with candor and some Nottingham charm thrown in, The Idolins have got a long reach and appeal to listeners who enjoy different genres; their talents have not gone unnoticed by BBC Radio 6 for example. They have a lineup that includes original member Karen Smalley-Turner (vocalist, songwriter, guitar), Nick Scott (guitar, harmony), Mark Rice (percussionist), Dukes (bassist) and Hannah (cello). “The Idolins” have a sweet sound, the voice is not syrupy in-your-face sweetness but rather an ambient sweetness; like the marshmellows in a Rocky Road. They previewed “Refuge” adding some banjo to this as yet unrecorded number. Rolling in bass there could be some comparisons made with this song to Natalie Imbruglia, though with a more social-issues subject matter,  it is quite thoughtful and enchanting. A favourite for myself is their new single, “Seasons.” More of a ballad, the fiddle sounds especially good and the lyrics tangle themelves around the concept of seasons of the relationship’s temperment and life. Nicely worded and like a quiet blustery day it captures the idea and gently spins a story of colour, intensity and sadness; worth an exploration. There areplenty of other tracks to be enjoyed too including the self-professed “Skunk Anansie-like” track “Safety Net” with it’s heavier rock and “Nothing Missing” where slight world influences with great rhymes and an anthem to sing along to. A lot to like on the way to Isembard’s Wheel, check out the Idolins website here with details of purchasing “Seasons”, their most recent single.

Before we get there though I would like to give some applause for “Jackdaw Circus” who provided some fire-based entertainment on the evening. I don’t think I’d seen a firewhip before, the closest I’ve ever come to it is the energy whip in the 80’s He-Man film (I was young and my taste went astray). It was great, I’ve seen a few circus acts in the past, but these guys were something else; you can tell that they have performed in Edinburgh Fringe in the past. Funny and political and really practised, the duo of this fire-taming group entertained between artists and as performers some of the friendliest people you can meet. Their skit around different Countries was particularly good. If anyone reading needs to book some entertainment; you can’t go wrong with these contemporary Denis the Menace, fire bard types. Check out their site here.

Isembard’s Wheel- Album and Gig

So this brings us to the main act “Isembard’s Wheel” launching their album “Common Ground.”

Comprising Alexander Isembard, Edward Young, Toby Morris, Rebekah Foard, Joss Mann-Hazell we get a great combination of lyrics, guitar, banjo, double bass, and fiddle that shakes the Shakespeare, sparks the light fittings and generally throws both feet forward into the world of folk and live performance.

“Rauccous” is not the right word, but there is a lot of energy here and for a debut album from a relatively new group there is a fearless attempt to try and cram in a number of genres, and like a pirate who has ransacked the sinking ship, the gamble pays off. The positive qualities of young musicians is sometimes attributed to a lack of restraint over genre and previous traditional material, I would say here that “Common Ground” doesn’t fit this mold. It instead is a large showcase of musical forms and niches that are performed very well within their own genres and then brought together here. It is quite sharp about how the group does it, it is not an album that feels like it stumbles at any point and whilst reverent of different works, it never slows to catch it’s breath. For example they do a more than serviceable cover of “Adieu, Sweet, Lovely Nancy” with an Americana influence and layers of strings making it more of an anthem than you might imagine. As it progresses it goes a bit mad and just after the middle we arrive at Sydney Carter’s “Lord of the Dance”. It won’t be to everyone’s tastes but it bursts out and gets the crowd going, for younger readers there is actually a bit of Green Day going on in this performance (yes, I am aware they aren’t a new band ha ha). The good thing you feel from their performance and the disc is that these are not token references, there is a love for what has come before.

“Ask the Time Away” is similarly nimble number leaving with little time to gasp with a rewarding and almost pop voice awash with like the light flashes from artist’s palette, “I could make the finest work of art, it would soon fade.” More dancing is inbound with “Turner’s Bones” which has the youthful energy of indie folk of kicking a positive beat to life with it’s characteristic big drum, it’s a song that enjoys itself it reminds of that first hint of sun in the Spring that laps at your door. They are certainly adding something to the folk genre. Their sound has a lightness of touch in lyrics that reminds me of the rather prominent group at the moment “Ninebarrow” with the dwelling on the influence of the rocks, the birds and the green landscape that gives rise to inspiration and celebration. “Isembard’s Wheel” take introspective lyrics and take them down on a whitewater raft. Their sound seems very much to be situated in the Sheffield with influences from the Peaks and their songs have a naturalistic feel to them like the Green Man himself is roaming the Damflask reservoir or pottering across rocky outcrops at Mam Tor. As a local there are a lot of different landmarks and energy of the land that they have in their collective musical aura.

There is versatility in the album tracks that comes across on stage. Taking the group somewhat out of Sheffield and perhaps with Westward eyes looking back in time, “Sowain Tul” is an A Capella  joy, a frontier kind of reflection of life and death that you might find being tackled by someone later in life. You can almost feel the hot wall of Arkansas air and the spirit of contentment wash over “So when I stand over my bones, ever more beneath the leaves.” It’s harmonies are top notch and percussion, foot stomps and thumps really vigorous and catchy. “Horse on the Hill” is one of my favourites with it’s adventurous and zesty series of strings, banjo, fiddle, guitar all coming together to express the burning candle of love,”you are the dawn on my day.” Possibly a prehistoric love with the “Horse on the hill” being one of the giant figures of a horse carved into the hillside from ancient civilisation, the song does what the band does best; mingling the old with the modern and making something very interesting from it. The voice is uplifting and sounds great alongside the rich soundscape and some nice touches of lyrics and melody that is inescapable, “I thought myself a man before I became a boy.”

In the flesh they are an enthusiastic group who had a large mixed-age audience. There is a lot of crossover appeal with their songs concerning all matter of subjects that are held together by a coursing tide of nature and history in it’s discourse. Their set is quite loud as a vehicle for their creative energies, the crowd are equally enthusiastic and engaging; a quiet set of folk ballads this is not. But then not everybody does that, and the folk industry should be happy indeed with a band such as this which has faceted a musical sculpture which is not just indie-folk but has a place in myth-making and traditional folk music too. Quite fearless with musicianship that combines energy and sensitivity, Isembard’s Wheel should be on your radar.

Isembard’s Wheel have a tour coming up, check out their website for details and where you can purchase their new album, or check out their Facebook Page for more details

http://www.isembardswheel.com

https://www.facebook.com/isembardswheel/