harp and a monkey Archives

It’s been a little while and Derby Folk Festival 2018 has come and gone.. in fact, as of writing it is 2019 and there is a new year ahead!

We are pretty certain plans are under way for the next festival in October 2019, but in case you didn’t go last year.. let us give you our impressions of some of the goings on, the standout performances and general feel of this late year musical mixup. We couldn’t catch everyone, so apologies if we miss your favourite group out! There will be pictures and a few clips to give you a feel and hopefully get you excited about the return to Derby in 2019!

Last year the festival spread it’s wings a little more and has extended the festival to run from Thursday evening to Sunday. We could not get there for the Thursday, but we do hear that Gary Stewart’s “Graceland” and Zulu Tradition were extensively rocking the main festival tent. We can’t speak for Zulu Tradition as alas we have not witnessed them yet, but the “Graceland” set is a very good one. We saw Gary Stewart’s Graceland at Beardy Folk earlier in the year and they sound very, very like Paul Simon. They have the bustling energy you are looking for in bucket loads and for anyone wanting to relive the time of the album launch (or anyone new for that matter) they are indeed in for a treat of the ears by seeing them live, so we strongly recommend.

So let us start with some of the acts that got our attention.

John Tams & Barry Coupe

https://www.johntams.co.uk/

A treat near the beginning of the festival, always a treat, is to hear John Tams & Barry Coope. Bringing a significant wealth of experience and poignancy to the beginning of the festival, this duo are clearly old favourites of the crowd. With pointed, emotive numbers such as a rendition of the “Manchester Rambler” (an ode which puts the highest amount of importance on this activity other all others… including marriage), the song “Sorrow” with it’s eye on loss in society and (presumably) unemployment, and also the “Devonshire Carol” (as heard in Warhorse) they bring a tear to the stanchest and toughest of people. A set that is quiet and dwells in the heart, we recommend catching these two if you get the chance.

Louise Jordan

http://louisejordan.co.uk/

It isn’t just Barry Coupes & John Tams whose music crosses into war-related music and stories. Luckily for us Louise Jordan arrives at the Guildhall Theatre with her trademark sense of class and humility, and most importantly with her excellent show/gig called “No Petticoats Here.” We have been looking forward to seeing Ms Jordan and her show every since the Great British Folk Festival we went to in 2017. We attempted to see her show in Skegness but due to the numbers, small size of the room, queuing difficulties and acoustics.. we couldn’t really say much about it. At the time of writing we are pretty certain she is working on her new show but if it is anything like the beautiful interlace of historical story, song and images we see in Derby, then we have high hopes indeed.

Conjuring up thoughts of the great war, Jordan does the job that everybody should have been asking her to do. That is bringing the voices of great women and their experiences to us to remember that we “were all in it” during the war. She certainly does and the show more often than not highlights some incredible sacrifices that were given which many would never of heard of. Not everyone is a fan of war-time related music but in fairness there is enough intrigue, guile and determination from the historical figures that Jordan brings to the fore, that it is incredibly difficult not to look on in admiration. Jordan’s voice is as powerful and empathetic as ever as well. Whether Jordan is teaching us about Ada Yorke (a nurse who wanted to be a doctor) who got the Royal Red Cross for exceptional nursing (in the song “Pride of the Army”), or about when women’s football teams arose to fundraise for children and families of soldiers (only for women’s football to be banned in 1920), she brings a sharp, observational style to her music. We can see what has been ignored for so long.

Jordan’s measured use of technology, design and choices allow the stage to be wholly about these important women. There are highs and lows, great characters and a lot of history to make this a fascinating evening show. Jordan is an enthusiastic sharer, her joy must be like a botanist finding a rare species of flower, except here the flowers are indeed the women of the Great War.

For that reason and the bright sparks that Jordan has captured from the tinder of the Great War, we consider her set one of three best things that we see at the festival.

Harp and a Monkey

http://www.harpandamonkey.com/

Harp and a Monkey in the way that they are, are rather odd, deep and certainly furrowing their own path in the folk world.

We saw them a good while back at Village Folk in Chellaston and they were very good indeed. At Derby Folk Festival they were back again within the “Village Folk” segment of the festivities. The trio performed two sets over the day, each one coursing with a signature blend of the psyche (their cover of “The Molecatcher”), the reverent memory (The Gallipoli Oak), a tipping of the hat to Charlie Chaplin’s unusual role in the War (Charlie Chaplin) and their dipping into folk themes of old (Willow and the Ghost).

They certainly have built up an impressive repertoire of moods all blending in and out of each other. At Derby Folk Festival the sound was crisp and clear, their voices are both mournful and joyful as if moving across the veil itself, bringing these stories back. Their performance also reminds that they take risks, and whilst their use of electronic sampling will be a Marmite factor, it does bring shape and form to the whispers of stories past and put a signature to their invigoration of songs. Like a whisper travelling across the edges of your mind, Harp and a Monkey get in, reverberate and add to the mysteries of this world.

Eliza Carthy and The Wayward Band

https://elizawayward.com/

Without a question a swirling vortex of wind, Eliza Carthy et al’s entrance and reception at Derby Folk Festival is a reminder (in case you have been living under a no-folk rock for many years) that some voices cannot be contained by the constraints of nature.

Eliza Carthy and the Wayward Band have been formed since 2013. Twelve in number and probably 12 in volume and energy (sorry Spinal Tap), the band have gone from strength of strength especially since the launch of their 2016 work “Big Machine.”

Theatrical in sound, style and appearance it is a very awesome sight to behold. Ducking and weaving, jumping off the stage and bringing the feeling, Carthy and band certainly live up to the expectations from the album. They played some of our personal favourites such as, “Devil in the Woman” (a track of outrage and grit), “The Fitters Song” (a dark musical, but a number too good for any theatre I know) and the earthy, breathless “Hug you like a Mountain.” Words and descriptions do not really come close to the magic, spinning wonder and percussive excitement that you get from this individualistic band and show. It is like they bring the explosive pop of the champagne bottle to the Saturday, and we do not hesitate to put the group in our top three of Derby Folk Festival.

The Willows

https://www.thewillowsband.co.uk/

The day after In the Guildhall Theatre on Sunday we get the very big treat of seeing another rather special folk group that also comprises of some top-notch musicians. Just prior to the release of their third album, “Through the Wild” we meet Jade Rhiannon and band as they prepare for a focused, clean and intensive set. It is a show we have been waiting to see for rather a while.

Straddling a canyon of folk rock, folk pop and hints of indie, The Willows are a step into a unashamedly full, refined soundscape with a strong baseline and vocals that evoke the warmest of times. Somewhat easy listening, somewhat 90’s popular folk the limits of their reach cannot be fully measured in this blogpost; but we do manage to reach a verdict on their show.

Before we get there, we have to think about their set. There is something here for everyone, “The Visitor” is uplifting and a pretty tasty bit of percussion, “Better Days” is a sweet and optimistic song though it winds its body around a contemplation of grief, and “False Light” a song about the ghost lights of the fens. With False Light in particular you get a song with a supernatural theme being turned into a belting, big sound event. Melodic to the last and rocking from the start, The Willows make a case for a wider sound, quite probably with larger mainstream appeal and musicians looking for something a little faster and fuller like a turbo-charged double-decker bus.

We enjoy their set and have had a good listen to their third album since; certainly an interesting and inspired choice for the festival.

Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys

http://www.samkelly.org/

There is a lot to see and fatigue can set in towards the end of a festival though Derby Folk has a secret up their sleeves. It is in fact Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys!

We do like these guys. Their folk music is unabashed fun and melodic, they are dead cheerful in demeanour and they do know how to put on a show. Most importantly you sometimes want to listen to a bit of folk that makes you feel good, Kelly and associates do not disappoint.

At this point they are probably stood on a tall stone surveying the land and maybe breathing in the fresh air as they have a couple of albums out and their initial ep, and pretty much everybody know who they are. This is a good gig to see for it is an act of consolidation and reflection. They cover several songs from both albums including the affirming “Spokes”, a song which is one of our favourite interpretations of “A Golden Vanity”, anthemic “The Jolly Waggoners” and many many more. They have a lot of good material both slow and fast and this gig certainly reminds us of their ascent into the limelight. We look forward to seeing where they go next!

Lady Maisery

https://www.ladymaisery.com/

This of course brings us to Lady Maisery. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let us say that Lady Maisery were for us, hands down the best act at Derby Folk Festival. It is not a statement we take lightly or with any intention to downplay the other excellent acts that were there.

Why? Might you ask. It is no secret we rate the vocals of Hazel Askew, Rowan Rheingans and Hannah James at the top of their game but they brought something else which they admitted themselves had reinvigorated their enjoyment of the live scene. That is, their sound engineer.

Apologies for my failings. At first I couldn’t get a good picture and secondly I didn’t write down the sound engineer’s name. But when hearing the trio within the Guildhall, and with this level of sound production and management it is pretty close to perfect. Clear, resonating vocals and a show that takes many favourites from across their albums such as “The Factory Girl”, “Order and Chaos”, “Honest Work” and the excellent “Poor Man’s Lamentation” from the multi-artist Songs of Separation disc (one of the best works we have heard of all time).

Combining a sense of general societal political songs (not anything about the current situation thank goodness), poignant and dark tales of human beings and a sternum-shattering cohesive, beautiful sound their often (but not always) unaccompanied voices are pure magic.

For that reason they are our third pick of the festival and an act that you should not miss should the chance arise to see them!

And Many Others…

The crowd going wild for Sam Kelly
A bit of street morris
Kim Lowings and the Greenwood with some material new and old
Jack Rutter
What treasure exists within?
The Lucy Ward Band
Oka Vanga
The Carrivicks
The Kimberleys

There are many, many others who graced the stage who we saw and enjoyed thorough. Midnight Skyracer, the all-female bluegrass phenomenon were here continuing their explosive entry into the scene with fast fiddle, deep bass and an incredibly joyous set of songs to behold. Jack Rutterer had a great acoustic set touching on folk of all corners including the well-known “John Barleycorn”, The Kimberleys remind of acoustic folk of old: simple, happy and refreshing, and Oka Vanga have their time in the light of Derby Cathedral bringing songs of myth, nature and heartbreak.

So all-in-all an excellent festival. We saw a lot of artists here, many who we haven’t mentioned- the joy of Derby Folk Festival is it certainly gets the artists in!

Check out our sample videos below of the acts and get over to their websites for more information about them!

Keep your eyes open for Derby Folk 2019 and do not forget to get your ticket when the time comes at the website.

Once again I was released from the steel gates of Sheffield and able to descend the long-winding roads to Derbyshire. There I went to see the latest artist “Harp and a Monkey” to perform for a throng of rapt Derbyshire people at the “Village Folk” session in the The Lawns Hotel, Chellaston. Continuing to draw crowds and some distinctive guests (Sam Kelly and the Lost Boys next) it is an honest pleasure to have travelled to see a great venue and lovely bunch of people that are really doing things right. Furthermore, they will once again be at Derby Folk Festival this year (as will I); so if you get a chance (and can get a ticket) get yourselves down to Chellaston, site here and to the Derby Folk Festival, (see here).

On this day it was “Harp and a Monkey”. Before the gig, I cannot say I had heard their musical repertoire before, the name conjures images of either the most exotic folk group or a children’s book that encourages the shyest of animals to take up an instrument (it is more the former, but someone should write the latter!) There seemed a lot of bustle before the performance; social media and conversations seemed to revolve largely in excitement around their anticipated rendition of “The Molecatcher” (Roud 1052) largely associated with Bernard Wrigley (with an awesome singular voice). On reflection, this was indeed well justified; but before we get to the heart of historic infidelity and why wronging people in dangerous professions is a bad idea for your health (and pocket), let me talk more about Harp and a Monkey.

Dressed as if going to find the Mancunian equivalent of the Haggis creature they cut a rather interesting sight. Lancashire with a capital “L” they are rather good ambassadors for the county, it is pleasing to hear songs around local industry and history, and they have found an eclectic way of telling these stories. Lead singer, Martin Purdy reminds me an awful lot of Christopher Eccleston. Perhaps if he weren’t playing a tune and singing he would be method acting as the guy who is soon going to unleash all crazy hell on some poor soul. As it happens he was rather more collected and (as per his stories on previous feedback from folk veterans) he instead gave his furious intention and movements to the glockenspiel instead of a line of dialogue. He certainly gave his glockenspiel all he’s got; you don’t hear enough glockenspiel really in the general sense of music. Harp and a Monkey do present an awful lot of glockenspiel but all of it welcome and part of the overarching charm is how it’s keys allow us a glimpse into some of the different characters of songs. The last time I heard it being played with great effect was Princess Chelsea’s excellent “Lil’ Golden Book” album and that was 2011 (and it’s not strictly speaking folk), so kudos to the group for this choice. Along with the banjo, guitar and sometimes the aforementioned harp we get a wall of sound that illustrates tragedy (e.g. The Manchester Angel) or even some sweeter sounds (Flanders Shore), and this continues with their addition of electronic sampling and voice. These later inclusions permeate through several songs and give the air an otherworldly feel to the extent that when listening it sounds a bit like the veils of reality have been shaken and you are peeking into a parallel world. This other dimension would be one where mainstream folk went somewhere slightly esoteric in the 80s and never stopped for air to the present day. It is a definitely something to experience, and also something quite evocative.

This is all great stuff, “Harp and a Monkey” use some quietly, elegant application of their instruments throughout which leads to a rather unexpected but solidly authentic capturing of the tone and subject matter of their songs. The idea of folk music that tells stories is always appealing, and “Harp and a Monkey” have a few to tell especially as their set splits across their earlier and later work, as well as songs from their work, “The War Show” taking into song some accounts of the first World War. They do cover a lot of ground be it people’s experiences in the war “The Soldier’s Song” or the heartfelt tribute of “Bowton’s Yard”, a putting to song of Samuel Laycock’s poem about his neighbours at Stalybridge, a textile town. The band’s version of this is quite homely, celebratory and proud; it has a chasing glock, and successfully paints a bird’s-eye view of ordinary people living in a street and their lives. It’s warm vocals and roots in describing community is a great addition to the set. “Pay Day” likewise touches on these themes as it exemplifies the workers laments, “oh no you’ll never know how far you’ll fall, oh you’ll never know how deeps the hole.” Some slightly understated accordion, crisp banjo and accompanying guitar build a nice, slightly jaunty track amongst a set with a reasonable amount of darker material.

Speaking of the dark, “Willow and the Ghost” is a favourite of mine. A song about a ghost sighting and a tragedy is probably as folk as you can get in this musical set and in the genre fully. That being said there is something rather stripped back about it here. It isn’t the arrangement, because the glock, banjo, and guitar are quite a moving storm and when joined with some background samples you could believe that it was a folk turn for “The Human League” (going back to the earlier analogy). Instead it’s main appeal is to do with the content (though it is performed very well too). A song with melancholy, it is itself a spectre as it has the sad visage and a fatal accident within the lyrics, but unlike many songs there doesn’t seem to be a resolution; nothing is learned, someone’s life doesn’t suddenly prove worthwhile, and the skeletons of family history are not laid to rest. I quite like the fact that it is stark and simple in this regard with the lyrics, “there I saw a young girl slip into the deep” and then it turns particularly miserable, “I saw her drown, I saw the dress weigh her down.” It doesn’t let up, “Harp and a Monkey” should not stop writing these songs, that’s for certain.

So as mentioned at the beginning of this page, we have to talk about “The Molecatcher.” Coming with as much menace as you like (and then some more); the band’s take on the cuckold’s reaction to a young man visiting his wife is pretty grey in morals. The harp is eerie, the whole affair sounds like it is wrapped up in a fairytale as much as history, but the type of fairytale where right and wrong has no place. After all, the Molecatcher in the story is in every sense a cuckold, he seems content with the financial recompense and blissful ignorance of what is happening despite the trap setting for the unwitting lover. An old song and one from history showing people at their most complex and morally ambiguous, the group do such a good job with their interpretation with the odd jangle here and a grim turn of voice that somehow casts judgement on the listener as if asking “what is wrong with this scene?” It will clearly ring out in times and years to come with it’s catchy, black nature,”Woe to the day, woe to the wedding vows, woe to the day”. In absolute contrast, the set finished on “Katy’s Twinkly Band.” Conceived following a comment by a young daughter at the pub that the band started playing in they have imagined an upbeat song to match what she called them (the “Twinkly Band.”) Ending on an optimistic, child-like and light note it talks of the sea, the birds and a kaleidoscope of other imagery it sets. Perhaps there is still time, perhaps it is the “Sasha Fierce” to their “Beyonce” but instead with the grittier role being the everyday, and the cheery the other face? Either way a humorous and exceedingly sparkly entry.

Who will like “Harp and a Monkey”?

Fans of history to be sure, my review has barely scratched their works around World War I (and there is a lot of poignancy to be had there).

They are not a standard setup by any stretch of the imagination, but their songs are gloriously steeped in the family and working class to the extent that it takes centre-stage throughout. Furthermore their sound is very needed; folk with some modern influences, but ones that actually draw a lot of emotions that are often neglected in this material through the glockenspiel, harp, and banjo together. When playing the stage becomes like a kind of human echo chamber, it is how you’d imagine people’s stories travelling across space and between the stars, there is a certain beauty in the darkness and “Harp and a Monkey” has found it.

Check out their webpage here, if you are interested in upcoming Village Folk gigs, please go to the page here.

See a couple of samples below (the first from the excellent Bury Met). Give them a go- they are on tour too, so check out if they are playing near you!