John Kirkpatrick is the veteran squeezebox maestro of the English folk scene, and an impressive singer. Shirley Collins said he could “move me to tears with a song”. His latest project, a collection of war songs, is in danger of being overlooked following the blitz of folk albums that marked the centenary of the start of the first world war, though Kirkpatrick’s approach is slightly different: these are songs from both the first and second world wars, ranging from the angry and ironic to the sentimental. So a charming and upbeat song about rationing, Never Mind the Food Controller, is placed alongside The Dying Soldier. Then there’s Ewan MacColl’s Browned Off, from the days when he was a soldier, and a political treatment of Run, Rabbit, Run. An often poignant history lesson, with Kirkpatrick’s four sons (including Benji of Bellowhead fame) providing the vocal backing.
