The no-nonsense London five-piece have just been awarded the fRoots critics’ poll album of the year for their debut, From Here, so it was surprising that this late-night show wasn’t sold out. They are a great live band, and their references to the Copper Family or John Kirkpatrick showed that their folk-punk approach is matched by a fascination with the English folk tradition.
Lead singer Nicola Kearey’s harsh London accent transforms even the best-known traditional songs. She is backed by the driving acoustic guitar work of Ian Carter, and harmony singing from Fran Foote, who provides the band with their distinctive sound, while driving on their songs with rhythmically perfect hand-claps. This was sophisticated DIY.
The set began with the trio reworking Up to the Rigs of London Town with a powerful blend of storytelling and sophisticated harmony vocals, before fiddle and percussion joined in for the angry protest of Common Ground.
Mixing traditional songs with their own material, the themes were often the same – hard work and hard times, crime and jail. The old songs ranged from the murder ballad Bows of London, dressed up with percussion, to Ewan MacColl’s Champion at Keeping ’Em Rolling – included, said Kearey, “because my dad was a lorry driver”. Their own material included stories about dodgy car-boot sales and the London riots. Me n Becky, a tale of looting, regret and prison, is surely one of the songs of the year. For the encore, they switched to Christmas and the Boar’s Head Carol – pointing out that the Latin lyric reminded them of a well-known pizza chain.
- At Leytonstone Ex-Servicemens Club, London, on 6 January. Box office: 07904 210218. Then touring.
