If our beloved two-part Devizes one-part Trowbridge folk harmony trio, The Lost Trades should be at the level now of aiming for reviews in the mainstream press and international folk music specialist magazines, they’re so nice they never forget little ol’ me, still bashing away at my keyboard writing this slapdash jumble! They’ve sent over Long Since Gone, the fourth single to feature on their follow-up album, the details of which are also being unravelled like a scroll in the hands of an eager pirate; exciting news……
Never quite as easy, the follow-up, but via these sneaky peeks, the previous three singles, Daffodils, Keep My Feet Dry, and Old Man of the Sea, anticipation is reasonable. We know its name, “Petrichor,” meaning the aroma of rain after a sunny spell. We have a release date, 10th March, the beginning of their spring tour, Bandcamp pre-orders from Bandcamp Friday, the 3rd February. We also have a glimpse at the cover, in which the trio saunter a one-point perspective open road, Phil looking chuffed, Jamie looking like he’s been duped by the distance they’ve rambled, and Tamsin set slightly back in the middle, doing the whole Mary Poppins thing!
On the strength of the previous singles, I admit I’m going in with high expectations. If each song seems to have bettered the preceding one in each of their own unique way, my first impressions were this has levelled out somewhat. Naturally, it bears all the hallmarks of a great Lost Trades song, it still points in the right direction, but ah, unlike the immediate appeal of the others, Long Since Gone is a grower, me thinks; sneaks up on you, and loiters while you’re dangling off a Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Phil takes the lead here, on this dreamy and sentimental harmony, with its humble narrative of bereavement and anguish, naturally awash with the kind of enriching stimulus we’ve come expect. The Trades explain, “it was written for a friend who sadly lost a long battle with cancer two years ago, and deals with the advanced stage of grieving, after the immediate pain fades and you are left with a lingering ache to see your friend once more.”
A notion we must all face if not already, and the gift this song gives is this all-encompassing emotion, which will implant in your mind the remembrance of a particular person close to you, that much is concrete. If the manufacture of provocative prose by drawing on personal reflection and generalising it, so its audience can mirror the concept from their own reminiscences is the objective of any artist, The Lost Trades have quickly become masters of how the pull the heartstrings and paint a picture through words and music. Therefore, I take it all back, Long Since Gone sure is a beauty, and another darn good reason to be enthusiastic for the 10th March.
Listening link-tree HERE






Trending…
Devizes Residents; Glue Chattering Teeth Toys To Market Cross!
Our trustworthy Gazelle & Herod reported today that “disgraceful” behaviour in Devizes Market Place has elevated into a dental issue…. Publishing an article which states…
Devizes Brickley Lane Play Area Public Consultation
Devizes Town Council would like to hear your views on the proposed scheme for the Brickley Lane Play Area… They are inviting residents and the…
The Bayeux Tapestry: In-Conversation Event in Frome
In 2027, British Museum exhibition curator Michael Lewis and medieval historian Janina Ramirez will be appearing at Frome’s Cheese & Grain for an exclusive talk…
What’s on at the Wharf Theatre in October?
OCTOBER at The Wharf Theatre, Devizes arrives with a burst of creativity, variety and irresistible entertainment. This month’s programme showcases everything that makes the Wharf…
Dinosaurs at Jurassic Hillworth Park!
Images: Jess Worrow Ah, for the connotations of US drive-in movie theaters, now in decline over the pond, but embedded as characteristic romantic americana; the…
3 Daft Monkeys Jumping on The Barge at Honeystreet
I can be sent an album, review it because I love it, and put the artists atop of my cognitive must-see list. Although the list…
“Playhouse Creatures” at The Wharf Theatre, Devizes, October 8th-10th – A preview
by Ian Diddams images by Simon Hoy This tragi-comic play, set in 1660s London, focuses on the first English actresses allowed on stage after the…
Halloween Firewalk for Wiltshire & Bath Air Ambulance
Would you dare to join Wiltshire & Bath Air Ambulance at their airbase on Friday 30 October 2026 for an unforgettable Firewalk Challenge? Feel the…
Ruby Darbyshire’s Freeman Tribute at Ilfracombe Festival
If it’s not unusual for Wiltshire singer-songwriter Ruby Darbyshire to break out the bagpipes at a gig, it’s often for a solo stint of piping.…
“Pink Mist” at The Mission Theatre, Bath, September 9th-12th
by Ian Diddams images by Mike Stevens This week marks 25 years since 9/11 (11 September 2001), when the world awoke to the news that…
As always, a fair and thorough review. It didn’t immediately make me want to listen to the single but, I am Phil’s Mum and, as you would expect, have a ‘slightly’ biased viewpoint…. AND I have already heard and grown to love this single. I am greatly looking forward to the album ‘Petrichor’ is a wonderful title… the joy that the smell of rain on warm earth brings makes the heart sing as I hope the album will do
LikeLike