Tag: folk-rock

All the way from the land down under, Australian Folk singer Ernest Aines is coming to Wiltshire….

On his fourth tour of the UK throughout May and June, Ernest’s tour coincides with the release of his new single, “Just Once”, coming out on 23rd May. I had the opportunity to give it a listen before the big release, and it is nothing short of fantastic.

The song opens with some plucked guitar strings and then leads into flawless vocals and harmonies. As a whole, it tells the story of an unseen love and all the emotions that go along with it. The minimalist instruments give it a down to earth, human feel and all in all it’s a truly enjoyable listen. I truly would recommend it!

Aines is becoming quite a big name in the Folk world, particularly in his home turf of Melbourne where he has been twice nominated for Australian Artist of The Year, at the Folk Alliance Awards.

He’s not as big over here in England, so if you do want to check out some of his stuff, I would strongly recommend his 2023 album “Spiral Bound” as a great place to start – or his new single when it comes out would also be a good starting point.

His tour is taking him all over the place – from Cardiff concert hall, to live at the BBC studio, but luckily if you do want to see him there’s no need to travel too far, Ernest is playing at The Deanery Theatre in Swindon on the 24th of May.

With only a guitar and a stomp box he’s known as a master of the stage. As an amateur musician myself, I can understand how difficult it is to fill a stage with just yourself and an instrument, but he has it down to a tee.  

I really do advise getting tickets while you can, or at the very least giving his new song a listen, I’ve got a feeling we’re going to start to hear a lot more about Aines, and wouldn’t it be cool when he’s worldwide famous to be able to say you heard him first?

Aines will be playing at the Deanery Theatre in Swindon on the 24th May, tickets are available here and “Just Once”, out on the 23rd can be pre-saved here.

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Lady Nade; Sober!

Dry January, anyone? Well, Lady Nade just plunged into an outdoor 4°C eucalyptus sauna for a social media reel. But whilst I’d require a stiff…

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Rooks; New Single From M3G

Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, M3G (because she likes a backward “E”) has a new single out tomorrow, Friday 19th December. Put your jingly bell cheesy tunes…

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Courting Ghosts Debut Album: Falling My Friend

Images used with kind permission of Pacific Curd Photography

West Wilts and Somerset folk-rock collective Courting Ghosts are about to release their debut album, Falling my Friend in June…..

If the name Courting Ghosts conveys something twisted and gothic, the band name may be a smidgen deceiving to their style. Subjective though, what’s in a name; if I was courting a ghost I’d imagine she’d be the scariest, like The Lady in White, mysteriously motionless with unkempt hair over her face; creepy stuff like that. Whereas if Lindisfarne were courting a ghost it’d likely be Casper!

I’m thinking there’s more Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze shenanigans going on here than either The lady in White or the friendly ghost, because, whilst Lindisfarne can be rather quirky seventies, yet are undeniably an accolade to UK folk-rock, Courting Ghost’s Falling my Friend is earnest and steadfast, feelgood folk integrity; no messing about. The narrative is amorous and the ambience refreshingly strolling along the sunny side of the street. Your pottery is going to be smooth listening to this at the wheel, Demi!

I’m getting more the romanticism of Springsteen, the breeze of Tom Petty, and the drift of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Still, the Americana component is subtle at best, in sound the balance tips largely on the UK folk scene, particularly of their roots in the West Country. So let’s lob in the honesty of Hothouse Flowers too, for good measure. It’s a gentle flow rather than all twangy banjos and knee-slapping, for sure.

Image: Pacific Curd Photography

Frontman and guitarist Chris Hoar and Marcel Rose on acoustic guitar hail from Trowbridge, and they make the original duo. The five-piece was formed a little under two years ago by networking via open mics. Dave Turner on keys and backing vocals from Frome, bassist Andy Maggs from Bath. Drummer Tim Watts, while skiving off the photoshoot, provides the Devizes connection. Combined it’s a force of professionalism. Additions to the line-up includes Holly Carter, a marvel on the peddle steel, and a rather splendid guest vocalist who will be revealed shortly!

Courting Ghosts are not trying to bedazzle you with daring experimentation or cryptic wordplay, it’s an elementary formula. This is walking back to your festival tent after a mellowed afternoon music. It’s unassuming, tranquil. It’s dew on the grass precipitating under a spring sunrise. 

They kick it off with the luxuriate title track, nine others succeed and follow suit. Every Time, the third song in, raises the bar with a particularly beguiling hook. Following this Close my Eyes ups the sentimental notch a level. A ballad with delicate keys, vocally harmonised to perfection with the fantastic Lorna, one half of the duo Fly Yeti Fly.

Image: Pacific Curd Photography

She’s Alright, some eight tunes along this beautiful journey is as uptempo as it gets, at least it rolls on the strings. It’s an unspecified ode to that one person who will always cheer you up. Sentiments abound is a running theme, as it cools to a close with an air of feelgood ambience. 

If you catch them gigging, the CD will be available to buy in June, I suggest you treat yourself and your drive home through our rolling downs will be complemented with an apt soundtrack. Courting Ghosts are going to drop a track per month on Spotify starting from the end of May, with the whole album becoming available for streaming planned for September or October. Keep up-to-date on this album by checking the band’s socials, Facebook. Instagram. 

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Sound Affects Find the Ley Lines

Make no mistake, we love Swindon folk-rock duo Sound Affects here at Devizine. Ergo I’m prepped with some fond words and in high expectations prior to listening to their new album out today (13th Dec) Ley Lines. It’s been over two years since reviewing Everyday Escapism, their previous nugget of wonderful. And if I praised them for the honest folk songs then, Ley Lines is an immense enhancement for acute subject matter, and is lyrically grafted with more passionate prose. The result is sublime, as I anticipated, but that smidgen more.

From the off Gouldy and Cath compose with significance, and these eleven tunes don’t simply drift over you aimlessly with acoustic goodness, though they have that. They stand as testaments to the tenet of injustices of modern social and political issues. Upon faced with the political reformist opening song, One Man Army, you know there’s an aim to reinforce the lost ethos of political standing in a song, as is the direct influences they often cover as their band, The Daybreakers; of power-pop, new wave post-punk, eighties garage and mod. Though as a duo, Sound Affects are strictly folk-rock, only maintaining the ethos of their inspirations in lyrics.

The second tune projects like a musical of an Alan Bleasdale play, there’s certain bitterness in the broken dreams and prewritten fate of folk in the decay of modern poverty, and Gouldy nails it akin to Ken Loach, with No Means to Pay. What follows is a Kafkaesque, revolutionary dream, but if you felt this is all liberal point-scoring, King for a Day has more acquitted associations similar to the drifting and euphoric sounds of Everyday Escapism.

Windmills drifts similarly, gorgeously, and is naturally Edenic. While shards of the aforementioned bitterness are subtle now, replaced with an idyllic moment, you consider if they’re losing the edginess of the opening tunes. Then Cath’s flute takes us back to a tender era with Giving Something Back, and Gouldy sings, perhaps the most simplistic chorus, but genius song here, it opens a clear nod to his love for the narrative of Irish folk; it’s a working-class ideology, and you can effectively visualise the labours leaving for home on a dark winter’s eve, with the backdrop of a cold red-bricked factory. There’s something acutely Levellers, but a sprinkling of Springsteen’s Nebraska about it.

Typically, romance with a twist is a not forgotten subject, but played well, in Say it to my Face, and it returns with ponderings of conspiracy and dogmatic hierarchy. Unanswered Questions has overtones of a missing girl, without mentioning the McCann family, there’s connotations of a similar tragedy, and it’s heartbreakingly candid. Yet throughout any dejection in theme, Sound Affects always ascertain a joyful euphoria through the sublimeness and effortlessness of their sound; acoustic guitar and flute, fiddle; tried and tested formula to hold a pub gig spellbound, as they recurrently do.

Together what you have is a numinously uplifting, wandering and softened euphoric album which drifts on rancorous and sometimes acrimonious subjects many modern musicians might steer away from. It’s folk alright, but with a bygone bite and righteous morals. More importantly, it’s so damn good, it’s essential.