Album Review
The Wonky Folk
Kingston Prison Blues: an introduction to…
Limited 10″ Vinyl / DL
Out now
Portsmouth garage veterans become acid-folk bossa-nova group. ‘ The most chilled of protest bands with a quiet radicalism’ Ged Babey called them previously.
The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways, the point however, is to change it…
It’s a piece of dialogue from a Mike Leighs ‘High Hopes’ that opens the song ‘God Save The King’ by the Wonky Folk. It is of course, a quote from Karl Marx. (I knew that… actually i didn’t. So I’ve learned something.)
They are not really ‘folk’ and there is nothing about their music which is ‘wonky’.
The Wonky Folk play a kind of laidback psych-folk with a shoegaze vibe and bossa-nova groove which is age-appropriate if you are long in the tooth and need a safe musical space to chill and relax in. But not without a bit of questioning, thought and self-analysis.
Main man Steve Duffield was in Pompey garage-punk band The Mild Mannered Janitors, later, cult mods Knave and eventually the original line-up of the Beta Band. More recently bassist in Steve Masons band. Originally this was his solo project but organically became a full band but for the first time he is centre-stage, singer and lyricist and out of his sideman comfort zone. He is among friends though: drummer and backing vocalist Jane is still known as Queen Hornet from her time in The Green Hornets. Bassist Carly is in Thee Lonely Hearts, and guitarist Matt is in Copernicus Rice and was in Milton Underground Resistance with Steve and the late, much missed Simon Holliday.
Subtitled, An introduction to The Wonky Folk it is a ‘story so far’/ collected recordings of songs that have been available before, BUT, remixed, remastered and sequenced into a near-perfect, cohesive album.
An album with seven tracks, straight form the heart, from the perfect representatives of Pompey (Portsmouth) underground scene. We confirm that you won’t be able to listen to anything better. the best combination of folk, pop and psychedelia. (Say Old Bad Habits)
Its twenty-five minutes of glorious, chilled to perfection, floaty music which really does soothe and heal. (I’m not gonna use that bath analogy again!)
Blood Flows, ends with a clip of the shipping forecast before The Place Where I Live -which is almost a hymn to seeking and finding contentment. Clever Friends seems to express complex emotions in simple words tangled in melody and reverb. Dred is a love song full of self-doubt in the form of a psychedelic drone.
The opening Mexico is the most exquisite of the songs which somehow is self-descriptive of the whole Wonky Folk project. Steve sings about life lacking definition, things not being easy, but time spent with animals and friends, even though they sometimes drive him round the bend, all help and I don’t know if I’m happy, but it feels like therapy to me…
Kingston Prison Blues: is a great introduction to The Wonky Folk – the album an artistic & musical equivalent of time well spent, lazing around and chatting with a dear friend and coming away feeling relaxed and a bit better about the world and all its confusion and chaos.
Buy from here
All words Ged Babey, except press release content / lyrics in italics.
A Plea From Louder Than War
Louder Than War is run by a small but dedicated independent team, and we rely on the small amount of money we generate to keep the site running smoothly. Any money we do get is not lining the pockets of oligarchs or mad-cap billionaires dictating what our journalists are allowed to think and write, or hungry shareholders. We know times are tough, and we want to continue bringing you news on the most interesting releases, the latest gigs and anything else that tickles our fancy. We are not driven by profit, just pure enthusiasm for a scene that each and every one of us is passionate about.
To us, music and culture are eveything, without them, our very souls shrivel and die. We do not charge artists for the exposure we give them and to many, what we do is absolutely vital. Subscribing to one of our paid tiers takes just a minute, and each sign-up makes a huge impact, helping to keep the flame of independent music burning! Please click the button below to help.
John Robb – Editor in Chief
Leave a Reply