Isambarde

Press Stuff - Reviews

ARTIST: ISAMBARDE
ALBUM: BARNSTORMING

Folk music seems to have stepped back into the wider consciousness in the last year of so, two Mercury nominations, two number 1 singles in the mainstream chart, all from different acts. Folk is stepping out of the shadows and is doing so with a new group of bands, singers and songwriters. Isambarde are just such a band.

The band have been grafting hard on the live circuit, 2006 sees that racking up quite a lot of miles on the car and bookings are already filling up for 2007. Listening to the band's "Barnstorming" album, it's not difficult to see why. The apprenticeship has served well; the band has come through the lower leagues and has become genuine challengers for folk's premiership.

A power trio, consisting Chris Green, Jude Rees and Emily Sanders, Isambarde hail from the Coventry area, but are now reaching quite a distance in their impact. This seems to be down to a wicked combination of playing ability and song selection. The song selection is a very interesting part of the equation.

Whilst the band by and large performs traditional songs, they've picked a lot that strike a chord with the 21st century. As we kick back against big government and unwanted wars, Isambarde remind us of those personal freedoms that were hard fought for by the unions, the right of personal freedoms. Regrets at the occasional impacts of illicit sex and the personal implications to families caught up in unjust wars.

English folk music is being performed with a passion again. The songs team with enthusiasm in a group setting in a way they can't when performed by a solo artist. The band setting is where a lot of these songs need to be. As solo pieces they could all too easily fall into dirge. In the hands of Isambarde, the songs positively burst into life. They can make a song that draws on events of 1618 sound like it was about 20 past 4 yesterday.

Folk is setting the 21st century on fire and Isambarde are a band to fan the flames.

FATEA

CHESTER - THE NEXT GENERATION

Summer has arrived at last and may even be gone by the time you read this but it brought Chester Folk Festival, a fixture in my calendar. I think I mentioned it before but the festival is not in the city of Chester but a few miles out in the village of Kelsall. This is a lovely location for a folk festival especially as there’s a pub The Olive Tree on the edge of the festival field.

When I first saw the line up this year I was a bit under whelmed. There were some well known top of the bill acts, Dick Vaughan and James Keelaghan for instance, plus some old friends Cloudstreet and some local acts but there were also a bunch of names unknown to me. However the first principle of folk festivals is to take pot luck, risk listening to new artists and enjoy it. The second principle is that whoever is appearing on stage don’t forget the sessions in and around pubs, inside peoples’ tents and sometimes (it is whispered) late at night in the big marquee.

I wasn’t disappointed. I had a marvellous time and saw some great acts that were previously unknown to me. Keith Donnelly cracked me up with his mixture of wild humour and some heart tugging songs. The two Toms, Bliss and Napper, were thoroughly entertaining and kept me, a budding mandolin and bouzouki player, on the edge of my seat as they played a lot of (you’ve guessed) mandolin and bouzouki.
I had never seen Dick Gaughan before and was looking forward to it. I wasn’t disappointed; in fact I’m now totally converted. It’s been some time since I heard songs that were both so convincing and enjoyable musically. Yes Dick is the man, though I guess some might have found him a bit uncompromising to top the bill on a Saturday night.

However the real highs of the festival were the young bands. I’m thinking in particular of Isambarde, 422 and Back of the Moon. They are all individual but they have in common youth and an enthusiasm and energy for the music which is truly formidable. A few weeks ago I saw an internationally known traditional band that played as though this was just another gig in just another town and they were tired – all most probably true, but it came over as such. The young bands at the festival would knock them into the proverbial cocked hat. B422 In particular had a real knock your socks off stage presence that left you gasping. My personal favourites were Isambarde who are a trio of fiddle, guitar, and oboe. An unusual combination but their playing has that energy that makes you want to get up and dance. I was taking to them after the afternoon concert on Monday and was delighted how much respect they gave to the previous, though still very much alive, generation of folk artists, people such as Jez Lowe. They are excellent musicians and singers. Their guitarist Chris ran the workshop on Monday morning. I’m not normally a great fan of the oboe in a folk context but Jude plays it in a totally convincing way which doesn’t sound as though she’s just wandered in from a chamber music concert. Emily is a great fiddle player but also has a voice of character and grace that can be breathtaking. Yes, there’s often one act at a festival that does it for me and at this Chester Folk Festival that act was Isambarde – watch out for them!

Now the act that did it for me a couple of years ago at the Bromyard Festival was Cloudstreet, an Australian duo who make regular summer tours to the UK. I’ve been following them ever since and I was delighted to catch up with them at Chester. As well as singing songs from the British Isles and Australia, they write their own. One song had my mind grappling with the concept of an Australian Morris side dancing up the sun on May Day, at the start of their winter. Cloudstreet keep getting better with every tour.
It was noticeable how professional local band The Time Bandits have become during the past year and good to hear their Helen Armstrong (also of Folk Orbit!) sing so well and with great character. The Time Bandits share that wow factor with the young bands I mentioned above. Taken all together, they reassure me that folk music tomorrow will be even more musical, more enthusiastic and more exciting than it is today.
I just haven’t the time or the space to describe the concerts and sessions in the pubs, nor the Morris displays and mummers, they all add variety and welcome colour to this relaxed and easy going festival.

Sadly on the Sunday night a few young non-festival goers took advantage of this to cause some disruption on the campsite. I know the festival organisers are already looking very seriously at how to tighten things up without changing the character of the festival.

The offenders must have been a different type of youth from the musicians I’ve described above. It’s clear to me which young people bring pleasure to others and make the world a better place.

All in all it was a great festival and we look forward to next year’s and I absolutely promise to take part in the Morris workshop and report back.

Didge Lewis
Folk Orbit