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‘All Rogues & Villains’ - a tough leap for others to follow (October 30, 2007)
‘All Rogues & Villains’ - a tough leap for others to follow
The Duncan McFarlane Band (DMcF) has raised the bar on folk rock and in doing so has made it a tough leap for others to follow.
 With
their CD ‘All Rogues & Villains’ DMcF has released a definitive
piece of English folk rock. It’s great to hear these guys fulfilling
their promise. It’s also good to hear the band deliver a finely crafted
performance mixing traditional songs, incisive lyrics and talented
musicianship. The DMcF package combines Duncan’s distinctive voice,
guitar and composing skills, Geoff Taylor’s precise guitar and
mandolin, and fine fiddle work from Anne Brionese. Add to that Steve
Fairholme’s ‘on the button’ meticulous melodeon, Nick Pepper's
outstanding drumming and Tony Rogerson’s pounding bass.
The
opening tracks are vintage DMcF- a rogue and a villain every one.
‘Botany Bay’ a great narrative song, thrives on some seriously up front
guitar and melodeon. It’s followed by ‘Rakish Young Fellow’, which,
with a broadside of shattering guitars, hammering bass and ‘Yo-ho-ho’
chorus, conjures pure piracy. These are traditional songs given the
DMcF treatment - roaring guitar riffs, magnificent melodeon breaks and
sniping fiddle, with solid drum and bass to power through the songs.
This is the DMcF that fans have come to love.
The first
Duncan-composed song on the CD, ‘Bed of Straw’ could be a tune from 300
years ago. Indeed, the song describes the unfortunate death of two army
conscripts in the 1800’s, but that’s Duncan’s skill - taking tradition
and bringing up-to-date. ‘Spadge’ is another great composition
bemoaning the decline of house sparrows in our gardens. I’ve always
known them as ‘spadgers’ - who cares? It’s a damn fine song with biting
lyrics: “Old friends they were familiar, so close to everyone. The
widespread once abundant, it seems their time has come.” And if you can
stay still during ‘Anna Morrison/Karine/Atholl Highlanders’ you’re
either dead-drunk or already dead.
‘All Rogues & Villains’
strikes me as a ‘CD of two halves’ (to paraphrase some sporting pundit
or other) but that’s what it is. From the mid-point there’s a definite
step change and it’s a good one too, with a selection of songs telling
the stories of Franklin, Mary Read and the Luddite Riots.
Do
we need another version of ‘Lord Franklin’ in the folk rock style? If
it's this one yes we do. This is the best rendition I’ve listened to
for a long time, and I’ve heard a few. It mixes soulful fiddle and
melodeon with a stunning guitar break that few would have the courage
to include. Then Anne gets a chance to show off her voice and a great
voice it is too, with lead vocals on ‘The Lowlands of Holland’. Still
in the pirate theme (a clear DM passion going here) ‘Mary Read’ is
another finely written DMcF song and sensitively recounts the story of
an 18th century female pirate. ‘Rawfold’s Mill’ has a sharp edge
recalling Luddite’s attacking a shearing machine, the resulting death
and destruction – and treats you to more classic guitar work.
‘All
Rogues & Villains’ closes with ‘A-Begging I Will Go‘ - yet another
rewrite of a first-rate traditional song and ‘Robin Hood’s Bay’ a
celebrated drinking song. And judging by the crowd participation at the
end a drunken time was had by all.
DMcF is what English
folk-rock deserves to be, combining a keen understanding of tradition
welded to cutting-edge rock. And that’s what’s best about DMcF songs -
the depth of tradition driven by modern folk rock treatments. Of
course, some will criticise what they see as ‘messing with tradition’ –
well that’s what thousands of folk singers have done for the last few
hundred years. That’s the point of an oral tradition. Folk rock is just
another expression.
I’ve said before that DMcF deliver folk
rock with bite. There isn’t any part of this CD that doesn’t show its
teeth – sometimes it’s a smile, sometimes it’s a snap – whichever, this
is a masterpiece of the genre. Click here to return to the News page
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