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| Album, Gig and Band Reviews |
Taking folk to new places and daring to explore... (April 20, 2008)
Before
you read any further take note – Wheeler Street will become a force in
English folk music. They deliver not only comprehensively excellent
musicianship they also have the advantage of youth to give them
longevity. There’s drive, passion and enthusiasm by the cartload.
There’s also their approach to traditional folk (with more than a nod
in the direction of Ireland and Scotland) combined with self-penned
songs and tunes that take influence from where they will.
There
used to be great confusion among the folk world that young people could
produce music in the tradition. There was even more concern that new
artists were ‘messing’ with the tradition to create music that
reflected their own style. Today’s young folk artists have blown those
views away. Taking folk to new places and daring to explore is the
future of the genre. Keeping in tune (pun intended) with the tradition
gives the necessary grounding and foundation. Wheeler Street does just
that, and don’t feel the need to apply definitive labels. This is folk
music – sure it rocks but his is rocking folk music, putting it in a
box called folk rock is a definition too far.
Outside continual
gigging, dropping demos into the club circuit, playing festivals
(bookings permitting) and (latterly) taking web-based routes, it’s a
task for bands to spread the word. I’m sure that Wheeler Street do all
that, but equally it cannot be too long before the folk world comes
looking for them.
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