For Folk's Sake » First Aid Kit

Festival: Green Man

FFS writers — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:24:18 +0000

The ladies of First Aid Kit

The Green Man promised magic and he didn’t disappoint.

Once again the organisers pulled off the spectacular trick of attracting the friendliest festival crowd to the most laid-back festival there is, while enticing some of the weirdest and most wonderful bands out there to perform.

Manchester krautrockers Plank get the party started in fine style over in the Far Out tent, while heirs to Hefner’s geek-pop throne, Wave Pictures, are the first of many great acts to grace the main stage.
Travel disruption sees Mountain Man miss their main-stage slot; they are replaced by the idiosyncratic but weirdly compelling songs of Sweet Baboo (check his track ‘Who Would Have Thought’ for evidence) and the wonderful Caitlin Rose, who looks a little nervous on the big stage but plays her heart out. When Mountain Man do eventually take to the intimate Green Man Pub stage, their intricate harmonies impress but are perhaps not quite as mind-blowing as hoped for.

The Majestic Ms. Marling.

That particular honour goes first to Steve Mason, who delivers a confident set that includes classic Beta Band and King Biscuit Time tracks (’Dry the Rain’ and ‘No Style’ respectively). The fans are thrilled and the newcomers are impressed. Fuck Buttons follow and they drop an immense set of looping and building multi-textured behemoths as only they can.

Where to go from there? An Horse are playing their hearts out at the GM Pub, while Doves are plodding and pounding through their back catalogue in a vaguely stirring way. Time for bed.

Come Saturday, the sun has come out (as have a sea of blankets and festival chairs) and normality is restored. Welsh warhorses El Goodo kick things off on the main stage, wearing their Super Furry influences proudly on their ragtag sleeves, and Race Horses also represent the home nation proudly with their Gorky-esque indie-pop.

Over in the Far Out, the absurdly young Egyptian Hip Hop kids impress with their gothy rock, Voice of the Seven Thunders feel slightly anonymous in comparison, and Summer Camp arrive like a summer breeze with their pre-meditated, almost sycophantic ode to 80s pop, but are fantastic with it.

Elizabeth Sankey of Summer Camp

Avi Buffalo show enough potential to suggest good things may yet come from them, while These New Puritans are just a bit miserable and, well, puritanical to really go down well in these idyllic environs. Wild Beasts, on the other hand, hoot their way through a polished, brilliant set that has the tent howling for more. Over on the main stage, things are getting weird with Wayne Coyne’s lazer-jazz-hands – his band the Flaming Lips are predictably epic as ever. But the real freakiness is going on elsewhere, with Neon Indian’s set-of-the-weekend for the 100 or so people there to witness it. “Like a discofied version of Chk Chk Chk….” they are one of the discoveries of the weekend, month, year even. But the night is not over yet. There’s still time to squeeze in a bit of Metronomy before bed. These guys really have developed into the finished article, the perfect party band – absolutely immense! Honourable mentions too for the lovely First Aid Kit, who are just great, and the quietly impressive Scottish folkie Rachel Sermanni.

Sunday starts in sardonic style, with the deadpan Steve Adams showing off his new band, Singing Adams (”A big hand for Melinda on the drums. She’s a horrible person but a great drummer”). The lyrics are great and the sing-along moments are rather lovely too. And if the band thing doesn’t work out, Steve has a sure fire future in stand-up comedy. Things go from sunny to surreal with the arrival of Darwin Deez, who pull a big crowd, possibly due to their camp-as-Christmas dance routines rather than the music. Nowt wrong with that, mind. By contrast, Alasdair Roberts sits at the other end of the music spectrum, with his serious, traditional folk songs culled from as far afield as New Zealand and 9th century Persia. The final tune, an epic for all the people in the crowd on anti-depressents, is about as eccentric as it gets though.

Stuart Staples - Mr. Tindersticks

Field Music, Laura Marling and folk boy-band Mumford & Sons all come and go with impressive, if perfunctory sets, leaving the crowd in the capable hands of the swoonsome but slightly world-weary Tindersticks. The bubble and squeak of Joanna Newsom soothes a massive main-stage crowd as night falls and the rain returns with a vengeance. But there’s one more surprise in store for people down the GM pub – Silver Columns are the most baffling, nuts act of the whole weekend. Comprising folkie stalwarts Adem and Pictish Trail, the Silver Columns are early 90s rave, Erasure and c.2007 handbag house all rolled into one. You get the feeling the whole project is a bit of a joke, but there’s no denying it’s a pretty good one.

A weird way to end the festival perhaps but this is Green Man where, as they say, you should always expect the unexpected…

Words and pictures: Joe Downie

In Photos: Latitude Festival

FFS writers — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:58:06 +0000

Our photographer about town, Georgie M'Glug, reports on the folkier side of Latitude

Conor O’Brien of Villagers cries out to the packed Word Arena with his raw, immediate and achingly-heartfelt songs on Friday afternoon.

Demure and unassuming as ever, but with a new-found fire in her belly, Laura Marling commands the Obelisk Arena on Friday night.

What’s not to love about First Aid Kit? They arrived for their woodland set on Saturday by walking through the audience at the Sunrise Arena, took photos of each other whilst sound-checking, and thanked their dad for being their roadie sound man. Totally adorable!

Beehived and breathtaking, Beth Jeans Houghton treated ‘tuders to some haunting, country-tainted folk at the Lake Stage, Sunday night.

Festival stalwart Florence and the Machine

The marvellous Holly Miranda

Words and photos: Georgie M’Glug

Live: Peggy Sue & First Aid Kit @ The Garage, London

FFS writers — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:14:20 +0000

Having seen Peggy Sue more recently in a festival field and First Aid Kit in the heavenly Union Chapel, on first impressions The Garage seemed something of a mis-match. A dark, low-ceilinged, intimate venue with a reputation as a rite of passage for indie bands, the relaunched Garage may not appear the ideal venue for folk music. Its shadowy confines may have felt oppressive to begin with, but a fittingly intimate amosphere developed for what was both a gig and a birthday celebration for the Wichita label itself.

Rosa Slade and Katy Young take turns at fronting Peggy Sue, swapping between guitar, accordion and ukulele. The sweetness in their vocals belies the fury of women scorned in lyrics such as “I’m gonna go down town gonna find myself some fun / I’m gonna go down town I’m gonna get myself someone / Forget your hair forget your smell until there’s none.” This, from ‘Yo Mama’, is a good example of the attitude of hurt and emotional reprisal.

Peggy Sue deliver their angry music with a fist concealed in the proverbial velvet glove, occasionally interrupted by a seam of regret as in ‘The Shape We Made’, a musing on the memory of spooning with an ex lover. The trio worked the small stage well: Rosa in particular performs with a striking presence; showing the emotion on her face as she sings and poses like a star with a lifetime of experience. What direction they go from here will be the key to their future success; agitated melancholy is one thing, but can they play happy, and do we really want them to?

Following Peggy Sue, the Soderberg sisters who form First Aid Kit took to the stage with a confidence and exuberence I haven’t seen in them before. This was most striking in Johanna who has seemed nervous in the past despite the assuredness of their music. Gone is the self-deprecating belief that their audience only know them due to a YouTube Fleet Foxes cover, replaced instead by playfulness in the performance.

Older material combined with tracks from this year’s The Big Black and Blue were played with their usual heartbreaking thrust and murmured riposte including what is becoming a well-oiled performance of ‘Ghost Town’ unplugged in the front ranks of the crowd. This is possibly the most beautiful track in their arsenal and is rightly given special treatment as Klara’s voice sweeps her fans away into a reverie, receiving rapturous applause at its end.

The confines of The Garage made the experience of this track, and First Aid Kit’s music as a whole, all the more mesmerising and all-encompassing. The girls wrapped things up with an onstage contest, getting some eager fans up for a sing-along to win some tickets. I only wish my hand had gone up faster and with more conviction to secure my place onstage.

All in all it was a fitting end to a fitting part of the Wichita 10th Anniversary celebrations, probably greatly improved by the omission of my own vocal contribution.

Words and Pictures: Chris Gent

Singles round-up: the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the National, First Aid Kit, Crocodiles

Lynn Roberts — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:51:44 +0000

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Say No To Love

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart may be telling us to ‘Say No To Love’ in their latest single, but it will be hard to keep away once you’ve heard it. Singer Kip Bermans soft alluring voice will have you smitten within the first 30 seconds and along with a simple mix of guitars, drums and a piano when the 3.49 minuets are over you will be in a full blown love affair with this track before you know it. To ensure the love affair continues catch them at Latitude early July then a short UK tour end of July. Out Now. To fall in love head to The Pains of Being Pure of Heart’s MySpace. - JP

The National – Anyone’s ghost

While summer might be all about those fun loving, care-free tracks and this is a song more fitting to slightly overcast weather, here at For Folk’s Sake we don’t like to leave anybody out. Hailing from Brooklyn The National’s latest single, ‘Anyone’s Ghost’ fits the bill perfectly. Claiming Joy Division as one of their influences, this certainly rings true as singer Matt Berninger moodily tells his tale of woe and a lost love. Unfortunately its going to be tricky to catch them live as they are not going to be in the UK much these next few months, so for the next best option head to YouTube for a watch and a listen. Out Now. - JP

First Aid Kit – Sailor Song

Taken from their debut album The Big Black And The Blue the third single, ‘Sailor Song’ is simply beautiful, if folk is the genre for you, I need say no more other than you will love this track, I guarantee it. While the lyrics may not be relatable to everyone, “the sailors leave in the morning, I’ll be waiting for you all night” its certainly heart warming and will not fail to put a smile upon your pretty little faces and even a tear to a certain reviewers’ eyes. Out 12th July. What ever your plans are right now, stop and watch the video, I promise it will bring you nothing but enjoyment. - JP

Crocodiles – Sleep Forever

We have had a lot to thank the Californian sun for over the years, with all those frazzled brains churning out psychedelic fuzz and upbeat melodies. Crocodiles’ ‘Sleep Forever’ is the latest in the long line of offerings from the Golden State, and yet initially seems more suited to our own summer climate with it’s charming opening line “Yesterday the sky was cold and gray/kept me as a prisoner in my home”. As the song progresses the brief touches of suitably trippy vocals, vaguely poppy harmonies and the hazy, electronic mirage of sound are frequently drowned out by anthemic posturing of the post-punk variety. The result is an interesting mish-mash and with Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford on producing duty you can probably guess which musical legacy wins out in the end. (Clue: it ain’t the sunshine pop of the 1960s.) - LJ

Words: Jess Powderly, Lois Jeary

The Folk Artist Twitter Directory

Stephen W Thomas — Thu, 06 May 2010 08:30:09 +0000

Below is our attempt at a comprehensive directory of folk artists currently on Twitter – of course, we aren’t Twitter deities and as such will almost certainly have missed out on certain artists. Let us know if you can think of any tweeting folk musicians in the comments below.

Akron/Family

Angus and Julia Stone

Asthmatic Kitty (Label)

Brian: FFS’s Mixtape-Making Owl

Broadcast 2000

Caitlin Rose

Cherbourg

Colin Meloy (Decemberists)

Damien Rice (PR Account)

Dev Hynes (Lightspeed Champion)

Divine Comedy (PR account)

Efterklang

Emmy the Great

Fanfarlo

FFS (Official Account)

Kurran & the Wolfnotes

Laura Marling (PR account)

Lisa Hannigan (PR account)

Lisa Mitchell

Lissie

The Living Sisters (PR account)

Local Natives

The Low Anthem

Midlake

Monsters of Folk (PR account)

The New Pornographers

Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy)

Peggy Sue

Rebecca Taylor (Slow Club)

Rufus Wainwright (PR account)

She & Him (PR account)

St. Vincent

Sweet Billy Pilgrim

The Swell Season (PR account)

The Swell Season (Glen Hansard)

For Folk’s Sake’s festival calendar

Lynn Roberts — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:28:17 +0000

We’ve gone through the folkier end of the festival calender, and hereby bring you our picks.

You won’t find any news on Glastonbury or Reading and Leeds, mind. We’re here to tell you about the things you might not have heard about yet.

And what a selection there is this year. You can see Bob Dylan and Laura Marling share a stage at one-day festival Hop Farm in Kent. The always wonderful End of the Road is bringing the legendary and elusive Diane Cluck over from the US as well as playing host to FFS’s favourite band in the world, The Mountain Goats.

For those who like their festivals crossed with city breaks, Open House is putting on an astonishing series of gigs in Belfast including Seasick Steve and Old Crow Medicine Show. And if you’ve got your tastes firmly set to folk of all kinds, the Divine Comedy, Donovan and Johnny Flynn play Moseley Folk Festival, which mixes traditional and new folk music in Birmingham.

Latitude is well on its way to getting the full folk set with Laura Marling, Noah & the Whale and Mumford & Sons all booked to play and also features chuckles from our favourite comedian Josie Long. Lounge on the Farm is putting on our live act of the moment, Cocos Lovers.

And finally, Green Man has got Joanna Newsom. That’s all I’m saying about that.

We don’t want you to have any nasty surprises when it comes to ticket costs so we’ve added booking fees and posting and what not into the prices below. Happy camping!

21-23 May
Wood Festival
Braziers Park, Oxfordshire
Peggy Sue, Cate Le Bon, Frank Turner, Tunng, Fionn Regan
Weekend ticket £72.74 (incl fees) link

3 July
Hop Farm Festival
Hop Farm, Kent
Bob Dylan, Ray Davies, Mumford & Sons, Seasick Steve, Laura Marling, The Magic Numbers
Day ticket without camping £76.25 (incl fees) link

9-11 July
Lounge on the Farm
Merton Farm, Canterbury
Cocos Lovers, Fionn Regan, Jesca Hoop, Tunng
Weekend ticket (incl fees & postage) £103.95 link

15-18 July
Latitude
Henham Park, Suffolk
Laura Marling, Midlake, Belle & Sebastian, Richard Hawley, Noah & the Whale, Grizzly Bear, Jonsi, Mumford & Sons, Frank Turner and comedy from Josie Long
Weekend tickets £167.20 (incl fees) link

13-15 August
Summer Sundae
De Monfort Hall & Gardens, Leicester
Fionn Regan, Fanfarlo, Johnny Flynn, Laura Veirs, Lissie, Local Natives, The Low Anthem, Mumford & Sons, Tunng, The Wave Pictures
Early Bird Weekend tickets £96 (incl fees & postage) link

20-22 August
Green Man Festival
Glanusk Park, Brecon Beacons
Joanna Newsom, Flaming Lips, Field Music, Fionn Regan, First Aid Kit, Matthew & the Atlas, The Smoke Fairies, Caitlin Rose
Weekend ticket £131.45 (incl fees & postage) link

3-5 September
Moseley Folk Festival
Moseley Park, Birmingham
Donovan, The Divine Comedy, Sparrow & the Workshop, Beth Jeans Houghton, The Low Anthem, Johnny Flynn, Cut-A-Shine
Weekend tickets £83.95 (incl fees & postage) link

7-12 September
Open House Festival
Various venues, Belfast
Seasick Steve, Wilco, The Felice Brothers, Field Music, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Low Anthem, AA Bondy
Events individually ticketed, see website

10-12 September
End of the Road
Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset
Iron & Wine, The Low Anthem, The Mountain Goats, The New Pornographers, Diane Cluck, The Antlers, Deer Tick
Weekend tickets £135 (incl postage) link

This list will be updated when announcements are made.

Is there anything we’ve missed? Let us know below.

Single: First Aid Kit — I Met Up With The King

Lynn Roberts — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:01:37 +0000

The first time I ever saw First Aid Kit play was at the Slottsfjell festival in Norway last year. I didn’t know about their sound back then but I was lured into the promise of a fresh and captivating act. And so it was. The soft harmonies of these two Swedish sisters melts the toughest heart, perfectly balanced with dark and mature lyrics. They are the long-lost counterparts of Fleet Foxes but stripped totally bare.

For their new single, ‘I Met Up With The King’, however, it is strikingly frustrating to see work being overdone. In terms of vocals, that is. The melody of this song is simple and catchy, reminiscent of ABBA’s legacy, but the real strength lies in their vocal cords. Yet, what sounds promising and beautiful at the start, ends up with an elongated raspy note – presumably in parallel with the sad outcome of the poem –though it feels forced and untrue, it rings in the ears like tinnitus and it sadly leaves a pang of heavy disappointment. We will have to see what else is in store in the next coming months.

Words: Liane Escorza

Album: First Aid Kit – The Big The Black and the Blue

Lynn Roberts — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:58:36 +0000

My love of the Swedish duo Johanna and Klara Söderberg (sisters who perform under the alias First Aid Kit) began when I was first introduced to them by my own siblings some time last year. However, their debut LP, The Big Black And The Blue – which follows 2009’s Drunken Trees EP – has taken my infatuation to another level.

Despite their tender age, The Big Black And The Blue is a startlingly mature record. First Aid Kit have made an album way beyond their years; their sound evoking an image of a couple of worn out, world-weary housewives sat on their Kentucky porch strumming away and singing songs of lost lovers and meetings with the dead. This is no bad thing, and despite the subject matter sometimes appearing a little clichéd, their sumptuous vocals and catchy melodies give the lyrics that extra kick. I defy anyone not to fall to in love with their sound.

It’s hard to single out any particular favourites as this is a record which really should be consumed in one, from the stripped bare and beautiful beginnings of ‘In The Morning’ to the majestically melancholic final number, ‘I’m Building Myself A Boat’. At 12 songs deep there isn’t one bad track in sight, and I’ve no doubt that rather than skipping through it impatiently in an attempt to draw up a conclusion of which are the stand-outs, The Big Black And The Blue is an album to get lost in, and then be left wanting more when it all comes to an end. My advice for when this inevitable tragedy occurs? Cook up a brew and enjoy listening to it all over again.

Words: Callum Mitchel

Watch the video for the second single from The Big The Black and the Blue, ‘I Met Up With The King’, which will be released on 8th March 2010.

First Aid Kit announce new single and UK tour

Lynn Roberts — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:03:52 +0000

Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara have announced the second single to be taken from their forthcoming album The Big the Black and the Blue.

Single I Met Up With The King, which is inspired by a lyric from one of FFS’s favourite artists Gram Parsons, is due out on 1st March.

First Aid Kit take to the UK roads in February and March, after an evening instore appearance at London’s Rough Trade East on 26th Jan.

Tour dates:

FEBRUARY

19 – Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete’s tickets

20 – Glasgow, King Tuts tickets

22 – Birmingham, Rainbow tickets

23 – Manchester, Deaf Institute tickets

24 – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club tickets

25 – Stockton, The Georgian Theatre tickets

26 – Hull, Adelphi tickets

27 – Nottingham, Bodega tickets

MARCH

01 – Sheffield, Bungalows and Bears tickets

02 – Norwich, Arts Centre tickets

03 – Oxford, The Jericho Tavern tickets

04 – London, Union Chapel tickets

06 – Bristol, Louisiana tickets

07 – Southampton, Hamptons FREE

08 – Brighton, Hope tickets

Words: Lynn Roberts

First Aid Kit announce album release and December gig

Helen True — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:14:34 +0000

We’ve sorted your Christmas with Alessi’s wonderful party plans, and now we’ve found a remedy for the January blues. Sisterly Swedish double act First Aid Kit have announced that their debut album, The Big Black and The Blue, will be released on Wichita Records on 25th January 2010.

Klara and Johanna will also be playing an extra special London gig on 7th December, when they’ll light up wintry Islington by previewing the tracks on the album from front to back at The Old Queen’s Head.

The girls will be back to tour the UK in support of their album in January, so their warm-as-a-roaring-fire melodies will be melting the iciest of toes and hearts throughout the darkest winter months.

Words: Helen True

For Folk's Sake » First Aid Kit

Festival: Green Man

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