Other Reviews

02/06/2010

Folk Against Fascism

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Volume 1

This carefully programmed and perfectly mastered compilation is the first in a planned series. As a statement of musical solidarity and mutual intolerance of intolerance, it is very welcome, but it also more than stands up to scrutiny from a purely listening point of view.

After excellent big gigs, most recently on the South Bank, and the smart hoodies, t-shirts, badges and mugs that the 'Folk Against Fascism' website (folkagainstfascism.com ) has been selling for a while now, an album was the logical next step against shameful attempts by the hard right to infiltrate folk music and claim it as their own, usually against the will of the artists involved. This is an opportunity for the folk, the people, both artists and listeners, to share in a creative statement against hatred, whilst also conspiring in some excellent music. The album, a generous 31 tracks across 2 discs, has been compiled by Tom Rose, who continues to display the same impeccable taste previously shown when he drew up the original roster of Navigator artists. He has created an essential snapshot of folk and these islands and now.

Though it's perhaps invidious to pick highlights, there is real interest in the fact that the contributing artists selected their own tracks - for example, the appearance here of an early 'England Half English meets John Barleycorn' from The Imagined Village featuring Billy Bragg and 'Roots' from Show of Hands, is intriguing, especially the latter given its being one of the more misunderstood (or wilfully misunderstood by those of a far right bent) folk/roots tracks of recent years.

Elsewhere, the rumbling understated anger and passion of Chris Wood's 'Spitfires' and Roy Bailey's 'Anna Mae' (both from their most recent albums) are highly appropriate inclusions, while other artists have chosen to include apolitical but purely excellent music. Bellowhead contribute their much loved 'Roll Her Down the Bay', though hopes remain high that John Leckie, who has just finished recording the new Bellowhead album in Abbey Road, will be the one, finally, to translate the sonic brilliance of their live shows to disc. Meanwhile, the protagonist of Chumbawumba's appropriately slapstick, 'Dance, Idiot, Dance', a certain 'Nicholas', manages to confuse the EFDSS with the SS, and arrives at a deservedly embarrassing fate; while Kate Rusby and Eliza Carthy, both of whom have been ludicrously cited by Mr Griffin as amongst his favourite artists, give an eloquent riposte to such unwelcome expressions of fandom through their mere inclusion on such an anthology. No-one, though, on this record, wears their hearts quite as much on their sleeves as the Irish contingent, Damien Dempsey and Christy Moore, the latter releasing a typically subtle and seething previously unreleased track. Eventually, Ruth Notman, flexing her vocal chords for a fascinating career, followed by John Tams and Shirley and Dolly Collins, conclude the album in a suitably reflective place.

This is not a purist's folk record but it is a record for lovers of intelligent lyrics and seriously evocative atmosphere. These musicians have stood up together, and through the simple act of releasing music under this particular banner they have delivered a bold and proud statement.

The eye-catching packaging is designed by David Owen, who also came up with that FAF logo, inspired by Woody Guthrie's emblazoning of the slogan 'This machine kills fascists' across his guitars.

Out officially in June, the album has been available for a while now on the folkagainstfascism website. It costs just ten pounds. A number of notable absentees have already pencilled themselves in for appearance on the next release in the series ...

John Pheby