In a bizarre and dramatic u-turn this month I’ve been digging the acoustic stuff, which means a departure from the usual sausage fest!

FAY BROTHERHOOD

Those gig-goers au fait with The Musician will no doubt have chanced across the effortlessly timeless folky sound of Fay by now and it’s surely only a matter of time before she finds a wider audience as her not unsubstantial stack of demos online attest to. Recent album ‘Hare On The Heath’ is a particular favourite drawing it’s subject matter from the north west area of Leicestershire. It’s unusual to hear an artist making such beautiful music out of themes that could easily get bogged down in parochialisms and cliché, but Fay’s way with a lilting tune is spellbinding. It’s inspirational route is steeped in the rich tradition of English folk music but never feels Luddite or revisionalist despite it’s lo-fi charms. Inspiring, warm music to beckon the hopefully soon to arrive spring.

NANCY DAWKINS

A man who knows his music more than me, Dean Jackson, has already waxed lyrical in our pages about the prodigiously talented Nancy describing her voice as “to die for”, and he’s not wrong. Imagine a more maudlin, less irritatingly cockney Kate Nash and we’re angling in the right direction. Once again we’re dipping our toes in folk territory with affairs of the heart taking centre stage here to heartbreaking effect. I first came across Nancy at last year’s Pink Box records show at (once again) The Musician where her striking voice (and dress sense to match) couldn’t fail to impress. With an uncanny knack for picked, minimal guitar parts which set her vocals off to a tee there’s no excuse to be listening to piss-poor charlatans like Ed Sheeran when you could have the real heart-on-sleeve emoting of Nancy Dawkins.

CHEAP JAZZ

Ok, it’s not all been quiet stuff and it wouldn’t be New Blood if I wasn’t making wild claims about stuff that I can’t substantiate with fact, but let’s just come out and say it… Cheap Jazz are the best fucking band you’ve never heard of. I don’t say that to be arrogant or elitist but I’ve never seen them play to much of a crowd round these parts. I first crossed paths with them last year when they were kindly sent my way by Buttonpusher in Derby as I needed a band for a weekender. Little did I realise quite how much jaws would hit the deck when without much fuss they belted out a set of post-hardcore meets pre-shitness Biffy Clyro meets daft jazz with probably unnecessary harmonica meets afrobeat. Oh yeah, they’re from Derby but don’t hold that against them.

Words by Glyn Allen

Read all articles by Glyn Allen