Quick sharp violin sounds,
volatile and feisty, are the flowery glass lift that takes you to the
experimental, urban-folk existence of these precious ‘artistes’. So very
creative, in a time past, grassy estate/tree dwelling, furrowed brow way. A
thump of their black boots and you’re flying down that slide, having a darn
ho-down whether you wanted it or not.
The majority of their songs
seem to propel the listener to the nether reaches of the mighty spirit of folk
in this same formula. Which incidentally does work: If you listen to Inside Olympia or This Wreck Is Not A Boat (both on their current album, Kernow), you just can’t help but feel
warm and hazy. This is a kind of music created from and for an insatiable
passion for inspirational sounds. No synthesisers present.
I saw Sons Of Noel And Adrian for the first time in January 2009
supporting Mumford And Sons (indeed)
and their unexpected vigorous slamming, humming and BOOM!ing paired with the
lead singer, Jacob’s, deep growling voice had me yearning for them (and having
them) in my pocket for weeks. Tonight they infused the full
Sons Of Noel And Adrian are from all over Britain and now reside in Brighton,
a bit of a hub for the folkers (see The
Leisure Society, Mary Hampton)
and live, they are immense. Their album, although holding some ‘samey’ tracks,
and becoming a tad droning in parts, is a delight. Kernow is an exploration of escape and the aforementioned Inside Olympia is euphoric. They feel
like
Sons Of Noel And Adrian transcend the nether reaches of emotions in an
eighteenth century hootenanny/reflecting way (especially if people moved). From
sadness to joyous, they’re a pleasure. Their next album is out in April and from
tonight’s preview, it will be worth your minutes/hours/days.
