A lot of artists make it onto this website. Despite its obvious folk leanings, indie, electro, a bit of soft rock, shoe gaze and progressive have all featured, championing For Folk’s Sake as a warm welcoming bosom onto which all genres, assuming they’re suitably relaxed and earthy, may lay their head. But make no mistake, Sons of Noel and Adrian is folk to the core.
Ardent fans of intriguing layers and dark melodies, the Brighton based band – which at any time can feature up to 12 members – have a complicated sound. They veer whimsically from grating, sinister sounding noise to the gentle, meandering jangle oft associated with long beards and colourful robes (‘The Wreck is Not a Boat’). Consistent throughout though, is Jacob Richardson’s warbly vocal, which when complimented by a female voice, a la ‘Divorce’ is reminiscent of a more evolved Damien Rice. However, much of the time its quality serves only to distract from the instrumental offerings, which are well considered and skilful but uncomfortably heavy with the taste of melancholy.
The band is enjoying relative success from a number of UK dates and prominent festival appearances. The motley crew consists of ex- Hope of The States violinist Mike Siddell (who’s also currently with Lightspeed Champion), William Caulderbank of The Miserable Rich and Helen Whitaker of The Leisure Society.
Words: Rachel England