EP: O’Messy Life – Green Posies Grown Gangrene Below ‘Em

If you’re anything like me then the tag ‘folk music’ conjures up images of farmers, checked shirts and things happening with sheep that really shouldn’t be. However this traditional image of folk is now outdated. O’Messy Life hail from Sunderland of all places. That said, even a Geordie like myself has more sense than to judge a band by its origin – and a good thing too.

The Leisure Society announce single and tour

Soaring wonder-boats of folksome sounds The Leisure Society have announced the release of their new single ‘Save It For Someone Who Cares’ on the 28th of September. This track, inspired by an unsatisfactory experience in the Union Chapel, is a melodic little blinder, and will feature in set lists on the band’s forthcoming tour.

Brian’s Mixtape #6: Birthdays and Rememberances

Rest assured guys, we’ve had words with our owl-in-residence. This is the second time he’s come in woefully beyond his deadline, and frankly this is no time to be slacking, because it’s our BIRTHDAY! Well, our birthday week. FFS has been purveying the finest that the new folk movement has to offer for a whole year, and we reserve the right to be pleased about this for the next seven days. At least.

Q&A: Love Like Fire

Why do FFS interviews always get around to food? Probably cos music and food are our favourite things ever. LoveLikeFire’s Ann Yu is a girl after our own heart, she answers Mary Machin’s questions.

Album: Dawn Landes – Sweetheart Rodeo

Reviews for Dawn Landes’ previous album Fireproof tended towards the “nearly there, give her a year or two” end of the spectrum. The pressure was on: would Landes deliver? Well, probably not, but maybe we’ll give her another year or two. This is a really decent set of songs packed full of interesting sounds, but it doesn’t quite gel as an album.

Album: Drive-By Truckers – The Fine Print

The Drive-By Truckers have carved a career out of creating, what is on first listen, very generic country rock. But once given time by a listener this generic country rock can seep into your heart and become the music that a person will carry with them for their whole life. They are a band that fans will sing about from the highest mountains, but to the rest of the music buying public sound as dull as dishwater. There is no doubt that the Truckers have an amazing ear for a tune that can wrench at the heart, because nobody flukes upon rock ‘n’ roll gold as much as they have, but it’s a delicate tightrope that they walk, and they rarely stray from what they are good at.