We all know not to judge a book by its cover, and yet we do it anyway. If you were coming into this blind, you might imagine a band named Flutes, singing a song named ‘Kilburn’, might be a group of Londoners singing some sweetly instrumented homage to a northern district. But while this is indeed a song of praise for the capital – and the band’s sometime home – Flutes originally hail from some 400+ miles north in Fife, and boast a far more robust sound than their name might suggest. Pounding drums and the odd raging guitar punctuate this track, but what will stay with you are the addictive rhythms that underpin lyrics about the seedy side of life north of the river, where the likes of Byron and Burns might enjoy a little vice in a Kilburn pub. Taken from a debut album eight years in the making and released late last year, this latest single is backed by a cover of Haddaway’s ‘What Is Love’, well worth snaring as a free download from their Soundcloud page.
New folk music recommendations
