Hands on, hand made and hands in the air. A trilogy of hand related phrases that capture the spirit of their latest live CD UFQ Live II from the wonderful Urban Folk Quartet.
In what has actually proved a very good year personally for gigs, a trip to the further reaches of The Sebright Arms back in the middle of May still stands out. With compass, sextant and the east star (?!) as my guide I was off the charts for what I was assured would be a thoroughly good night. The occasion was an appearance of The Urban Folk Quartet that would be recorded for posterity and eventual CD release.
Promises as it turned out were fulfilled and then some, as I couldn’t help but be knocked windward by the power of the foursome and the sheer infectious joy of the evening. Joe Broughton acting as master of ceremonies did everything in his power to make the assembled feel that this was all about them and if ever there was a band that connects with its fan base then The Urban Folk Quartet is it.
The audience was unanimous in response to every call from the stage, clapping, cavorting and bellowing approval, the wind in the sails of a band at full clip, as a tidal wave of euphoric sound engulfed all comers.
As Tom from the band says, “Four years into a career that has seen them storm festivals across Europe, North America and beyond, the wholly independent UFQ is a band primarily sustained for and by their fiercely loyal fans. With this album, their fourth full-length release, the band wanted to offer those fans the chance to be as big a part of the record as possible; Not only are the audience mics “on” throughout (and they’re a noisy lot!) but attendees received individual listings in the credits and all photography included in the sleeve was shot by fans at the gigs.”
We are privileged to have an exclusive taster for you here as our Song of the Day and Tom reveals, “The tracks is Barnstorming, It’s a set of two reels by Joe, The Breakthrough and Barnstorming. Whilst the album includes some tunes from our first two studio albums, this track is one of the three tracks on the album that have never been recorded before.”
Enough of this nautical nonsense and let’s just say, it does what it says on the tin! Barnstorming!!
Tour Dates
Fri Nov 08: London Album Launch, Kings Place
Sat Nov 09: Alstonefield, Village Hall
Fri Nov 15: Worcester, Huntingdon Hall
Tue Nov 19: Ashford In The Water, Memorial Hall
Wed Nov 20: Milton Keynes, The Stables Theatre
Thu Nov 21: Chester, Alexander’s Live
Sat Nov 23: Ormskirk, Rose Theatre
Thu Nov 28: Bristol, St George’s
Ticket Links and full details here