From the moment you hear the first track in this session you’ll be blown away. ‘Stick in the The Wheel’ are one of a kind so take every opportunity to see them live.
“This is our music, our tradition” say Stick In The Wheel. And they mean it, aggressively reclaiming traditional material and writing raw original songs with a realness and honesty that has a sound all its own. Recorded to the sound of sirens and birdsong in their long-rented East End London front rooms, the music is as authentic as it comes, capturing a culture that is rapidly disappearing, and is at times brutally honest and grabbing. This is not an exercise in faithful reproduction, or cultural appropriation.
Tracklisting:
Intro
Bedlam
All the Things
Marrabones
Poor Old Man
Joined by Fran Morter on harmonies, Stick In The Wheel’s militant approach lets the songs tell their own stories, and eschews shiny production for capturing the immediacy of the moment. As outsiders to the traditional scene, they continue to work with the EFDSS exploring the tradition from within Cecil Sharp House, talking to visiting bands and key folk figures.
Ian Carter, Nicola Kearey and Rachel Davies started Stick In The Wheel after leaving Various Production back in the late 00s. Known for their series of 7”s that featured one of their trademark blistering electronic productions on one side and a folk track on the other, they stripped their new material for Stick In The Wheel right back to just guitar and voice with occasional banging, stamping and clapping. It’s all about the songs. And the songs speak for themselves.
This session Ian, Nicola and Fran recorded live, exclusively for FRUK, features traditional and original tracks from the band’s forthcoming third Bones EP and recent Cuts EP, available as CD/download on Bandcamp.
Stick In The Wheel – Live Dates
Fri 28th March – The Goose Is Out, Dulwich
Wed 2nd April – What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone
Sat 28th June – Leigh Folk Festival
Sun 17th August – FolkEast
http://stickinthewheel.bandcamp.com/
www.stickinthewheel.com
Photo Credit: Main Image – SP Collins / Soundcloud image: Nigel Lupton