Thom Ashworth – Head Canon
Self Released – 29 March 2019
When I reviewed Thom Ashworth’s EP Hollow last year, I said that I thought that perhaps he was in the vanguard of a new generation of protest singers. I seem to now have the answer with his new full-length album Head Canon.
Like the EP, the album is a mix of both his own tunes and some traditional along with one from Ewan McColl. The four from Thom’s pen, although spread across the album, give a very good picture of his musical and lyrical drivers. There is a thread of the dystopian present running through the words of this quartet, from damning what we have done to the environment and possibly the very fabric of society, in The City & The Tower – “We were there when Babel fell” – to a hint of hope, “…power in your hand To shake the tree until the fruit Falls heavy to the land…” at the end of Pathfinding. Crossing The Water is a dark picture of personal dark space whilst Look To Windward (a carol for the margins), has more allusions to water and to TS Eliot, seemingly a favourite inspiration.
The traditional songs are a good foil for Thom’s own work. They provide, or rather confirm, the context within which his music occurs; they are well-known, and typically display the hard side of life. Some also provide a contrast in their musical setting. The self-penned numbers are more folk-ballad and happily absorb modern musical influences; the traditional in many cases pick up from the folk-rock legacy of the late sixties and challenge the listener to not sit still.
For all his faults, Cecil Sharp did get it right in that each iteration of a folk song becomes more real, a definitive version, that is apt for that time and place. One could not expect contemporary renditions to be devoid of all that has been absorbed between then and now, and these interpretations are as valid as anyone’s. What I find interesting here though is how even elements of relatively recent musical heritage are absorbed. High Germany, the opening track, is a good case in point: an emphatic beat, accentuated by turn with percussion and bass; an absorbed musical heritage and a continuing evolution bringing the song to now. The pairing of Ratcliffe Highway and Derry Gaol exemplify this perfectly. They could be from fifty years ago (think Fairport with Richard Thompson) but these are fresh, new and very, very catchy.
The final pairing of traditional songs are The Snow It Melts The Soonest followed by John Barleycorn. The former has presented me with a real dilemma. It was bad enough having to choose between Anne Briggs’ and Dick Gaughan’s version when needed, but I now have this one to add to that short list. It does give me the opportunity to say that one of the many good things about Thom is his voice – its quality and control. If you wanted to listen to one track to judge that, start with The Snow It Melts – powerful and emotive where necessary.
And it is his voice that carries all of these songs, whether with intensity, potency or with delicacy. Listen to the mock anger in John Barleycorn or the harsh longing in MacColl’s Exile (just a note). Or, listen to the almost resigned, down-trodden weaver in the heart-rending Poverty Knock, as pertinent to our times, albeit in other places, making clothes to cover our backs, as it was a hundred or so years ago in the north of England.
Finally, I must mention Thom’s chosen instrument, the 4-string acoustic bass, a distinctive sound to add to his distinctive voice. I can’t say that I have come across many such instruments at the front of folk performances (though I am sure there could myriad examples winging their way to me now) and well, it just adds to the rich musical ground of our folk heritage. Let’s face it, there aren’t any rules: if it works then great. And this is great.
I said at the beginning that this album may prove – or not – that Thom Ashworth is in the vanguard of a new generation of protest singers. His songwriting is political, intelligent and full of impact. His ability to put these songs to melodies that work with the words adds immensely and yet Thom also shows that he can sing the traditional stuff as well, and as well as – and in the majority of cases, better than – the next man. I’m not going to do comparisons, but they know who they are, and it is very good to know that as one generation moves on, another, younger generation is already making their mark. Outstanding.
Order Head Canon here: https://thomashworth.bandcamp.com/album/head-canon
Live Dates
May 21st Paper Dress Vintage, London (w/ Artmagic)
June 7th Home Farm Festival
June 8th & 9th Wimbourne Minster Folk Festival
June 14th The Ram Club, Thames Ditton (duo with Ellie Wilson)
June 23rd The Greystones, Sheffield (w/ Nicola Beazley)
July 1st Green Note, London (w/ Mary-Elaine Jenkins)
July 6th The MET, Bury (w/ Nicola Beazley)
August 8th Sidmouth Folk Week
September 1st Moseley Folk Festival
September 27th Campfire Club, London (w/ The Rheingans Sisters)
Tickets links and more details here: http://thomashworth.com/