The Eighteenth Day of May – The Highest Tree
Cardinal Fuzz/Feeding Tube records – 18 May 2020
I remember arriving at the foyer after a frosty afternoon journey to the Barbican on 4 February 2006. A bunch of scruffy youngsters – in folk terms, anyway, they were probably in their early 30s like I was then – and being captivated by a sound that seemed to emanate something of the spicy scent of the late 1960s folk-rock explosion, and also sounded astonishingly current too.
This event was the Folk Britannia series at the Barbican which, along with folk luminaries – June Tabor, Norma Waterson, Bert Jansch, Mike Heron and the like – also showcased the latest voyagers to dig deep into wyrd and wild folk. Alongside Tunng and Fence Collective were the band on that stage, The Eighteenth Day of May.
The promise of their debut which was released on Joe Boyds legendary Hannibal label was clear: here was a band rooted in Thompson/Swarbrick Fairport and early Steeleye Span. But also a snatch of the Velvet Underground and a sprig of The Byrds. In fact, their sound most closely resembled the cult British Psych-folk of Trees. A band who managed two mini studio masterpieces, The Garden of Jane Delawney and On the Shore before dismembering into folk-rock history.
Sadly, The Eighteenth Day of May only managed to release a single full-length album before splitting up, attributed in many respects to a rapidly changing music industry. At least now – 15 years later – we have a chance to reassess their output with the re-release of their debut. And also consider what might have been with this double LP issue which includes a bonus LP of obscure and unreleased material.
Based in London, the group began in 2003 as an acoustic trio featuring Alison Brice (vocals, flute), Richard Olson (acoustic guitar, harmonica and sitar) and Ben Phillipson (guitar and mandolin). They expanded the next year to include an electric rhythm section with Mark Nicholas (bass) and Karl Sabino (drums, autoharp) before Alison Cotton (viola) completed the lineup.
Their album featured un-reverential takes on traditional material like Lady Margaret which still sounds distinctly impolite next to much of the trad arrangements you’d hear today. But where the band shined brightest and showed the most promise, was in its original material: Cold Early Morning, The Waterman’s Song To His Daughter and, in particular, The Highest Tree.
The tracks from the additional LP offer the chance to directly compare to the folk-rock heyday sound the band evoked, with takes on The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood and Flowers of the Forest. And it’s a pretty even match with the classic Fairport recordings, but somehow stranger and more beguiling from this spectral band. They came, played and faded in not-quite twelve months and a day. But far, far too soon for sure. The whisper of a brilliant second album is here, but like the band itself, it feels like a distant memory now.
The Eighteenth Day of May trod a way through the woods for other psych-folk bands to follow, like the now late The Owl Service and Trembling Bells. There’s a distinctly psych-shaped hole in the folk world right now. Bands like these can fit perfectly in the lineup of Mark Radcliffe’s Folk Show and Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone, but maybe not on the Radio 2 playlist.
And if any burgeoning psych-folk bands want inspiration from another age, then there’s no better place to start than here. The Eighteenth Day of May evoked a legendary era, and now they are a justifiably legendary band too.
Watch Seven Dials featuring footage by Andrew Hawthorne, shot at the 12 Bar Club in Denmark Street. Edited and played with by “amazing Inner Strings”.
The Highest Tree (featuring rarities) on Double LP is out on Cardinal Fuzz/Feeding Tube Records 18th May 2020.
Also available via Bandcamp: https://theeighteenthdayofmay.bandcamp.com/album/the-eighteenth-day-of-may