Next month, on 20th November, Stick in the Wheel have a full band show at The Round Chapel in Hackney, London. They will be playing songs from their latest album Hold Fast, a diverse album that incorporates broad elements including folk, dub and synth. One thing that holds true in their music is their genuine deep connection to the songs.
They go far beyond conjuring up moments from history, instead, their relationship to that past is also shaped by how they respond to the world today. A great example from the album is Possible Reasons for Admission to the Asylum, a song or meme that lists reasons you could be sent to a mental asylum for… Nicola Kearey’s delivery of this song is gentle and heartfelt, she almost whispers the reasons that include grief and hysteria…a stark reminder that those issues are still very present today, something that’s been highlighted in the current pandemic where many of those individuals have been left stranded and alone.
It feels and sounds like an album very much of our time while avoiding the surface-like commercial wrapping of much of today’s music. One of the most popular songs on the album is Villon Song, for which they have just shared a live video. We covered the song in an earlier post and in his review of the album, Thomas Blake says:
Villon Song – with words written in the late 1800s by W. E. Henley, employs even knottier slang, including Polari. On paper, it resembles some kind of dadaist playground rhyme, but Kearey’s chanting delivery and the martial rumble of the rhythm section (drummer Sian Monaghan is particularly impressive here) the darker meanings of the words begin to make themselves apparent.
The video below was recorded live at The Premises, London and features – Vocals: Nicola Kearey, Guitar: Ian Carter, Bass: George Hoyle, Drums: Siân Monaghan.
This is what Stick In The Wheel have always been about. Their acceptance of diverse musical forms reflects their radical desire to change things for the better, and on Hold Fast they have begun in a small way to make that change possible. It is an urgent and quite brilliant album.
Thomas Blake
Their London show which is part of Fire in the Belly – Indoor Winter Music Festival, takes place at The Round Chapel, Hackney, E5 0NP on 20th November.
Tickets are available ★HERE★ and more info here.
Hold Fast is available on CD / Limited Edition Neon Yellow Vinyl / Digital – https://stickinthewheel.lnk.to/holdfast
