I first encountered Luke Jackson reasonably early on his career, when I wrote back in 2016 that he “gives a rootsy, acoustic blues feel to the contemporary singer-songwriter genre and is an immediate hit with the Cecil Sharp audience.”
His career has gone from strength to strength since then, with a hefty back-catalogue of critically-acclaimed albums, support slots for the likes of Jools Holland, and performing at the Royal Albert Hall. Released towards the end of last year, BLOOM is the latest album from the Kent-based singer-songwriter, his first full-length album in five years and one that’s been several years in the making.
Luke Jackson: “This album is a reflection of the last five years of my life. I’ve poured an awful lot into these songs, drawing from the highs and lows throughout my twenties, being a touring musician, and from the incredible people I’ve met along the way. BLOOM is about growth, change and continuing to find beauty in the journey, even through the challenging times.”
Accompanying Jackson (vocals, guitars, piano), the album features regular trio collaborators, Elliott Norris (drums, percussion) and Sam Mummery (bass) with Andy Sharps contributing bass to several tracks; as well as guest appearances from Amy Wadge and Edwina Hayes, who each contribute their distinctive vocals to a track apiece.
The result has certainly been worth the wait with a clutch of autobiographical songs where Jackson bares his soul on relationships, friendships and the challenges facing a late twenty-something as he contemplates growing up and settling down.
As is typical of a singer-songwriter who refused to be pigeon-holed by anything that might limit his ability to tell his own story, there’s bags of variety on this album and a refreshing refusal to be pinned down to a single musical genre. From the lush Americana, singer-songwriter vibe of ‘Woman’, to the old-time gospel-flavour of ‘Trouble Now’, to the fragile acoustic elegance of ‘Rubber & Magic’ (performed with Amy Wadge), to the exhilarating rockabilly of ‘Curse The Day’, Luke Jackson takes us on a magical journey with BLOOM. Superb songwriting, compelling vocals and deft musicianship, this album represents another leap forward in an already impressive career.
Ahead of the release of their fifth album Onward The Sun! which comes out on 25th April, I talk to Greg Ireland of Faversham-based folk rock band, Green Diesel.
We’ll move on to the new album in a bit but let’s start right at the beginning. Tell us how Green Diesel came about.
Well, it seems like a very long time ago now. I think we’ve probably graduated away from being a young new folk band. So, I guess in some ways it’s a continuation of the band I was in when I was at school. I played in a band with some of the guys who are still in the band today. It’s a completely different group, but it had the same name. And that kind of fell apart as school bands do. And we would just do an occasional gig here and there, where this ever-revolving cast of characters would play some covers that we liked at a local festival. And we could never think of another name, so we just kept going! And then I guess around 2009, that sort of time, I’d kind of gone fairly heavily down a kind of Fairport-esque path.
So, was that a departure from the original incarnation of Green Diesel then?
Well yes and no. We’d always kind of played vaguely rootsy music. So, we did some blues stuff, we did Neil Young-style songs and The Band. So, it wasn’t a complete 180 – but certainly the idea of doing music based around traditional music had been something that had been percolating in my head. And I managed to convince the other guys, again for one of the local festivals: “Oh, let’s get a violin player and as one of our numbers, we’ll do a set of tunes in the kind of classic Swarbrick style.” Which they were on board with. I think I’d dragged them along to a couple of Cropredies by this point, so they weren’t completely against the idea. So, we got Ellen (Care) in to do that and that went well and I took that as a good jumping-off point: “Oh, let’s go down this path.” And that became more of a serious band. And I started writing songs. A couple of the others had started bringing things in. We took the plunge and we got found on the street by Roger Cotton, who was a producer who liked us and said, “Do you guys want to come and make a record?” And so we did and that was our first album, Now Is The Time. And somehow – there have been quite a few people in and out of the door over that time – we’re still here today.
And when you first put the band together then, did you have a clear idea of the sound you wanted to go for from the very start? Because let me just share this. I’ve got a theory about folk rock in that while the folk element can be fairly timeless, delving back centuries, the rock element usually reflects what’s contemporary at the time in terms of rock music. That was certainly the case with Fairport in the late 60s and early 70s. I would argue bands like Oysterband as well very much reflected the post-punk era in the rock element. But clearly you didn’t go for a sort of millennium-era indie vibe or anything like that. You delved back.
I think we’d always had that kind of retro taste in music. So, certainly there was always elements of that kind of late ‘60s, vaguely psychedelic rock. But I think when we started off, we were playing much more acoustic music. Not always but I rarely played an electric guitar. And although we probably weren’t vibing off what they now call indie sleaze (and at the time I called ‘horrible music without a tune’) – there were a lot of bands around at the time, like the Decemberists who were a huge influence on us. And early Arcade Fire. We just caught the beginnings of what came to be termed ‘new folk’ and so there was an element of that in there as well.
So, I wouldn’t say it was completely “we just want to go retro”. But then, equally, I grew up listening to Britpop-type music, which always had that very ‘looking-back’ element to it. So, I guess we were the start of that musical generation who just sort of had everything – who grew up listening to their parents’ music and then had their own music. And the big genrefication that really lasted up to the early ‘90s was just starting to break down a bit. I think you see it more today with younger people who will listen to everything, you know, encompassing Disney soundtracks, to Steely Dan, to actual contemporary pop stars – which you’ll have noticed I haven’t been able to name any of! But I think guys our age were maybe at the beginning of that kind of change in music consumption that we see today, possibly.
Yeah, I think I think that’s fair. I think I did my own sort of 1980s teenage version of a Spotify playlist, which was just going to second-hand shops and buying ‘60s and ‘70s albums incredibly cheaply and discovering music that way. So, yeah, I think that’s right.
And then moving on, there’s been quite a gap between this new album, Onward The Sun, and the previous album, After Comes the Dark. Can you give us a quick update on what’s been happening in Green Diesel since the last album came out?
Yeah, in some ways it’s an even bigger gap than it might seem now. Because although After Comes the Dark came out in 2021, it was predominantly written and recorded in late 2019/early 2020 and then got stuck by COVID so we could never finish it. The material on that album feels very old, not necessarily in a bad way, but it really feels very different. So, I guess quite a lot has happened since then. Ellen’s had two children, which has somewhat made progress perhaps run a bit slower than it might otherwise have done. We’ve got a new drummer in. We had Paul (Dadswell) on the last album, circumstances took him elsewhere in life. We were very lucky to very quickly find Ben Love, who is on duties for this album and he’s been a fantastic addition. So, there was a lot of just gathering together of material. And I think one of the big things about this record that maybe is different to some of the others, it grew a lot more out of just jamming and playing around with ideas. I think in the past, it’s very much been the writer – be it me or one of the others – coming in with a song and, not everything charted out note for note, but a pretty good idea of “this is how I want it to end up”.
But this one, partly because we had long periods of time where Ellen wasn’t able to participate directly for children reasons, basically the four of us were bored. We quite liked to play something even if we weren’t able to get out and gig as much as we might have wanted to. And particularly that post-COVID period where you were able to do things again, it was a nice novelty to get together in a room and just make some noise.
So, there’s quite a few songs on this record that have grown more out of that. They’re kind of longer and a bit looser, maybe structurally. And then Ellen had a second child so we had the backings of the songs down and then we took a break. What I call her maternity leave. Then came back to it. So, it’s just a lot of playing. And I think it was particularly good when Ben Love came in on drums because it meant very quickly, we sort of found our groove, literally. It gave us a really good chance to work up that material. And I should say as well, Paul put in a lot of work on some of the songs. There were, I think, two or three that have been part of our live set now for two or three years. So, it’s very much been a group effort in that sense, which I really like about it.
So that accounts for some of the longer instrumental sections in some of the songs, which I know you’ve really gone for on this album?
Yeah. I think, jumping back to one of your earlier questions, we’ve got a lot heavier as a band over time. And that sort of lends itself to that kind of sonic exploration and just jamming it out a bit. And partly the way that our tastes have gone. I think still rooted around songs that work as songs. We write in a very hook-led way. But yeah, just that bit of freedom to keep going, I quite like.
Yeah, I like what you’ve done and, as you say, without losing the essential element of the song. I mean, some bands can jam so much that the actual purpose of the song is lost. You haven’t done that.
Yeah, we haven’t got to Grateful Dead so far. Who knows what comes next!
What do you want to tell us about the new album and some of the songs on the album?
So it’s nine tracks this time and there’s a couple of traditional pieces on there, but they’re predominantly from within the band. I’ve written some, Ben Holiday on bass wrote one, Matt on guitar has written one and we’ve got a cover as well. There’s a cover of ‘The Maypole’ song from The Wicker Man soundtrack, which Matt bought in. That was quite good fun to work on.
It does seem a very good fit for Green Diesel.
Yeah, that soundtrack as a whole has always been a big, big influence for us. So, it kind of seemed right to go there. We haven’t done a lot of covers, traditionally, so it was quite an interesting challenge.
Yeah, so there’s a good variety of writers there. I wouldn’t say there’s a theme to the album, but it kind of builds on where we were going with After Comes the Dark. Although the majority of the songs are original, they’re very much rooted in a traditional folk idiom. And there’s a lot of folk-lore. The weirder end of folklore but I suppose the term that’s popular at the moment is folk horror. And that kind of really ticks quite a lot of our boxes. So, there’s some bits about witchcraft in there and some of the traditions around potion-making. And while I say it’s darker, I think there’s a kind of optimism there as well. Very rooted in the natural world and what we see and what we experience. And then we’ve finally managed to do our Moris On bit because the instrumentals are two Morris dance tunes, which is something that me and Ellen have both been keen to do for a while. And we’ve done that in our own way. It kind of wanders off a bit in the middle and, you know, bringing some of our – those of us who have them – slightly proggish leanings. So just to really, really sell it to the hipsters, it’s Morris dance music mixed with progressive rock – because obviously that’s a pretty big thing!
They’re so evidently Morris tunes from the moment you hear them, but yeah, they’ve been given the Green Diesel treatment so it definitely fits in with the album as a whole.
Yeah, I think I’d probably describe it as quite a confident album. It’s the album of a band who kind of know who they are. That partly comes from just playing together a lot, but there’s a real core strength there. I suppose it’s the one I feel, so far, that we’ve done that sounds most like us. It feels very much like everything’s been developing up to this point to, to get to where we are in 2025.
And on the live front, you’ve got some gigs coming up in Kent and Sussex. And I’m hoping to get to the Brighton one. But where I would really like to see you would be on the main stage at Cropredy. I think you’d go down a storm. And when I interviewed Dave Pegg, he told me that they’re not able to have the really big names, the Brian Wilsons and the Alice Coopers that they’ve had, because of the financial constraints that they’re now facing. They have downsized the festival to make it more financially viable so it could be the perfect opportunity. I think you would go down an absolute storm.
That’s what I’d love to think. So, if Dave’s watching this, then come and get me! Back when my brother was still in the band and we were at I think the 2007 Cropredy, that was always the goal. Unfortunately, the goal was to do it by 2014 so we’ve missed the mark a little bit there. But we’re always open to offers!
Well, let’s see, it would be good. Because you have played the fringe, haven’t you?
Yeah, we’ve done the fringe a few times. That’s always good fun. I mean, generally, just, just being able to play to people who are open to listening to what we do is always good. The reality of being where we are in our lives means, unfortunately, we’re not in a position at the moment that we can all jump in the van and go around the country for three weeks. So, we have to be, I suppose, more, selective. And partly financial realities as well. I’d love to go to Europe, but to make it pay – or at the very least cover costs – it’s much more challenging now. And that’s just the reality of it. But, you know, and it’s probably what keeps us going, to be honest, there’s something about that kind of response from people who are listening to music that you’ve created. And it might be the first time they’ve heard it. They might have come to every show. Either way, there’s just a real kind base-level thrill to that.
Fantastic. Is there anything else you want to tell people before we wrap up?
So, the album that we’re discussing is called Onward The Sun. It comes out on 25th of April. It’s going to be available digitally and on CD. That’s it at the moment. Who knows, if demand is there we might look at doing a vinyl version some way down the line. You can pre-order it. If you go to the website, which is greendieslefolk.com, you can order a copy there. It’s got a lovely front cover. It’s made by an artist based in Margate, which is not that far away from us, called Matt Pringle. And I think he’s really got the core of what we’re doing. So yeah, please check us out. We love to reach new people. If you do happen to be promoters for a slightly more mature folk rock band than you would have had a few years ago, then do get in touch because we always love to find new markets. But yeah, please give us a listen and I hope you enjoy it.
Following their critically-acclaimed 2021 album, After Comes The Dark, which saw Green Diesel pick up a slew of enthusiastic reviews for what became their best-selling release to date, the Kent-based folk rock band are finally back with a brand-new album.
Onward The Sun! is the band’s long-awaited fifth album and is scheduled for release on 25 April. The nine-track album features six newly-composed songs inspired by themes such humanity’s connections with the natural world, ancient folklore, the persecution of witches and Shakespeare’s Henry IV, as well as fresh interpretations of much-loved Morris tunes, a modern take on a traditional murder ballad and a cover of a Paul Giovanni composition from the cinematic soundtrack to The Wickerman.
Discussing the single, ‘Ring The Hill’, guitarist, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Greg Ireland, comments:
“Based on the Cornish legend of the white hare. It is thought that the creature is the spirit of a broken-hearted lady determined to haunt her faithless lover to the grave. This also got me thinking about the historical connections between hares and witchcraft – the chorus lyrics are an adaptation of some of the words used by Isobel Gowdie at her trial (she was tried as a witch in Scotland in 1662 and her testimony survives). The song follows the progression of our heroine from broken-hearted to vengeful and it seemed appropriately prog to divide it into two parts. The tune for the second part is a variant of the traditional tune for Dives and Lazarus.”
Showcasing Green Diesel’s masterful distillation of folk, rock and psychedelic influences, together with their usual exemplary musicianship and trademark vocals, the album was recorded at Squarehead Studios in Newington, Kent with producer Rob Wilks (Smoke Fairies, Lianne La Havas, Story Books) once again at the helm.
Green Diesel are:
Ellen Care – violin/vocals Matt Dear – lead guitar/vocals Ben Holliday – bass Greg Ireland – rhythm guitar/mandolin/dulcimer/vocals Ben Love – drums/percussion
About Green Diesel:
Hailing from Faversham in Kent, Green Diesel take their inspiration from the depths of English folk lore and legend, and the classic folk-rock sound of their predecessors: Fairport Convention and The Albion Band. Blending violin, mandolin and dulcimer with electric guitars and drums, Green Diesel’s sound is born from a love of traditional English music and a desire to bring it to a modern audience.
Green Diesel’s first three albums, Now Is the Time (2012), Wayfarers All (2014) and The Hangman’s Fee(2016) all won praise for the quality of song-writing and musicianship. A major turning-point, however, came with the band’s last album After Comes The Dark (2021). The album entered the UK Folk Top 40 on release and saw Green Diesel nominated for FATEA Music’s ‘Group/Duo of the Year’ award and also saw the band pushing their sound further, bringing in elements of psychedelia and progressive rock whilst remaining rooted in their folk upbringing.
Green Diesel – What They Say:
“A cornucopia of sounds that blends classic folk-rock, prog and elements of stately Early Music into their own distinctive style’” – R2 Magazine
“4/5 stars – ‘(Green Diesel bring) a psychedelic, progressive edge to their interpretations of both traditional and original material” – Shindig!
“Evocative of early Steeleye Span and veined with prog-rock and influences drawn from early Genesis and the 70s Canterbury scene’” – Folk Radio
“Green Diesel has skyrocketed into my top few bands” – FATEA
It’s over fifteen years ago now that the Gigspanner template was firmly established, when their debut album Lipreading the Poet was released: compelling world music rhythms that veer as far away from the category marked “typical English folk” as it’s possible to get, the trademark sound of Roger Flack’s wonderful acoustic-electric guitar-playing, and, of course, the unmistakeable fiddle of Peter Knight. Whether it’s his virtuoso playing with a bow or him playing pizzicato, his style is so distinctive you know instantly it’s Peter Knight.
Importantly, that basic template has been embellished and tweaked and adapted to different formats over the years. In contrast to the first album, for example, the second saw the addition of Knight’s equally-recognisable vocals. In the ensuing years we’ve had other musicians entering the fray to herald the launch of the Gigspanner Big Band, and there’s even been a spoken-word theatrical-style collaboration.
This latest album, Turnstone is another ‘big band’ release which, once again, sees Phillip Henry, Hannah Martin and John Spiers joining the trio nucleus of Peter Knight, Roger Flack and Sacha Trochet. It’s the third album in the expanded ‘big band’ format and was recorded during their Autumn 2024 tour.
Hannah Martin explains the title as follows:“The turnstone is a coastal migratory bird who overturns stones, worn smooth with use and the water of time in its search for treasure – and so it is with the folk tradition, with songs similarly worn smooth over time travelling to us but when turned, yielding new secrets and possibilities.”
It’s an apt description. Comprising ten traditional songs and concluding with an exhilarating live tune-set it’s a masterclass in innovation, experimentation and exemplary musicianship while still being anchored firmly to the world of traditional folk.
The mix of male and female vocals is one of many things about the album where the expanded big band format allows for so many extra layers of musical texture.
In many ways that represents a nod back to those pioneering days of English folk rock, whether in the Sandy Denny-era Fairport Convention or, indeed, Knight’s own former band, Steeleye Span. From Martin’s exquisite vocal on the opening track, ‘Suffolk Miracle’; to Knight’s characteristically gentle vocal on the penultimate track ‘Hard Times Come Again No More’ (which serves to act as a nice companion piece from across the other side of the Atlantic to that perennial Steeleye Span / Gigspanner favourite, ‘Hard Times of Old England’); to the beautiful harmonising of both Martin and Knight on second track, ‘Sovay’, the vocals are faultless. Throw into the mix those mesmerising rhythms, some blinding guitar work and Spiers’ undisputed mastery on the melodeon and concertina and you’ve got so something very special indeed.
Whatever the format, a new Gigspanner album is always something to look forward to but Turnstone is one of their best yet – an absolute masterpiece.
Although, regrettably, I never got to witness the classic Sweet line-up on stage, after Andy Scott revived the band in the mid-1980s I’ve been lucky enough to see them many, many times. And in spite of his well-publicised battles with cancer, he has kept the Sweet flag flying and nothing seemed to stop him getting up on stage and blasting out a slew of classic Sweet riffs on that iconic red guitar. However, when he had to pull out of an Australian tour last year and then a subsequent UK tour, after a health condition left him in excruciating pain and unable to walk, there were times when I wondered whether I’d ever get to see Andy Scott on stage with the Sweet again. Such fears were finally banished as Sweet began their tour schedule for 2025 with Scott firmly back on stage where he belongs. Rarely then, have I looked forward to a gig quite so much as this one.
First there’s support from T.Rextasy. I’ve seen plenty of tribute acts over the years and had a fair few fun evenings watching them but only a handful have really qualified as world-class tributes. Australian Pink Floyd I’d put in that category and, rightly, T.Rextasy, too. As a celebration of Marc Bolan’s era-defining glam classics tonight’s performance is pure class, with Danielz and his bandmates doing the Bolan legacy proud.
The venue is already packed solid and in those final few minutes waiting for the Sweet to come on the atmosphere is palpable. We are definitely ready, as Brian Connolly once memorably enquired. Kicking off with a high-octane ‘Action’, this first part of the set is a hardcore Sweet fan’s dream. As well as ‘Hellraiser’ and ‘The Six Teens’ from the Chinn-Chapman-penned hits, there’s some revered album tracks in the shape of ‘Windy City’ and ‘Set Me Free’, as well as a couple of songs from the band’s recently-released and extremely well-received album, Full Circle. For me an absolute highlight of this early part of the set was a stunning version of ‘Lost Angels’ from the band’s 1977 album, Off The Record. Tracks such as these – from the more album-oriented, melodic-hard-rocking side of the band’s back catalogue really give the current Sweet line-up (Scott, with Paul Manzi, Lee Small, Tom Cory, Adam Booth and guest guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick) a chance to showcase their musical prowess.
FM guitarist, Kirkpatrick, (who had admirably filled in for Scott on last December’s UK tour) has continued to perform with the band on this current tour, too. This is not because Scott has any difficulties playing – far from it – but, wisely, it clearly takes some of the pressure off the still-recovering Scott. It also allows him to take a short break while the band deliver an entertaining but not-exactly essential medley of the band’s early bubblegum, pre-glam hits. Given Scott didn’t play on the original recordings of these songs anyway, it all seems rather fitting. The next song, however, gives Kirkpatrick the chance to really work his magic – with a blistering version of ‘Burn On The Flame’.
Scott is not away for long though and to the familiar audience chants of “We want Sweet!” he’s back to give us all a sing-along-at-the-top-of-our-voices rendition of ‘Teenage Rampage’. I’m not sure if we were noisier than the usually raucous juveniles who made up the typical Crackerjack audience but in January 1974 the band performed a fully live version of that same song for the popular kids’ TV show in this very theatre. Scott gleefully recollects their time performing here for Crackerjack. I was a little too young for that still but I was at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire twenty-odd years later when Sweet performed here in January 1997.
In this latter part of the set, there’s plenty room for a few more Chinn-Chapman hits. And while I’m still not completely convinced about the need for ‘Co-Co’, ‘Funny Funny’ and ‘Poppa Joe’ in the set, I will absolutely defend the inclusion of ‘Wig-Wam Bam’, and ‘Little Willy’ – the latter marked a tentative move away from pure bubblegum pop towards a more guitar-based sound, while the former is a bona fide early ‘70s glam rock classic.
Coincidentally, the band’s days of scooping up silver and gold discs don’t seem to be quite over yet as, in a surprise moment for Scott, a US record company executive takes to the stage to present him with an award for sales of Platinum Rare Vol. 2.
After the glam sing-alongs of ‘Teenage Rampage’, Wig-Wam Bam’ and ‘Little Willy’, the mood changes completely with Tom Cory on keyboards bringing some prog-inspired grandiloquence to the proceedings as the band launch into a masterful ‘Love Is Like Oxygen’ followed by an equally magnificent ‘Fox On The Run’. An emotional Scott thanks the audience but we know there’s more to come and we’re not quite done yet. Soon enough those familiar sirens start to blast out and the band are back on stage to give this wildly-appreciative Shepherd’s Bush audience a much-demanded encore in the form of a storming ‘Blockbuster’ and a thunderous ‘Ballroom Blitz’.
In the months and years to come, who knows how many more Sweet gigs there’ll be. Andy Scott shows every sign of wanting to continue for as long as he is physically able to walk on stage, pick up his guitar and perform. I hope there’ll be plenty more nights like this for the band and I hope I get to see a few more of them myself but I savoured every precious moment of this concert as if it were my last.
Setlist:
Action Hell Raiser Circus The Six Teens Don’t Bring Me Water Lost Angels Windy City Set Me Free Coco / Funny Funny / Poppa Joe Burn on the Flame Teenage Rampage Wig-Wam Bam / Little Willy Love Is Like Oxygen Fox on the Run Blockbuster The Ballroom Blitz
My book ‘The Sweet in the 1970s’ is available to buy here and here
Guitarist Joe Hodgson hails from the village of Ballymagorry in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His music, shaped by his upbringing during The Troubles, mirrors the fierce rain and winds of the Emerald Isle. It is both sweeping and intense, boldly blending rock, blues, jazz, and Irish traditions into finely crafted instrumentals, which reveal a multi-facetted, emotive, and diverse performer.
After many years playing and recording with London-based bands and touring throughout Europe, Joe returned to his birthplace in 2018. In 2020, he released his debut solo album Apparitions to widespread critical acclaim. Guitar World called his playing “elite”. Prominent Canadian music journalist Steve Newton said he is “the best guitarist you’ve never heard of”. While ANR Factory described the album as “a modern-day masterpiece”.
In June this year, Hodgson is set to release his second solo album, Fields Of Redemption, which will be preceded by a series of singles. The first, a double A-side, comprising‘The Grass Is Greener’ and ‘Shapeshifting’ will be out on 28th March. The tracks vibrantly straddle and blend musical genres, as Joe’s mantra of “words can lie, but my guitar can’t” sees him draw the listener into a world where his instrument does the talking for him.
From the rock, blues, jazz, and Indian-tinged ‘The Grass Is Greener’ to ‘Shapeshifting’, with its forays into baroque melodies, jazz, Irish jigs, rock and roll, and Thin Lizzy-inspired harmonies, the listener is taken on a journey through eclectic soundscapes by a multi-dimensional, intense, and passionate musician.
Joe Hodgson: “The Grass Is Greener” is the story of the twists and turns we all experience in the search for inner peace and happiness, while Shapeshifting explores the chameleon that is in all of us.”
These tracks capture feelings of introspection, hope and joy, and they come from a guitar player who is certainly not afraid to take chances in the pursuit of his art.
‘The Grass is Greener’ / ‘Shapeshifting’ released 28 March 2025
“We were spellbound by her ability to highlight unique perspectives with her songwriting” – Maverick magazine
Following her extremely well-received self-titled, debut solo EP in 2021 and its much-anticipated follow-up Seven Stories parts one and two in 2024, River Stories is the latest release from London-based singer-songwriter, Little Lore. A burgeoning presence on the UK Americana scene, Little Lore has received many plaudits, both for her astute, observational songwriting and for her warm, heartfelt vocals.
From rivers, to boats, to canals, to swimming, all six songs on River Stories are inspired in some way by the theme of water. The concept for the EP came about following an invitation for Little Lore to become songwriter in residency on Johnson’s Island, an artists’ community set on a tiny island on the Grand Union Canal and the River Brent in West London.
Little Lore:“In November 2023, I was invited to become songwriter in residency on Johnson’s Island – a tiny land mass in the mouth of the Grand Union Canal and the River Brent in Brentford, and home to fifteen or so artists’ studio. My idea was born when I called my friend, the artist Angela Chan, who has a studio on the island. I asked her whether she thought that the artists who work there would be willing to let me come and visit them or interview them to see if that would stimulate some songs. She is an incredible human being and instantly suggested that she lend me the studio for a few days later that year and that I become Songwriter in Residence on the island. I had four days in the studio and I imagined I would write about the artists and the huge changes that Brentford in West London is undergoing. But a week before the residency I got a call letting me know that the island had been flooded and that the residency was in jeopardy. I sat down and wrote ‘The River’ – reflecting on the incredible power the river has to calm us with her beauty but also destroy.”
“Against all the odds, the studios dried out and the residency went ahead, as planned. I arrived full of enthusiasm with my computer, my guitar and some basic recording equipment. I was excited to meet all the artists and although I had written one song about the river already, I was sure that the project was about the artists and the community in Brentford. I dropped my gear into the studio and went to see who else was working on the island – only to find that I was the only person there! None of the other artists were in their studios that morning – I mean it was pretty early. The project was not going at all as I had planned. I sat in the studio looking at the river and my mind started to wander to my relationship with water. I sketched a time line of my entire life noting any river or water related incidents or interactions from my birth to present. And I noticed some themes … such as, I have lived close to bodies of working water my entire life, I was born in Oxford near the Thames, moved to Cambridge, by the River Cam, and back to Oxford as a small child. When I was 7, we moved to Portchester just outside Portsmouth and later Fareham – both situated on an ever changing tidal creek. Now I live in West London close to the Thames again and I can’t imagine living anywhere that wasn’t within a few minutes’ walk of a river or estuary of some kind.”
Renowned New York-based producer and multi-instrumentalist, Oli Deakin,(who records under the name of Lowpines) is Little Lore’s principal musical collaborator and is, once again, the EP’s producer and provides much of the instrumentation. Vocals were recorded with Paul Stanborough at Chapel View Studio in Kent.
Little Lore:“Working with my long-time collaborator Oli on the arrangements for this collection of songs was an absolute delight. He suggested that we ask Francesca and Sasha to provide real violin and cello and I think they add so much. Morgan jumped in for drums again as usual.”
“The artwork was created by Afiya Paice. I love how engaged she was about the back story behind this EP and how it related to my life and all the places I have lived. She used photographs of me to create the front cover and pictures we found on google of the houses I lived in the past. Such a personal and beautiful way to create art that adds to the story of the record.”
1. The River:“This song was inspired by two enormous storms that battered the UK in November 2023 causing great damage and floods. When I got the call letting me know that it was looking like only a 50/50 chance for my songwriter in residency to go ahead, I sat on the sofa with my guitar and I thought – damn that river has two sides. And the song came from there, with that phrase and the little guitar riff coming first, unusually for me as I am almost always a lyrics-first kinda gal. The song reflects on the incredible beauty of the river and the destruction it can reap when the right combination of high tides, gravitational pull from the moon and the storms collide. I love how Oli interpreted the song – and the addition of violins and cello really evoke the feelings of the water.”
2. Johnson’s Island:“I always intended this project to be about the artists on Johnson’s Island but when I had finished the residency, I hadn’t written anything about them. They would never say it, but I got the sense that they hoped I would write a song about the island and the people that create there. It was about a fortnight after the residency that this song came to me, with all the technicolour details of the artists I had encountered. I have performed it live for them a few times and I am so excited that it is finally going to be released so they can share it with their family and friends and say ’that’s me’! It’s the true story of just some of the incredible creative people that welcomed me onto the island. I am beyond grateful for the warmth they showed me and I hope this song is a fitting tribute.”
3. Waterlog:“I talked to a few of folk who lived on canal boats while I was working on this project and a story kept on coming up which was about the mass destruction that can be reaped by a water-logged log. After one such conversation, I found myself thinking ‘poor log – it was a tree once’. I wondered how it might be to write a song from the perspective of the misunderstood log. When I had finished the song, I sent the demos of all the songs to Angela as she had been so instrumental in making the project happen. This was the song that really caught her ear. She wrote me a long email with beautiful feedback about all the songs but this song she particularly related to. She described it as a feminist anthem and made me realise that the song was more personal than I had originally intended. The water-logged log is not seen for all it was: as a young vibrant sapling, for the strength it once had or the stories it could tell. As a post-menopausal woman, I know how the log feels. It is a relatively simple song harmonically but the melody and lyrics of the bridge soar with a plea for understanding.”
4. I Can Breathe Underwater:“The inspiration behind this song came from a family tale that when I was two years old, I fell over in a swimming pool. I wasn’t in the water for long, I was scooped up quickly with no lasting physical impact. I was so young, that I have no recollection of the incident, it was shared with me when I was older by my parents. But although I didn’t remember it something in my psyche held on to this experience because as a child I refused to learn to swim. I can’t emphasise enough what a good girl I was as a kid, I did as I was told most of the time and was pretty compliant but when it came to swimming, I was adamant. There was absolutely no way I was getting into water. I certainly wasn’t going to put my face in and blow bubbles like the other children at swimming lessons. It didn’t matter what anyone said or did – I was immovable. In my teens I got over it enough that I learned to swim, but I still don’t put my face in the water. Some incidents last but they give you strength and a way to prove that you can overcome difficult times. This song is a testimony to overcoming pain, suffering and not allowing it to destroy you but rather to give you a glossy mermaids tail and resilience in all aspects of your life. Sometimes I feel as though nothing can hurt me because I can (metaphorically) breathe underwater.”
5. Run with the Tide:“I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan, the operations manager at John’s Boatyard in Brentford, while I was working on Johnson’s Island. He took me on a tour of the boatyard which still has some ancient equipment and an active boat-building and repair business. He told me how he changed his life driven by financial considerations. Buying a boat and becoming a continuous cruiser was a way to get out of the renting game and save some money so he could get on the property ladder. After a few months of living on his boat and changing location every two weeks he was hooked and he says he can’t imagine going back to living on land now. He talked about how the tide is so important to anyone living on a boat or working with boats. There are few things you can only do when there is slack water. And this idea of being run by the tide and its schedule stimulated the song. Using a 6/8 time signature really gives it a watery rhythm.”
6. Haul Me in the River*:“This song was written by Little Lore producer, Oli Deakin AKA Lowpines. I mentioned in passing to him that I should consider covering one of his songs in this collection and he immediately suggested that I listen to this song. I fell in love with it instantly and could imagine it with an a cappella treatment. I immediately recorded a simple demo version at my home studio and anxiously sent it to Oli for his thoughts – happily he loved the idea – I always feel responsible to treat other people’s songs with respect and this is the first time I have released something I haven’t written or co-written myself. The arrangement Oli created is stunning and I am really proud of how the collaboration worked out.”
Release information – River Stories:
Written and performed by: Little Lore AKA Tricia Duffy (except * written by Oli Deakin)
Produced by: Oli Deakin
Vocal Engineer: Paul Stanborough at Chapel Studio
Violin: Francesca Dardani
Cello: Sasha Ono
Drums: Morgan Karabel
All other instruments: Oli Deakin
Artwork: Afiya Paice
About Little Lore:
Little Lore is a London based, Indie-Americana singer-storyteller whose songs are both charmingly accessible and beguilingly challenging. You’ll want to listen twice. When you combine British wit and wordplay with cherished Americana roots, musical magic starts to happen. Based in Chiswick, West London, and originally hailing from Portsmouth, Tricia Duffy started her singing career as a teenager, which included a stint on cruise ships in the United States. She began writing and performing her own material with Americana duo Duffy & Bird and they released a well-received album 5 Lines in 2017 and a follow-up EP Spirit Level in 2019.
Tricia’s solo project Little Lore was created in 2020 during the pandemic. Her debut solo EP, Little Lore, was released in 2021 to glowing reviews. The singles, ‘Shallow’, ‘Brown Liquor John’ and ‘Birds’ were released in 2022 to similar acclaim, followed by another equally well-received single ‘Normal’ in January 2023. Two follow-up EPs Seven Stories Part One and Seven Stories Part Two were then released in late 2023 and early 2024 to enthusiastic reviews and extensive radio airplay. Little Lore has become a force to be reckoned with on the UK Americana scene, picking up a slew of enthusiastic reviews and extensive radio airplay – including BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Ulster, Nashville Worldwide Country Radio and the International Americana Music Show. In her songs, Little Lore brings together an affection for the heart and heritage of Americana music, with an intelligence and maturity of storytelling that can sweep you away into new and unexpected emotional worlds.
An enthusiastic advocate for songwriters, she is the London Chapter Coordinator for NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International), and a member of Ivors Academy and the Americana Music Association UK. She is especially passionate about creating opportunities for female, transgender and non-binary songwriters.
Following my ‘glam rock trilogy’ covering Slade, Sweet and Suzi Quatro, I now turn my attention to folk rock. I’m delighted to announce that my fourth book for Sonicbond Publishing will be coming out this summer. Steeleye Span 1970 to 1989 On Track: Every Album, Every Song will be out on 29 August 2025.
This latest book is part of Sonicbond’s ‘On Track’ series.
You can read the publisher’s blurb here:
When Ashley Hutchings broke away from Fairport Convention in 1969, he recruited two musical duos who didn’t seem to agree about very much at all. This fractious group imploded before their debut album was even released. Undeterred, two new musicians were enlisted and Steeleye Span carried on. Then Hutchings himself resigned. Rather than this being a disaster, however, it set in train what would become the band’s most commercially successful period. It was an extraordinary time for folk rock but it was not to last. The second half of the 1970s saw another change in line-up, disappointing album sales and a two-year hiatus. All was not lost, though, and the classic line-up reconvened at the start of the 1980s.
Covering a two-decade period, this book looks at every album from Hark! The Village Wait in 1970 to Tempted and Tried in 1989. The fascinating history behind the traditional songs on these albums is examined in detail, together with insights into how the band went about truly making them their own. Steeleye Span On Track is a meticulously researched celebration of the music of one the UK’s most important bands in the folk rock genre at the most crucial period in its history.
About the author:
A former politician, Darren Johonson spent many years writing about current affairs, but after stepping away from politics, he was able to devote time to his first love: music. His previous books for Sonicbond were The Sweet In The 1970s, Suzi Quatro In The 1970s and Slade In The 1970s. Following this glam rock trilogy, he now turns his attention to folk rock. A keen follower of both rock and folk, he maintains a popular music blog Darren’s Music Blog and has reviewed many albums and gigs over the past decade. He lives in Hastings, East Sussex.
Bristol-based Sons of Liberty have teamed up with Sunderland-based Thieves of Liberty for the unsurprisingly-named 12-date UK tour: The Tour of Liberty.
Thieves of Liberty opened proceedings with a set of high-energy hard-rock encompassing a spectacular twin-guitar assault from guitarists Kieran Wilson and Liam Lindsley, powerful vocals from frontman, James Boak, and delivering a slew of memorable songs off their debut album, Shangri-La. This young rock band have been garnering some rave reviews of late, with comparisons to mega-league rock institutions like Bon Jovi, Van Halen and Queen no less. That’s not all just hyperbole either. Though I haven’t seen them before they are well worth keeping an eye on.
Thieves of Liberty – photo: Darren Johnson
I first became familiar with the Southern Rock-inspired Sons of Liberty when they were Introducing Stage winners at Minehead Butlins back in 2019, returning to the main stage for a well-received performance the following year. Back then, they were fronted by Rob Cooksley (AKA Greyfox Growl), whose eccentrically charismatic stage persona was very much part of the overall SoL package. For me, however, the arrival of vocalist Russ Grimmett and the subsequent release of the band’s third album, The Detail Is in The Devil, marked a significant turning point. Grimmett is such a great singer with such a fantastic vocal range that Sons of Liberty have followed Deep Purple and Iron Maiden in being one of that select number of rock bands who go from strength to strength after replacing the frontman who helped give them their initial breakthrough. Never an easy feat to pull off, Grimmett is a superb fit for the band giving them greater depth and a more polished presentation, with the whole band creating some incredible music together. They are now in a whole different league.
Indeed, while there’s a small clutch of songs from the band’s first two albums, it’s material from the band’s third album and their first with Grimmett that heavily dominates the set. Whether it’s because I’ve been playing it so much these past few months or simply that it’s a great album just rammed full of catchy, memorable tunes (probably a mixture of both to be fair!) these feel like songs that have been around for decades, not months. ‘Time To Fly’, ‘Light the Fuse’ and ‘Tertulia Time’ the three songs which open tonight’s set are all bonafide classics, the latter with a chorus like some long-lost ‘80s stadium rocker.
Photo: Darren Johnson
Huge riffs, unforgettable choruses, a monster rhythm section, stunning guitar solos and powerful vocals – all the ingredients are there for what I want from a truly great hard rock band.
This is a band that does light and shade though and one that draws from a wide palette of musical influences. There’s a change of mood and a change of pace, for example, with the semi-acoustic ‘Hawk Men Come’, the band’s powerful and moving hymn to the people of Ukraine.
As well as a smattering of earlier material like ‘Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief’ from the band’s debut album (which provides an opportunity for a crowd sing-along), there’s also an airing for a couple of new songs that didn’t originally make it to last year’s album. The unremitting wall of sound that is ‘Full Force Five’ and the defiant swagger of ‘My Town’ are ample evidence that these guys don’t look like they’ll be giving up on hitting us with plenty of great new tunes any time soon.
Photo: Darren Johnson
As proceedings start drawing to a close (and clearly demonstrating that Southern Rock was never just about whiskey-soaked hellraisin’ and over-confident displays of machismo) Grimmett introduces the very Skynyrd-ish and really rather lovely ‘Walk With You’, a touching anthem of solidarity for anyone struggling with their mental health. Then there’s just time for a blast of ‘Ruby Starr’, the band’s tribute to the female Southern Rock vocalist of that name, marking the end of another triumphant set from Sons of Liberty.
Following their critically-acclaimed 2021 album, After Comes The Dark, which saw Green Diesel pick up a slew of enthusiastic reviews for what became their best-selling release to date, the Kent-based folk rock band are finally back with a brand-new album.
Onward The Sun! is the band’s long-awaited fifth album and is scheduled for release on 25 April. The nine-track album features six newly-composed songs inspired by themes such humanity’s connections with the natural world, ancient folklore, the persecution of witches and Shakespeare’s Henry IV, as well as fresh interpretations of much-loved Morris tunes, a modern take on a traditional murder ballad and a cover of a Paul Giovanni composition from the cinematic soundtrack to The Wickerman.
Showcasing Green Diesel’s masterful distillation of folk, rock and psychedelic influences, together with their usual exemplary musicianship and trademark vocals, the album was recorded at Squarehead Studios in Newington, Kent with producer Rob Wilks (Smoke Fairies, Lianne La Havas, Story Books) once again at the helm.
Guitarist, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Greg Ireland, comments:
“This is an album born out of playing together a lot! Most of the pieces were developed through a lot of sessions together and really stretching out the jams into some of those elongated pieces we play live. We then recorded the main tracks all live together in one room, no click tracks. It’s really a celebration of what this band is and the sound we make together.”
Green Diesel are:
Ellen Care – violin/vocals Matt Dear – lead guitar/vocals Ben Holliday – bass Greg Ireland – rhythm guitar/mandolin/dulcimer/vocals Ben Love – drums/percussion
About Green Diesel:
Hailing from Faversham in Kent, Green Diesel take their inspiration from the depths of English folk lore and legend, and the classic folk-rock sound of their predecessors: Fairport Convention and The Albion Band. Blending violin, mandolin and dulcimer with electric guitars and drums, Green Diesel’s sound is born from a love of traditional English music and a desire to bring it to a modern audience.
Green Diesel’s first three albums, Now Is the Time (2012), Wayfarers All (2014) and The Hangman’s Fee(2016) all won praise for the quality of song-writing and musicianship. A major turning-point, however, came with the band’s last album After Comes The Dark (2021). The album entered the UK Folk Top 40 on release and saw Green Diesel nominated for FATEA Music’s ‘Group/Duo of the Year’ award and also saw the band pushing their sound further, bringing in elements of psychedelia and progressive rock whilst remaining rooted in their folk upbringing.
Green Diesel – What They Say:
“A cornucopia of sounds that blends classic folk-rock, prog and elements of stately Early Music into their own distinctive style’” – R2 Magazine
“4/5 stars – ‘(Green Diesel bring) a psychedelic, progressive edge to their interpretations of both traditional and original material” – Shindig!
“Evocative of early Steeleye Span and veined with prog-rock and influences drawn from early Genesis and the 70s Canterbury scene’” – Folk Radio
“Green Diesel has skyrocketed into my top few bands” – FATEA
Onward The Sun! – Track-By-Track:
1. Venus Tree (Ireland): ‘Yarrow (the ‘pretty flower of Venus’ tree) is an interesting plant…! The song is perhaps a slightly twisted take on a love song, based around some of the ways in which yarrow can be used for what you might call ‘love divination’ whereby sprigs of yarrow would be placed under the pillow of a young woman who would then dream of her true love to be. One popular rhyme for instance reads:
‘Yarrow sweet yarrow, the first that I have found And in the name of sweet Jesus, I pluck it from the ground As Joseph loves sweet Mary and took her for his dear So in a dream this very night my true love will appear!’
Like all good folk stories there’s a twist in the tale of course. The yarrow plucked must be plucked from the grave of a young man dead before his time…’ Greg
2. Hotspur (Holliday): ‘Hotspur is the nickname given to Henry Percy, who was the 2nd Earl of Northumberland and led a rebellion against Henry IV. This rebellion culminated at the Battle of Shrewsbury, which is depicted in Shakespeare’s Henry IV. The night before the Battle, Hotspur is told that his various allies who agreed to fight alongside him aren’t turning up, but (in the play) he still delivers a fiery speech and declares they will go ahead and attack the ‘usurper’ Henry IV no matter what. The song tries to capture his mental state at night before the battle – he can’t sleep, he’s scared, but he knows he has to ‘front up’ and be the brave, fearless, fiery Hotspur that everyone knows.’ Ben
3. Huntress Moon (Dear): ‘This song is a spell of transformation. I’d been reading about Paracelsus, the history of alchemy, the occult, and the persecution of witches during the Reformation. I wanted to write something that drew on this symbolism, using the language of magick to craft a lament, an impossible dream, a transcendent fiction.’ Matt
4. Princess Royal/Dribbles of Brandy (trad arr Green Diesel): ‘Two English folk tunes learnt from our trusty companion Pete Cooper’s book of English Fiddle Tunes. I’ve played Princess Royal with my dad for years – there’s actually two different versions of this tune: one in a minor key and one in a major key. The minor one seemed to fit our style better! The second tune is called Dribbles of Brandy and was one we used to have on setlists during our wild misspent youth before it took a quiet retirement. It seemed time to resurrect! This one always puts me in mind of late night gigs at Broadstairs Folk Week fuelled by too many ciders…’ Ellen
5. Hymn For The Turning Year (Ireland): ‘Written in the depths of the Covid winter of 2020 when, amidst all the chaos in the human world, the Earth was just doing the same thing it does every year. The verses are individual snapshots of things I witnessed on my mandated solo walks and a reflection on ultimately how powerless we are against the natural world, a feeling which seemed to be mirrored on a human level by the situation in the world at the time.’ Greg
6. Maypole (Paul Giovanni): ‘A cover of one of Paul Giovanni’s compositions from the soundtrack to The Wickerman. The soundtrack has long been a favourite of mine, it was and remains a big influence on my songwriting. This song always struck a chord with me, and I’d always wanted to develop it into a longer song. It seemed to encapsulate my morbid attraction to the Summerisle cult, a return to a cyclical view of time, death and life entwined.’ Matt
7. Onward The Sun! (Ireland): ‘In some ways the sister song to Hymn… a frequent walking route of mine was up Golden Hill in Harbledown, just outside Canterbury. There’s a particular bench there where you can just sit and look across the hills. The sun is such a part of folklore and folk imagery and I suppose that was in my mind on some of these walks – musing on our temporary status in the world. We’ll all shuffle off sooner or later but the sun will go on and on. Hopefully…’ Greg
8. Ring The Hill (Ireland): ‘Based on the Cornish legend of the white hare. It is thought that the creature is the spirit of a broken-hearted lady determined to haunt her faithless lover to the grave. This also got me thinking about the historical connections between hares and witchcraft – the chorus lyrics are an adaptation of some of the words used by Isobel Gowdie at her trial (she was tried as a witch in Scotland in 1662 and her testimony survives). The song follows the progression of our heroine from broken-hearted to vengeful and it seemed appropriately prog to divide it into two parts. The tune for the second part is a variant of the traditional tune for Dives and Lazarus.’ Greg
9. Wild Wild Berry (trad arr. Green Diesel): ‘A traditional song that appears to share similarities with the Lord Randall ballad. Collected from the traditional singer Ray Driscoll who apparently learned it in Shropshire after being evacuated there during the war. My own introduction to the song came from the version by the Furrow Collective. I particularly liked the way that this version distils the essence of the long Lord Randall ballad into three powerful verses. And, of course, I love the poetic ending of the murderer being hanged with the deadly nightshade entwined in her hair! Musically I had been listening to a lot of drone-based composers like Alison Cotton and John Cale and wanted to try and extract the maximum mileage we could from one chord on this one’. Greg
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