The Folk - Stay

No matter how many songs there are in the world about the hunger of love it seems that there is always room for more. Hertforshire based band The Folk serve up a beautiful song of longing and affairs of the heart called Stay, the follow up to When It Rains. “First thing in the morning, last thing at night, you’re the only thing that’s on my mind,” they sing as the song swells to a captivating chorus. The so-young so-talented rule applies here from a band whose members have only just finished their AS Levels. If new music blogging is the new A&R, spotting young talent at an early stage, then this is one of those moments where we raise our hand.

Since we last wrote about The Folk they’ve slimmed down from a four piece to a core of three consisting of Rose, Lauren and Lucy,(which fits in very neatly with our past theory that 2012 was going to be a good year for women with the initial L - the likes of Lana Del Rey, Lucy Rose, Lianne La Havas, Louise & the Pins, Loui Rose (aka Foxes) and Laurel Arnell-Cullen  having  all lit up our world so far) have been featured on both BBC 6 Music and Amazing Radio, played a slot at The Great Escape’s Alt. Escape in Brighton and are also performing at a number of summer festivals including Lodestar and Standon Calling where they’ll be playing The Folk Tent – nice of the festival to name the stage after them! 

Take a listen to Stay below, it may be pretty but there's a rock solid strength to the music as well. The song is released on the 25th July

Photo credit : Redwood Photography

The Folk - Stay

The Folk - New Waves

It’s all in the name really. The Folk, an all-female four piece from Hertfordshire, may still be young enough to describe themselves as A-Level students but their music is not versed in the dubstep wub-wub or r ‘n’ b pop that proliferates through many teen headphones or 6th form / college common rooms. Instead The Folk name their influences as Mumford and Sons, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Foster the People, Florence and the Machine, Bellowhead and Laura Marling and certainly listening to their sweet, verging on twee, acoustic pop songs it’s possible to hear elements of all of these artists as well as the likes of early First Aid Kit, Gabrielle Aplin and Stealing Sheep.

The Folk are Lucy Holmes (lead vocals), Lauren Deakin-Davies (guitar), Sam Saward (backing vocals, ukulele and violin) and Rose Goodship (backing vocals and ukulele). Whilst the group are unlikely to be found challenging the likes of Lady Gaga or Katy Perry in the near future for chart status (although they do have a song called Disco Ball Bra which frankly is more a Perry-esque title than one Marling would use) their music has an undeniable and adorable pop sentimentality. There’s go-weak-at-the-knees-melodies, harmonies to die for and a sense that whilst it’s very early days there’s a huge amount still to come from this group.

There’s a wealth of songs on the bands Soundcloud, some of which are very raw in their recording quality, although the likes of When It Rains (recently submitted and chosen as one of the winners of Tom Robinson’s Fresh Faves on the final BBC6 Music Fresh on the Net show) is much more polished. With some more gems like that and the lovely Stay ( streaming on You Tube below) they could easily become something to really treasure.

The Folk - When It Rains

The Folk - When It Rains (MagicMann Ambient Remix)



The Folk - Stay