Faustus evolved in 2006 from the band Dr Faustus and released their debut album in 2008 and following this were nominated as the Best Group in the 2009 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. The three members of Faustus have a strong folk background, having been in well known bands before – the members are Saul Rose (Waterson:Carthy, Whapweasel), Benji Kirkpatrick (Seth Lakeman Band, Bellowhead) and Paul Sartin (Bellowhead, Belshazzar’s Feast).
After a two year break, the band returned to touring in Autumn 2012 and worked on finishing their new album, Broken down gentlemen which has just been released, and the band will be on tour in April.
I’m certainly not an expert in folk music but one thing I do know is that Folk music is such a diverse range of sounds (a day at the Cambridge folk festival will quickly make that clear to anyone who hadn’t already realised that), but there are definite styles within that spectrum. Faustus are what I’d describe as traditional English folk music – the sort of thing that anyone who isnt a folk lover would pick out as ”folk”. As to what makes it traditional English folk music that’s harder for me to describe, but it’s a combination of the songs, the vocals and the choice of instruments.
This some great folk music – the vocals in particular give the album it’s strong English folk feel and sound great. The music is mainly guitar based with some great use of the fiddle and then other instruments are used to add extra richness to the music. As is common in folk music the album contains some songs that have been recorded many times – ’Captains Apprentice’ for instance is a track that The Imagined Village also included on their last album, ’Bending the dark’, but that song in particular sounds very different on the two albums – it’s interesting to see how two groups can take a song and come out with such different but equally enjoyable results.
A great album for fans of English folk music.
’Broken down gentlemen’ is out now.
1. Broken Down Gentlemen
2. American Stranger
3. Blow the Windy Morning
4. Prentice Boy
5. Banks of the Nile
6. Captain’s Apprentice
7. Og’s Eye Man
8. I Wish, I Wish
9. Lovely Johnny
10. Thrashing Machine
Faustus – The Broken Down Gentlemen Tour – April 2013
Thurs 11th April The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
www.wegottickets.com
Doors: 7.30pm / On stage: 8.00pm
Fri 12th April The Greystones, Sheffield
www.wegottickets.com / www.mygreystones.co.uk
Doors: 7.30pm / On stage: 8.00pm
Sat 13th April Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot
Tel: 01235 515 144 / www.cornerstone-arts.org
Doors: 7.30pm / On stage: 8.00pm
Sun 14th April Gill Nethercott Centre, Whitchurch, Hants
www.wegottickets.com
Doors: 7.30pm / On stage: 8.00pm
Mon 15th April The Green Note, Camden, London
Tel: 020 7485 9899 / www.folkonmonday.co.uk
Doors: 7.00pm / On stage: 9.00pm
Tues 16th April South Street Arts Centre, Reading
Tel: 0118 960 6060 / www.readingarts.com
Doors: 7.00pm / On stage: 8.00pm
Fri 19th April Nailsea Folk Club, Nailsea nr. Bristol
Tel: 01275 790 915 / www.nailseafolkclub.co.uk
Doors: 7.30pm / On stage 8.30pm
Sat 20th April The Arts Centre, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk
Tel: 01695 584 480 / www.edgehill.ac.uk/artscentre
Doors: 7.30pm / On stage: 8.00pm
Weds 24th April Stamford Arts Centre
Tel: 01780 763 203 / www.stamfordartscentre.com
Doors: 7.30pm / On stage: 8.00pm
Fri 26th April 2013 The Guildhall, Leicester
Tel: 0116 253 2569
Doors 7.15pm / On stage: 8.00pm
Sat 27th April 2013 Ropery Hall, Barton-on-Humber
Tel: 01652 660 380 / www.the-ropewalk.co.uk/roperyhall
Doors: 7.30pm / On stage: 8.00pm
www.faustusband.com
