StringFing
Folk Beat
This Stoke based Electro-Acoustic trio features the voice and guitar of legendary songwriter and poet W. Terry Fox (Cheshires longest serving Poet Laureate), the mandolin wizzardry and low whistle of Adam Fenn and the soulful moves of the gifted young cellist Emily Tellwright.
Terry, Adam and Emily formed this remarkable group in late 2009. Its music is a culmination of more than a 100 years of collective experience; a glorious fusion of English folksong, blues, traditional celtic music, classical music and good ol' rock n roll. They call it 'Folk Beat'.
Terry and Adam's collaborations go back many years to their partnership in the cult bands Boneshaker and Heymaker. However Terry's musical legacy began in the early sixties with another cult band, the revered R&B outfit Cops n Robbers. Indeed it is a combination of their collective history that gives this band such a great sound. Welcome to 'Folk Beat'.
The addition of Emily Tellwright and her cello give depth and atmosphere to Adams brilliant mandolin playing and Terry's well worn vocal cords. Terry's songs old and new are given an edginess not often found in folk music.
Revisiting the past catalogue of songs is nothing new for Terry and Adam, but Emily's playing has encouraged Terry to look much further into the past and rekindle his old 'Beat Music'. One song in particular is outstanding in their repertoire, 'You'll Never Do It Baby'. Originally written by Terry and Smudger Smith it was released by The Pretty Things in 1965, by garage band The Lyres in the 80's and Holly Golightly's group Thee Headcotees in 2008. However this reworking by StringFing gives the song a whole new life.
New songs abound in their ever changing set. Some notable ones will eventually become firm favourites, including 'Ram Yer Spike', 'Winsford Town' and 'Down On Poison Farm'. But fans of earlier works should not worry as old favourites such as 'I Want You', 'The Priest And The Witch', 'Chromium Nights', 'Be My Violin' and 'The Ballad Of Francis Adams' still get aired regularly. .
You can never rest easy with Terry's lyrics, they can be deeply disturbing like 'The Ballad of Francis Adams' (Fanny Adams). A song about a Victorian Peodophile, who cut his victim into small pieces (hence the common saying for meaning 'nothing at all'), and 'On A new Years Day' a song about a Staffordshire coal mining disaster. It's not all doom and gloom 'I Want You', is a humourous song relating to the sixties escesses and new love found, it has memorable lines in it, such as "I've smoked marijuana, Old Holborn and banana, but all I want now is you".
It is true to say that their sound is 'Folk Beat', but StringFing are one of the new wave of artists writing and recording songs that are true to the folk tradition. Many of their songs are a window to local traditions and history, and will be used and manipulated by singers in the future as a mirror to the past. Maybe Terry's songs will pass into time as 'Trad. 20th/21st Cen', who knows, we can enjoy them today.
Whether StringFing is bending its strings to ballads like 'Winsford Town' or 'Sad Song', or singing of life 'Down On Poison Farm', or rocking with 'Big Pearl', you are gauranteed a uniquely rewarding experience.
