Eclectic folk: Mawkin
Published 28 Jul 2012 09:30
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It's easy for bands to get pigeon-holed when they are heavily involved in one music scene, but Mawkin are ready to break the mold with their eclectic sound and, perhaps, unexpected pin-up status.
If you like the sound of traditional folk spliced with rockier rythms and a bit of bass, you might have just found your thing.
David Delarre, Mawkin's vocalist, guitarist and banjo player told us: "A lot of people viewed folk music as an old man genre, people in Arran sweaters, that sort of thing. That stereotype is reinforced by members of the folk world (sometimes us!) but something happened five or six years ago - young people started doing it!
"Bellowhead broke it [folk] open a bit and by 2008/9 people viewed folk as something not old and crusty but quite cool. If you go to West London it's everywhere. We were at a festival a couple of weeks ago and we were like 'where did they all [folk bands] come from?' It's cool, though, the new folk bands play to the hardcore traditionalists, who are listening to new stuff, and they're clashing and coming together and sometimes it works. We can now appeal to people who wouldn't usually hear us."
Fast becoming the poster boys for their brand of jazzy yet authentic folk, David coyly says: "We got a front cover for a world music magazine and they wanted us to dress up and look cool and we didn't know what to wear. Some one in the band decided it would be a good idea to do a nude front cover, so we ended up posing as Greek statues with carefully placed instruments. It's the only issue of the magazine to sell out in the past ten years!"
The five-piece multi-instrumentalist band from Essex (Adam lives in the town The Only Way Is Essex is filmed but assures us we won't be seeing them as extras any time soon!) will play at Norden Farm on Saturday, August 4. The Maidenhead venue's director tracked them down after hearing their diverse tunes, which David says hail from a lifetime of listening to a fusion of South American, Spanish, gyspsy and jazz music.
Formed ten years ago, they have released two albums, The Fair Essex, one of MOJO's folk albums of the year, and Crow. They were nominated for a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award off the back of their first EP and have collaborated and toured with musical greats including Billy Bragg, Eliza Carthy and Jim Causley. The boys recently appeared on Jools Holland's London Calling - a documentary exploring the diverse sounds which make up modern-day London - and will be appearing on comedian Ade Edmondson's latest show for ITV.
David said: We've got a dedicated fan base. People either enjoy our music or they don't. It's like Marmite.
"Our gigs are quite energetic, affairs. Audiences can expect to have a laugh and an enjoyable evening. We are quite chilled out but we do get boisterous. You can expect a good night and a bit of a dance - if you're that way inclined!"
Tickets are £13 from www.nordenfarm.org or by calling 01628 788997.
This article appeared in Slough Observer 26 Jul 12
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