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Despite the musicians all being from England and under 25 years of age, I couldn't shake the feeling that this album is an undiscovered celtic classic from decades ago, it has that excitement of early Altan and Clannad, arrangements that seem so ancient yet startlingly fresh at the same time. Perhaps it's the range of influences brought to the mix and the persuasively modern yet mature interpretation of trad tunes.
The first two tracks rip along on the delicious interplay between whistles and violin, music that conjures wide open landscapes with sweet Atlantic rain casting rainbows over the rugged seashore. The Silver Pin has the incredibly mature voice of Robin Beatty singing, and his voice is wonderful, he can conjure boyish mirth or the deep melancholy inherent in the song My Donald, a tale of Scottish whalers in the harsh seas.
Based On A True Story is a wonderfully exciting and uplifting album, it constantly takes you in unexpected directions, the fact that they manage to do this without being flashy or contrived in any way bodes very well for their future career. Debut albums as good as this are rare beasts indeed, I don't think they will have any problems living up to its promise.
Iain Hazlewood - Spiral Earth - Spiral Earth
Despite the musicians all being from England and under 25 years of age, I couldn't shake the feeling that this album is an undiscovered celtic classic from decades ago, it has that excitement of early Altan and Clannad, arrangements that seem so ancient yet startlingly fresh at the same time. Perhaps it's the range of influences brought to the mix and the persuasively modern yet mature interpretation of trad tunes.
The first two tracks rip along on the delicious interplay between whistles and violin, music that conjures wide open landscapes with sweet Atlantic rain casting rainbows over the rugged seashore. The Silver Pin has the incredibly mature voice of Robin Beatty singing, and his voice is wonderful, he can conjure boyish mirth or the deep melancholy inherent in the song My Donald, a tale of Scottish whalers in the harsh seas.
Based On A True Story is a wonderfully exciting and uplifting album, it constantly takes you in unexpected directions, the fact that they manage to do this without being flashy or contrived in any way bodes very well for their future career. Debut albums as good as this are rare beasts indeed, I don't think they will have any problems living up to its promise.
Iain Hazlewood - Spiral Earth - Spiral Earth
"I listened to the album and realised I'd come across an absolute gem...Absolutely wonderful." - BBC
"I listened to the album and realised I'd come across an absolute gem...Absolutely wonderful." - BBC
The Old Dance School are a six piece folk band whose talents come from across England with a fertile genre-crossing collective talent. The sound they produce is both unique, fresh, original and uplifting. What is more remarkable is that they are all under 25 years of age!
So what makes them work? Is it their experience of classical and jazz which is fused with traditional folk re-arrangements? For me, they are embracing their experiences of here and now with a respect for the tradition and this comes across in their arrangements which gives them a remarkably fresh and exciting sound. - FolkRadio.com
The Old Dance School are a six piece folk band whose talents come from across England with a fertile genre-crossing collective talent. The sound they produce is both unique, fresh, original and uplifting. What is more remarkable is that they are all under 25 years of age!
So what makes them work? Is it their experience of classical and jazz which is fused with traditional folk re-arrangements? For me, they are embracing their experiences of here and now with a respect for the tradition and this comes across in their arrangements which gives them a remarkably fresh and exciting sound. - FolkRadio.com
Discography
'The Old Dance School' – Studio EP, October 07
'Based On A True Story' – Studio LP Album, August 08
Tracks from Based On A True Story have been played by Bob Harris (Saturday night, BBC Radio 2), Mike Harding (BBC Radio 2), Janis Long (BBC WM) and stream on the FolkRadio.co.uk playlist – where listeners voted 'Cacodemon' 9th in the station's top 40.
Photos
Bio
The Old Dance School is an innovative, young, six-piece folk band who have just released their debut studio album, “Based on a True Story”.
"When I listened to the album I realised I’d come across an absolute gem... Absolutely wonderful."
– Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2
Acclaimed for their uplifting, grooving show, The Old Dance School bring together thrilling arrangements of European folk music and self-penned tracks to craft a diverse and explosive set. Fiddles, whistles, guitar, vocals, bass and spectacular cajón percussion combine to show their folk, jazz, soul and world music influences with a clarity and maturity that has brought this lively group of young musicians a proliferate following.
The six-piece band come from across England, and share a wealth of musical experience – from European opera tours and international jazz festivals, to early music recitals, rock clubs and green festivals – each member’s musical journey so far is of a breadth and scale quite remarkable, given that none is older than 25.
Alongside all of this, each and every member of The Old Dance School has maintained a deep-rooted love of folk and world music from an early age and this is the driving force that unites them. “Based on a True Story” is the culmination of a busy year for The Old Dance School and its title reflects their approach to the music – drawing on their jazz, classical and early music experience to enliven their arrangements of traditional material and original compositions, they strive never to lose sight of that elemental joy so important in folk music – a good tune. Their music is to them, as they believe all good folk should be – an expression of their time and place, and a celebration of a shared cultural heritage.
Recent performance highlights include the main stage at Moseley Folk Festival, The English Originals Festival, The Town Hall in Birmingham supporting Bellowhead and Dave Swarbrick and touring as a featured group within Joe Broughton’s Conservatoire Folk Ensemble – the band within which they met.
Members of The Old Dance School have performed, toured and recorded with artists such as The Chris While Band, Darren Black, Joe Broughton, Jim Perrin, Kevin Dempsey, The Violent Femmes, The Destroyers, While & Matthews, Martha Tilston and Neil Yates. The band are currently preparing for a busy summer of gigs and festivals and a tour with their good friends, BBC Young Folk Awards finalists Jack McNeill and Charlie Heys.
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