Faustus, Slaves EP - review

Slaves mixes old and new as the kings of modern folk bring us another vision into yesteryear.

Quite far, to be specific. Slaves, for example, harks back to poetry written in 1840 by William S Villiers Sankey in tribute to/parody of the work of fellow writer Percy Bysshe Shelley.

It may be verging on 200 years old, but the troubles and strife of men stay the same. It is a rallying call to the rebellious among us, and although the calls for Europe to stand up with their brethren may now fall on deaf ears post-Brexit, the idea remains the same.

It is stirring for music so light. The harmonies produced by Bellowhead mainstays Benji Kirkpatrick and Paul Sartin and Saul Rose are uplifting and breezy and mix the instrumentation they float over.

One More Day carries on in the same vein. Originally a sea shanty dating from 1914 it is another call to persevere through life's tribulations in the search for a better existence. You can see the theme here.

The instrumental The Knife Of Brian/Bluebells And Beech Woods is a faster-paced break to proceedings and shows the players at their best. It picks through their repertoire of speed and grace, sliding in octave and showmanship.

We are then treated to two live versions of their music. Slaves appears again, and is joined by a rendition of Thresherman. Another working man's song originating in the 1960s it tells of the daily toil of farm workers in a bid to make ends meet.

Again, times may have moved on but the essence remains contemporary. With a rhythm befitting of manual labourers it is a tune that could adorn the workplaces of our very own Midlands Engineroom.

A little similar to the aforementioned LP, it is a good listen none the less.

Rating: 3/5

Faustus play The Three Tuns in Bishop's Castle on Friday, April 21, before appearing at the Talbot Theatre at Whitchurch Leisure Centre in Whitchurch the following day.

By Leigh Sanders