The Young Folk come to Wairoa

IT’S A LONG WAY TO WAIROA: The Young Folk, an Irish folk music band with a difference, has included Wairoa in its New Zealand tour. “With some luck New Zealand will be an excellent place to propagate our youthful approach to folk music,” says band member Tony McLoughlin. Picture supplied

FORGET everything you thought you knew about Irish folk music here come The Young Folk.

The band uses a mix of traditional acoustic instrumentation, that includes mandolin, banjo, violin, trombone and synthesiser with contemporary production techniques. The result is a sound that has been compared with that of Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and Crosby Stills & Nash. The Young Folk’s lyrics relate to issues around family, childhood memories and times of personal value.

“You must be somewhere in London/ You must be loving your life in the rain/ You must be somewhere in London/ Walking Abbey Lane.” sings Anthony Furey in England, a song about lost feelings.

“Famous angels never come to England/ England gets the ones you never need.”

Raised on a Dublin diet of traditional Irish folk, Furey made it his mission to push the boundaries from traditional folk into mainstream. When The Young Folk burst onto Ireland’s national music scene the band was described by Hot Press as “serious challengers for the area populated by the likes of Fleet Foxes, Mumford and Sons and The Low Anthem”.

Released worldwide, The Young Folk’s 2014 debut album Little Battle went straight into No 2 in the Dutch charts and the top 10 in Irish charts.

The trio will be joined by New Zealand trombone, banjo, percussion and synths player, Alex Borwick for their live shows. In the early 1900s, Borwick’s unconventional great grandmother travelled all over New Zealand singing for her living.

Now travelling New Zealand in 2018 with vocalist and pianist Paul Butler, bass and mandolin player Tony McLoughlin and singer, acoustic and electric guitar player Anthony Furey, Borwick performs with The Young Folk at Wairoa’s EastEnd Cafe and Bar on Sunday, February 18 at 4pm.