Apparently Folk Against Fascism week is upon us. A piece exploring the link between the BNP and folk music is here.

Here’s a list of some of the events. There are probably more:

The purists despise them but Noah and the Whale are considered by the unlettered masses to be part of the new folk scene. This gives me a more or less valid excuse to use this video of the beautifully affecting opening track from their last album. It made one person I know cry in a good way when she heard it.

5 responses to “Folk You Fascists!”

  1. Emo Folk?
    It’s bound to end in tears….

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7nZYJWobyU&feature=related

    Meanwhile, in a blatant bid for the populist audience:-

    Lady GaGa “Bad Romance”

    My Chemical Romance “Famous Last Words”

    Smash the BNP!

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  2. I don’t think anyone despises NATW. I think lots of people think that traditional songs and tunes are what makes folk music folk music, in which case NATW are about as ‘folk’ as Kate Nash. But hey, marketing. The dispute is probably only going to be resolved by a general agreement that music labelled as ‘folk’ is guaranteed not to include anything traditional.

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  3. I’m fairly sure that late sixties, early seventies Fairport Convention did ‘traditional folk’ songs. Despite that, they were probably one of the best bands around, especially when second on the bill to a ghastly prog rock band on the college circuit.

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  4. Good to see Dave Swarbrick still touring 6 years after having a double lung transplant!
    Like Mark Twain the obituary for him was premature

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  5. Fairport were (are?) a great band who did (or do) a ton of traditional material & made it sound like whatever they wanted it to sound like, pretty much the way people like Jim Moray are working now. I’ve got no problem with any of that – you can’t hurt traditional songs by singing them. What gets me is the way the label ‘folk’ is applied to anyone who sounds a bit like Fairport or Steeleye, or a bit like Sandy Denny, or a bit like Nick Drake (a fine songwriter who had naff all to do with traditional music).

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