THE OCCASIONAL CEILIDH BAND - ALL OUR OWN WORK
The fifteen - mostly instrumental - songs have their roots in old school English folk
This is the second LP from the Occasional Ceilidh Band of Norfolk (not to be confused with a similarly named named outfit from Edinburgh). The first LP was of barn-dance standards whilst this is all originals.
Recorded on a budget of practically nowt in a church hall, conservatory and a home office, this is properly DIY. Hells, there will be so-called DIY punks out there that are not this DIY. And, for the most part, this is a very good thing. Obviously, technology has moved on since - and the sound quality is a million miles away from - Alan Lomax’s field recordings but this still has something of the immediacy that Lomax captured.
The fifteen - mostly instrumental - songs have their roots in old school English folk, with jigs, reels and polkas but there is a bit more to it than that, with hints of klezmer and jazz. There is nothing here that is truly original and differently but that is not the point. The six piece are playing music that they enjoy playing, they are playing it very well and it is all rather good fun. I bet they can be a riot live and I would live to see them at, say Folk East. As it is, this is a fine listen and well worth seeking out.
7/10
