Den Raw Folk is
a “family” band from Dunkirk, in the North of France. Nowadays they are a five
piece band, but their debut album was recorded by the Rocher brothers (Den and Fred)
and their niece/daughter Marine. Den played acoustic and electric guitars and
sang lead vocals; Fred played mandolin, guitars, banjo, keyboards, percussions,
accordion and sang backing vocals; and Marine played bass, drums, percussions
and sang backing vocals too. The guest list on the album includes Brenda Rocher
on backing vocals, Rodrigue Babdor on lead vocals (“La Zoukinite”), Simone
André on trombone, Sébastien Curveiller on tenor and alto saxes and Bruce Caulier on
trumpet.
French fans should be familiar with the Rocher bros., since they were members of the
seminal punk rock outfit Sub Kids. Sub Kids released some singles in the
eighties and made it to some important compilations, mainly “Chaos in France
Volume 1”, the bible of the French punk/oi French regional scenes. Their new
band, Den Raw Folk, blends pub rock, Celtic punk, Caribbean beats (from Jamaica
and French Antilles) and punk rock. The sound and attitude is that of a band
from the XXI century, but I feel that they draw inspiration from the eighties.
Most of the bands pull their influences from the likes of Flogging Molly,
Dropkick Murphys and Rancid. However, Den Raw Folk go to the original source: The
Clash, Stiff Little Finger, The Pogues and The Men They Couldn’t Hang.
The album is
really tight and well-balanced. There are 9 self-penned songs and 4 covers.
Although the Sub Kids used to sing in English, “Urban Romance” lists songs in
French and songs in English. The band’s roots are obvious on the first numbers,
“Belfast Song”, a composition in French with a The Men They Couldn’t Hang sound, and “Kerry Polka”, a standard tune on The Pogues live sets as a part of “South
Australia”.
The next song, “Les
Filles du Quai” is also sung in French. It’s another song with an American
twist. Track four is and amazing instrumental, a sort of a Pogues outtake from
the “Rum Sodomy and the Lash” sessions. “Maritime Bar” is a reggae whose dub
version can be found at the end of the disc , “Maritime Dub”. Jonathan Richman’s
“Egyptian Reggae” gets a Black Market
Clash treatment. “Fishermen” is an old Sub Kids punk-rock number. And “Purple
Turtle” is a song with reggae vibes about the brothers first contacts with the
music world.
Den Raw Folk pay
a further tribute to their heroes, The Pogues, covering the band’s classic “If
I Should Fall from Grace with God”. The following number , "La Débrouille" is another awesome cow punk instrumental. “La Zoukinite” is an
addictive zouk number
And, finally, “Hopak” is a mandolin driven rendition of one of The Ukranians greatest hits.
As it has been
mentioned, Den Raw Folk are now a five piece band with the addition of a fiddler
and a drummer. “Urban Romance” is an
interesting starting point for a long career. Roots, Rock, Reggae. We want more!
01 - Belfast Song 2:49
02 - Kerry Polka 1:47
03 - Les filles du quai 3:05
04 - Micky Ways 2:11
05 - Maritime Bar 3:40
06 - Egyptian Reggae 2:18
07 - Fishermen 2:23
08 - Purple Turtle 3:56
09 - If I Should Fall 2.23
10 - La Débrouille 1:53
11 - La Zoukinite 3:41
12 - Hopak 3:40
13 - Maritime Dub 3:42
Website
Sen a PM to Fred to buy the CD:
Fred's Facebook
Review by Kinksmarkham
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