BLACKBEARD’S TEA PARTY Reprobates (own label BTP004)

BLACKBEARD'S TEA PARTY ReprobatesBlackbeard’s Tea Party’s fourth album starts out quite gently … for all of ten seconds. Then it launches into one of the strangest songs I’ve heard in many a long year. Stuart Giddens’ ‘The Steam Arm Man’ tells of a soldier who loses an arm at the Battle Of Waterloo with consequences that are something out of The Twilight Zone. Long-standing fans will not be disappointed.

That’s followed by ‘Hangman’s Noose’, an instrumental set which begins with old-timey fiddle from Laura Boston-Barber and then takes of into pure Blackbeard territory. It sounds like the band are having huge fun and perhaps that’s to do with having two hand percussionists instead of a more conventional drum-kit. They manage to be tight and sound loose at the same time. Giddens is responsible for two more of the record’s big songs: ‘The Slave Chase’ – heavily adapted from a nineteenth century song – and ‘Jack Ketch’, the man notorious for taking five strokes of his axe to despatch the Duke of Monmouth and a dozen to execute Lord Russell. All good clean fun for the kiddies.

Tim Yates’ bass is a big sound on Reprobates, featuring heavily on his own track, ‘The Devil’s Doorbell’ and ‘Star Of Munster’. The treatment of Peter Bellamy’s ‘Roll Down’ sounds a bit odd to my ears but I’ve known the original for many years. Its phrasing is altered to fit the traditional tune ‘Tater Patch’ which surrounds it giving it an entirely new dynamic well away from the singarounds where it is usually heard these days. Actually, it’s pretty good now I think about it. The Diggers’ anthem, ‘Stand Up Now’, is really big and funky but ‘Close The Coalhouse Door’, which closes the set, is treated with appropriate respect with the vocal over thudding percussion and doomy fiddle and guitar. It has the Blackbeard’s Tea Party stamp but remains true to its origins which is quite a feat.

If someone asks you what is the point of folk-rock in the 21st century just ignore them. They don’t know what they’re talking about.

Dai Jeffries

Artists’ website: www.blackbeardsteaparty.com

‘The Ballad Of William Kidd’ – official video:


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