In 2018, Robin Adams put out a collection of demo recordings as a limited edition release on Bandcamp. This was to be the blueprint for 2025’s The Beggar.
It was only in hindsight, through getting to know the songs in a live setting, refining arrangements and hearing the music brought to life by a band, that Adams decided to record the album professionally with an intuitive group of musicians he trusted.
“The initial demo release was really an experiment. The process was very isolated and the result was quite rough and raw. When I heard how the songs evolved in a live setting with a full band, I felt they had to be revisited in the studio.”
Written at a difficult time in his life, Adams was gradually recovering, both psychologically and physically from a four year period of chronic illness which had rendered him housebound.
“For a long time I felt completely cut off, unable to gig, see friends or to socialise in any meaningful way due to debilitating fatigue. My writing changed very much at that time“
His recovery from chronic illness was to be overshadowed by the death of his father Chris Adams (String Driven Thing). This was the troubled backdrop of the album. Naturally then, the songs deal with departure, death, loss, a sense of detachment from the world. Lyrically, The Beggar has the sense of an introspective terrain from which an oblique reflection on life’s darker waters is drawn.
Crucially, Adams made the decision to approach the recording process not from the introspective place from which the songs were born, but in the spirit of collaboration.
“The key to this process for me was really in working with such talented and generous musicians. We didn’t have funding, so the record was a labour of love from everyone involved who dedicated their precious time and talent to these recordings, for which I’m deeply grateful.”
Hailing from a rich Scottish musical heritage, singer-songwriter and finger style guitarist Robin Adams carries the torch passed on by his parents, Chris and Pauline Adams, the driving forces behind 1970s folk rock ensemble String Driven Thing. Since 2011, Adams has released six full-length albums and two instrumental guitar EPs, ranging from his evocative debut Be Gone to his 2022 foray into American Country and Blues, Wrong Road Home. Drawing inspiration from the likes of John Martyn, Nick Drake and Bert Jansch, Adams has carved out a distinctive niche in the folk singer songwriter landscape.
He is also an active member of the travelling folk collective Les Caravan alongside Sam Grassie (Avocet, Broadside Hacks), Alfie Jones, Sam Fryer (Parma Violets, Gently Tender), Mataio Austin Dean (Shovel Dance Collective).
In 2021, Adams received the Celtic Music Radio Album of the Year award for his album One Day. The following year, Americana UK lauded his latest work, Wrong Road Home with a 9/10 review, asserting that listeners would be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable record that year or the next. In 2023 he released his sixth album Sun Behind The Storm to similar praise.
On The Beggar, Robin who supplies guitar and lead vocals, is joined by the following musicians:
Cello: Juliette Lemoine
Bass: David Bowden
Drums: Stephen Henderson (And Alex Palmer on Ride On, Blue Flower Slumber)
Violin: Emma Pantel Bowden (And Charlie Grey on The Rover, Blue Flower Slumber)
Harp: Rachel Clemente (In The Darkness)
Piano and clarinet: Dan Brown
Saxophone: Campbell Drummond
Harmonium: Ross Taylor
Backing Vocals: Iona Zajac
String and woodwind arrangements were a collaborative effort between Juliette Lemoine, Emma Pantel Bowden, Charlie Grey, Rachel Clemente, Dan Brown and Robin Adams.
Artist’s website: https://www.facebook.com/robinadamsband/?locale=en_GB
Thanks for stopping by. Please help us continue and support us by tipping/donating to folking.com via
You must be logged in to post a comment.