|
|
Post by Trev Williams on Mar 24, 2009 11:22:37 GMT -1
THE FOLLYS : ‘Maps To Nowhere’
(Own Label)
Better known around Oxfordshire as a solo acoustic singer-songwriter of a more melancholy disposition, Trev Williams finds an outlet for his brasher, more aggressive instincts with The Follys, a three-piece whose muscular r’n’b is rooted firmly in the pub-rock scene of the mid- 70s when a back-to-basics approach retaliated against the excesses of prog and paved the way for punk. ‘Maps To Nowhere’ is a four-song EP that at once shows Trev does have an ear for a decent tune but can be frustratingly inconsistent. Highlight here by some distance is the title track with its easy, hook-laden chorus and jangly thrash that strips away all the frippery and histrionics of the other tracks. If it has a fault it’s that maybe Trev could rein in his vocal stridency, but it’s a tune that sticks in your head long after the CD has finished.
As for the rest of the EP, it fair gushes with eager bullishness but lets itself down either with a need to showboat – ‘Don’t Let Them Down’ in particular keeps stopping to wander off on some vaguely funky excursion when it should stick to the job in hand, while Trev’s scalded cat vocal style can grate over a whole EP, particularly the clumsy ‘Thinking Of You’. ‘Hostile Town’ kicks in with plenty of attitude but pulls its punches when total conviction is the order of the day. Dale Kattack, Nightshift April 2009
|
|
|
|
Post by Trev Williams on Mar 30, 2009 13:35:27 GMT -1
EP Review Trev and his Follys are back are by god does he mean it. Hostile Town rocks like a good ‘un and Trev is nearly snarling and spitting the lyrics out. He’s a decent singer but this style suits him much better, it’s primal garage rock with a sweet chorus. Maps To Nowhere has a lovely spindly guitar line, reminding me of the ramshackle sweetness of Orange Juice and the staggering confidence of Eat. Don’t Let Them Down is further evidence of The Follys coming together as a band. It reminds me of those great indie bands of the early nineties, The Family Cat and the like. Thinking of You is a crashing end to the EP, the instruments assaulting your senses in constant piercing movements. Russells Reviews March 2009 russellsmusicreviews.blogspot.com/2009/03/follys-maps-to-nowhere-ep.html |
|
|
|
Post by Trev Williams on Apr 10, 2009 12:28:26 GMT -1
The Follys: Maps to Nowhere April 10th, 2009 The vulnerable punk: it’s not quite the contradiction in terms that it sounds. Feargal Sharkey of The Undertones serves as the archetype-disaffected, nervous, needy-and Trevor Williams, fronting his band The Follys, comes across as all of these. Although Williams lacks the three-minute storytelling genius of Sharkey, on this latest EP the trio is in good, tight, spiky form, and all four songs are worth a listen. ‘Hostile Town’ opens with an energetic bass/guitar riff largely teefed from The Kinks ‘All Day and All Night’. There’s nothing remotely original in the two minutes that follow but the yelpy Pixieish vibe is quite enjoyable, as is speculation as to what particular town is being referred to. Given poor old Trev spends a lot of time making a chump of himself on internet message boards devoted to the local music scene, I would hazard a guess that the conurbation in question may be located on the Thames somewhere between Abingdon and Eynsham. Next up is the title track, which is little more than a mid-tempo three-chord vamp, but is well constructed, with numerous well-timed guitar overdubs. In addition, the vocal melody sticks in the head and is better sung than the unduly hysterical ‘Hostile Town’. Special mention should be made to the drummer, Luke Gerry, who maintains clever little syncopated patterns throughout the verses and choruses. I never particularly like songs about musicians performing-it always seems to be an excuse for narcissism and solipsism (The Band’s ‘Stage Fright’ is the best of the bunch), but ‘Don’t Let Them Down’ at least boasts some ‘proper’ rock guitar playing, although almost in compensation, Williams’ singing goes to pot, with more cracks than Jimmy Carr at the New Theatre. The melody reminds me of an incredibly and rightly obscure Bob Dylan song, ‘Tweedledum and Tweedledee’. ‘Thinking of You’ rounds things off pretty strongly. It’s a little more chromatic than the others and boasts another catchy chorus, before ending with a nod to Coldplay’s ‘Clocks’. So ends a much-improved record, when compared to last year’s messy debut, ‘Sunrise’. That record was stylistically all over the shop, with punk, rock and indie all vying sullenly for supremacy, but the songs on ‘Maps to Nowhere’ sit much happily next to each other. It’s not music that I find very interesting, lacking sophistication and emotional depth, but The Follys have clearly found their style and sound increasingly at home in it. By Colin MacKinnon www.oxfordbands.com |
|
|
|
Post by Trev Williams on Apr 28, 2009 8:48:09 GMT -1
" After recieving over 300 band submissions to perform at the Chalgrove Live Music Festival 2009, i can honestly say through the good, the bad and the downright terrible...The Folly's stuck out like a sweet box of Frosties on a saturday night with the munchies! Raw vocals set to a melodic beat, edging on the experimental with insightful lyrics and craftsman like musicanship....will have The Folly's music playing around in your mind...like the search for an answer which has been bugging you for days...
The Folly's are a band to watch on the local music scene.... Get them first before the big gigs catch the fishing line! Kelle Nixey ~ Festival Organiser " April 2009
|
|
|
|
Post by Trev Williams on Jul 28, 2009 15:19:16 GMT -1
new review in summers Oxfordshire Muisc Magazine  |
|
