Preview

Fel y sêr sydd wedi dod fwyaf i'r amlwg ar sin werin y DU, mae Dr Faustus yn arwain y don newydd o artistiaid ifanc sy'n rhoi chwistrelliad o egni ac angerdd i gerddoriaeth gynhenid Lloegr.

Dr Faustus brings together four of England's most accomplished musicians and singers in a band which truly flies the flag for English folk music. Young Folk Award winner Tim van Eyken (Waterson:Carthy), English concertina supremo Robert Harbron (English Acoustic Collective), rhythm-monster Benji Kirkpatrick (Oysterband Bigsession) and Paul Sartin (Belshazzar's Feast) are a force to be reckoned with as both instrumentalists and vocalists. Dr Faustus are leading the way in an enthusiastic new wave of young artists injecting drive and passion into the native music of England.

The release of their debut album 'The First Cut' in 2003 revealed Dr Faustus to be a rare gem of exquisite quality. That was quickly followed by a nomination for the Horizon Award at the 2004 BBC Folk Awards, a highly successful UK tour in May, main stage appearances at Cambridge Folk Festival, a Late Junction live session with Fiona Talkington for Radio 3 and a performance at the Purcell Rooms for the Folk in the Fall series, all of which has brought Dr Faustus to the attention of national folk audiences. This band is undoubtedly the fastest rising star on the UK folk scene. Their eagerly awaited second album is due for release to coincide with this tour.

"Four great musicians with strong vocal talents . . . superb music played with much taste and panache" BBC Online

"Some of the finest young musicians in the land" Froots magazine

Joint Ticket - The Futures of Folk

See Folk Award Winners, Dr Faustus at the Talbot AND Jim Moray at Aberystwyth Arts Centre on Thursday 28th (8pm) for just £12 (£11 conc)! Telephone Aberystwyth Arts Centre Box Office on 01970 623232

Review

Strictly in the interests of research, of course, the Cambria Arts honchos had taken themselves off to Aberystwyth Arts Centre on the previous night to check out the much-vaunted Jim Moray and his band. (Who pays for these junkets? - Ed.) The respective approaches to playing (mainly) traditional folk music adopted by the charismatic Jim and our guests Dr Faustus are equally valid, yet could hardly be more contrasting ... Moray uses the genre (some would says he's hijacked it) as the framework on which to hang his audacious full-on rock vision, and employs computer technology and 21st-century gizmos galore to enhance his sound; while Faustus are the new inheritors of the well-tried acoustic approach, bringing to it whole new life and vigour; ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice. For our regular Talbot punters, Dr Faustus were an emphatic hit - maybe we'll net young Mr Moray next year ... we'll certainly be able to give him a superior sound to the customary Aberystwyth aural soup ...

Tim van Eyken (melodeon, guitar), Rob Harbron (English concertina, guitar, fiddle), Benji Kirkpatrick (bouzouki, 6- and 12-string guitars), and Paul Sartin (fiddle, oboe) are simply fabulous players, and each is also possessed of a distinctive voice - and when all four voices combine, you'd have to be made of stone not to be deeply stirred. Their signature song 'Dr Faustus' led to 'The Trooper and the Maid' - starting quiet, but soon driving hard - and onward, taking in 'Peter's Schottisch' (stunning harmonies), 'Broomfield Wager' (opening track from their extremely tasty new CD), where Paul's lovely oboe for the first of several times lent a plangent and evocative texture, 'Disdainful Lady' (a Shropshire-sourced song with an unorthodox melody), 'Cambric' (which is related to 'Scarborough Fair', it transpires), 'Henry Marten', 'Benji's 'A Bed Between Friends' (commemorating a significant furniture exchange), which segued into Paul's 'The Two Rascals', dedicated to his sons, 'Spanish Ladies', 'Shephers's Song' ... and so much more. There's music here that moves your soul and your feet by turns, be it traditional in origin or band-composed, and by the time they'd encored with a blistering 'Widdecombe Fair', Dr Faustus had endeared themselves to one and all, by the sheer quality and unflagging energy of their approach ... this was an evening that hopefully dispelled any lurking notions of the potentially dry nature of traditional music: these four virtuosos kept us informed, amused, gladdened and moved in equal measure, and left us in no doubt as to why they are regarded as the young lions of the English traditional scene.