I am finally home after one of the longest weekends of my life – Shrewsbury Folk Festival. Now, to be fair, I'm not the biggest folk fan, but I do enjoy a few good bands. However, this weekend was not only complete with freezing cold, rain and blow away tents but also chock-full of tin whistle workshops at 8am, bagpipe workshops at 8am, more Morris dancing than you know what to do with and the most miserable punters you've ever met. To be fair, Shrewsbury is a great festival...for those that LOVE folk. It's on a beautiful site, has great sound, and full of interesting workshops and dancing. And the punters do love their folk and make you feel like you're selling a dirty magazine if it's filled with *gasp* world music.
Therefore in protest to this weekend, please enjoy this week's picks inspired by folk – as in this is as opposite of English folk as it gets.
"Secret Agent" - Tony Allen
Throw out the clogs and bring out the booty! This famous Nigerian drummer/singer-songwriter knows how to get down and doesn't spend time crying about the 'good old days'.
"Ina Mina Dika" - Goldspot
The Bollywood classic gets an indie remake by the American band Goldspot. Originally sung by Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar, this remake was recently heard in the film Today's Special.
"Blue Eyed Black Boy" - Balkan Beat Box
I've featured these guys a few times, but I really do like them that much. This is the title track from their latest album and you won't see any of those folkies jamming out to it.
How many folkies does it take to change a lightbulb? Two. One to change the bulb and one to write about how good the old one was.
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