Cultural Dessert

'Another Man's Ground' by The Young’uns

2 June 2015

The Young’uns are a trio of young men from Teeside who sing a cappella versions of traditional and contemporary folk songs. They recently won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for best group and I've been listening to their wonderful album, 'Another Man's Ground'. Most of the songs feature unaccompanied vocals, though there is some instrumentation on a few of the tracks. Their traditional folk harmonies, together with a mischievously satirical (and political) approach to their subject matter, reminded me a lot of Chumbawamba (reviewed here in July 2010). The Young’uns blend protest songs, sea shanties and narrative tales, bringing a folk sensibility to the modern world – I particularly liked the song 'You Won't Find Me on Benefits Street' and they do a very moving version of Billy Bragg’s 'Between the Wars' (“I was a miner ...”). There's humour and a lightness of touch throughout the album, such as in the song 'A Lovely Cup of Tea' in which a racist attack on a mosque is subverted by Muslim hospitality. 'Another Man's Ground' is catchy, clever, witty, amusing and thought-provoking.

Labels: Albums, Music

posted by Robin Simpson @ 4:56 pm