Reviews

Artist:Banter
Album: Heroes
Label: Mrs Casey
Tracks: 12
Website: https://www.banter.band/

Banter, made up of Simon Care, Nina Zella, Tim Walker and Mark Jolley, have become quite a force on the UK folk scene since 2015. With exquisite musicianship, some wonderful song writing and an ear for interpreting a tune, they have produced three outstanding albums so far, as well as an outstanding live show. On top of that, they even have their own festival – Banter Fest, which takes place in September. So, its great news that they are releasing their new album in April, entitled ‘Heroes’. The title of the record is dedicated to all those people who have inspired and supported them as musicians – “they are the heroes!”

The first single from the album is the opening track, ‘The Oak and The Ash‘, and is a lovely arrangement of the tuneful tale, telling the story of a woman from northern England moving to London and pining after her homeland. It shows that, as well as being fine players, they also have fine vocals with Nina mainly taking the lead and the others harmonising beautifully. Their interpretations of the traditional, lead to some other outstanding arrangements of tracks across the whole record, including the finely crafted and self-penned ‘Picking a ship’, ‘The Last Rose of Summer’, from the Thomas Moore poem, ‘The Lass of Richmond Hill’, celebrating a young Yorkshire lass, who became the authors wife, as well as the harmonious ‘Below Below’ and the rather chirpy ‘Eve of a New Year Merry’.

Interspersed amongst the lyrical treats are the fine musicianship and powerful and driving melodies of all members of the band with Simon on melodeon, Tim on percussion, Nina on Keys and Mark on bass, fiddle and guitar. They also regularly perform as a ceilidh band and you can hear why on tracks such as ‘Morgan Rattler’ and ‘Seneca Square / Soldiers Joy’ where the stomping dance tunes cone to the fore, and you can understand why, given they are just four people creating a huge sound, they have been described as “the world’s smallest big band”.

Theres a few covers in there too, with a brilliant jaunty interpretation of Pete Coes ‘Rolling Down the Ryburn’, the simply delivered vocal in David Francey’s Torn Screen Door, and John Tams extremely powerful, ‘Lay Me Low’.

Already great songs are transformed into Banter style productions. This is a great album. Like many musicians, they have got better and better as players, and they really do bond effortlessly in producing their distinctive sound and vocal harmonies. This a strong, varied and fine example of English traditional music, beautifully interpreted and expertly produced – it comes highly recommended, and if you want to see it for yourself, catch them on tour this year or head to Banter Fest.

Stuart Green

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