The Hut People
Album: Cabinet Of Curiosities
Label: Fellside
Tracks: 14
Website: http://www.thehutpeople.co.uk

The Hut People are Sam Pirt and Gary Hammond; accordionist and percussionist respectively. A healthy four years have passed since their debut 'Home Is Where The Hut Is' which has seen them release a second album ('Picnic') and take their unique blend of entertainment around the folk stages and festivals. Both work extensively with other projects; Pirt with previous Folk Award winners 422 and alongside Brian Finnegan, Jez Lowe and Kathryn Tickell amongst others. Hammond has spent over a decade working with The Beautiful South and a wide variety of experience in world music as well. Yet paired up as The Hut People, they get the chance to do their own thing, the resulting combination of all their talents is a plethora of tunes and arrangements.

The new album comes based around folk tunes from North America to Europe, Scandinavia and of course the British Isles, they are interspersed with the most carried range of percussion you can imagine - and then some. For all the instruments listed in the credits, you can bet your boots that there may well be some that are in the tunes which don't get a credit. Whilst the triangle, snare drum and tambourine might seem a bit expected, try listening out for the spin spark shaker, the garden flower bells and the water bottle tops for starters. In fact, listening to 'Cabinet Of Curiosities' almost becomes a spot the sound competition (check out the "thanks to Alan Jones for letting me use his coffee cup for one of the rhythm parts" note in 'Latvian Tune')

From the off, the album is stuffed with a bright and lively feelgood factor. There are parts where the duo play together in combo (the opening 'McCuskers' is just the start to grab your attention) yet there are times then where either the accordion (check out 'Polska Efter Hins Lars' and 'Vasen' where there's a real groove in the arrangement) or the percussion become lead instruments.

The origins of some the original tunes underlie what The Hut People are all about. The title track appearing as a result of a percussion party in the Hammond music room, it all seems slightly like an accidental occurrence, but what comes across is the joy of discovery and their inspiration comes from many different sources. 'Karen's Birthday' is pretty much the same, with Gary's rhythm patterns inspired by opera and his need (bordering on addiction!?) to find rhythms in whatever he's listening to. They clearly take delight in venturing their own writing but also in the ways they can interpret and 'Hut-ify' traditional music. Again, check out what they've done in creating the sparse ska twist of 'Las Ramblas', it's Mediterranean origins receiving the Hut treatment.

For those who may anticipate the combination of a simple accordion and percussion duo to be limited or repetitive, The Hut people simply fly in the face of any such suggestion. Savour its diversity. Just open up the 'Cabinet Of Curiosities' and see what there is to discover.

Mike Ainscoe