"Keep Running" by Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes

If you read my articles, the vast majority probably give the impression of joy on my part: the report of a gig I've been uplifted at or of hearing new recorded music. These are true reflections.

However once the music stops, like all of you I imagine, I'm increasingly worried by the turn of events in the world & the catastrophic decline of attitudes, values & behaviours.

Therefore actions like that of Dolly Mavies walking out on JD Vance help me realise that resistance is possible if we find the strength & courage within ourselves & act with the support of likeminded souls.

Another such boost is hearing music deliberately forged as a statement of resistance.

Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes do these sort of articulations of defiance rather well and so the good news is that on September 12^th, their latest one, "Keep Running" will be out to help stiffen our resolve & give a hint of hope. In fact they themselves describe it as "a rallying cry for hope in turbulent times". They also feel it's their most defiant yet which considering their previous songs is a bar raised even higher.

Composed by Bass-Fox Matt Berry during a Staffordshire songwriting retreat, it's worth straight away emphasising the other main aspect of the band's DNA: defiant for sure but not for them the impotent rage which just corrodes ones interior but one which points (well sort of drags you along really so compelling is their music) towards something positive.

They use language such as "rallying cry", "catharsis" and "optimism" and these give a crystal clear picture of what they have in mind. Don't lie back & despair: start dancing towards a better future.

 That sounds more flippant than the song deserves but I do wish to convey a truth. Odd Fox songs raise the spirits & help steel us for the struggle by making us feel good: "Keep Dancing" as a title probably sends the wrong signals about the song's objective, but in realistic terms, what you do to it is probably closer to dancing than running.

Rebecca's violin helps the song do the soaring which is needed to achieve the effect required   However it's worth noting the guesting of Mark Stevens on flugelhorn which adds a subtle extra texture to a pretty exuberant performance (recorded at Wormwood Studios with guitarist James handling the technical recording and mixing responsibilities).

I can't disaggregate the band's motives here (or elsewhere): are they aiming for your heart, your head or you feet? Well why not all three simultaneously? They hit all three marks.

Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes clearly love life (hence the danceability) and don't want either theirs or anyone else's ruined by the egotistical nor the greedy. They pour as much passion into their outrage as they do their playing: and that's a pretty impressive outcome you get to hear.

 As articulate of word as of note, their aim with "Keep Running" is as accurate as with their other tracks: they grasp the enemy and plunge directly for its weak spots.

This would include vulnerability to massed communal action and like a lot of us, see the power of acting in concert & despair of individuals suffering impotently without the necessary gumption to unite.

 You may have seen how many quotes I've already use from the band (I'm about to use another in a moment): this is part of the articulacy I mentioned and their sense of mission. "Unstoppable" is another epithet they've applied to the single & there is no doubt that this is incarnated in the actual performance: we need it however to build momentum out of the record and into the streets.

Back to the band in the person of the eponymous Liam: "this song is about not giving up, not letting the world grind you down, even when it feels like it's trying its hardest, The first time we played it live, people connected with it straight away. It's angry, sure, but it's also joyous, defiant, and full of heart."

Amen to that. I imagine that the growing band of LVOF fans buy into the philosophy as well as the music so there will be an element of preaching to the already converted. However the key is that their audience is growing (they are pretty irresistible once you've heard & seen them) and more converting is possible. It's one catchy song too.

I see nothing wrong with the polemical: some of my favourite songs & artists are that way inclined. These are times for that approach: were that it not so. Back to the band: "if "Keep Running" were a movie scene, it would be someone finally breaking free from a toxic situation, house burning in the rearview mirror, road stretching ahead. It's music for people on the edge who still believe things can change".

Don't give up the fight. The Odd Foxes clearly have no intention of doing so.