Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick
by HotMusicAl, 10 Oct 2015
"Don't distract him by clapping," says Swarb, "He's got to play across the beat, behind the beat and all over the place'". And thats exactly what Mr Carthy goes on to do, with harp-like glissandos, asymmetrical bass lines and elegant sparse arpeggios. And Swarb fiddles like it's 1969, and he still needs to keep the young Richard Thompson on his toes. It's the raw sound of wood and gut, twisty, wild and impish. If you prefer your folk pretty with a regular beat and logical chords, you're not going to like it at all. However, if you're up something altogether more knotty and authentic, check out these survivors of the folk-rock years.
