REVIEWS

NEW **** Frost Bites: Paul Sartin and Paul Hutchinson are quick off the mark to hit the Christmas market with this rather fine collection of traditional carols and songs plus two of Hutchinson's own tunes. There are only eight tracks but all bar one clock in at over five minutes, giving the chaps plenty of room to explore. The majority of the carols come from the mystical and ritual: King Herod and the Cock, As Joseph was A-Walking and Sans Day Carol. Even the album title suggests the darker aspects of the season. If you want pure religion, look elsewhere.
   The set opens with Cherry Tree Carol, which can get tedious, but this is an Appalachian version couched in somewhat secular language and Sartin delivers it wonderfully. It's coupled with Yuleology, one of the original tunes and the title of their winter tour. That's the only joke except, perhaps, One Cold Morning in December. Belshazzar's Feast have put aside the musical gags that are their stock in trade on stage and show what superb musicians they are.
   It's tempting to ask how many Christmas records you actually need but I'd place this one very high on the list.
~ Dai Jeffries / R2

NEW Frost Bites: This is very much a midwinter CD - very traditional in flavour, some of the material reaches back to Playford and the English Civil War - Parsons Farewell. We find it interesting how the North American song Lonesome Scenes of Winter is included along with Old Cold Morning in December which Walter Pardon sang at his home in Knapton. Paul Hutchinson's accordion on the Appalachian version of Cherry Tree Carol gives it added drama. Also included, King Herod and the Cock, As Joseph was A-Walking, Sans Day Carol and Hampshire Mummer's Song. Paul Sartin is the vocalist and plays oboe, cor anglais and violin. Guest musicians include Pete Flood, percussion, and Brendan Kelly, bass clarinet. The CD has the power to evoke the feelings of winter - listen by the fireside with a nice glass of mulled wine.
~ Kathy and Bob Drage / Around Kent Folk magazine

NEW Yuleology and Frost Bites
Yule have a seasonal feast of singalong fun and games
It's Christmas Jim, but not as we know it. Belshazzar's Feast combines the musical talents of Paul Sartin (Bellowhead) and Paul Hutchinson (Hoover the Dog) with a wry sense of humour. Their Christmas tour - aptly named Yuleology - presents a seasonal offering that delves back as far as the 18th century in search of rare Yuletide gems from English folk history and beyond. Their new album, the glorious and evocative Frost Bites, will chase the winter gloom away, nipping at the heartstrings rather than the fingers, with sumptuous arrangements of traditional Christmas songs and carols including the Cherry Tree Carol and a show-stopping rendition of the Hampshire Mummer's Song. They perform at Tavistock Town Hall on Friday, November 27, where they will perform music from Frost Bites, although the evening is likely to dissolve into the usual mayhem, this time involving carol sheets, singalongs and that unique brand of humour that belongs exclusively to Belshazzar's Feast. You have been warned!
~ Western Morning News

NEW (plus pics by James Parham)  The Acorn Folk Club fulfilled a two year ambition and many negotiations to share the virtuosity of the 31st Guest Night artists, Belshazzar’s Feast, with as many people as possible on Saturday 7th February. After two days of ‘hot-lines’ on phone and email due to the extreme weather conditions, organizers, artists and audience alike agreed at 2 pm to go ahead, the guests set out from Hampshire and Wiltshire, where conditions were worse, and the Pier Room at The Old Ship Aground was filled almost to capacity by 8 pm.
     The duo, who are highly respected for their musical excellence and rapid fire humour crossing all musical boundaries, perform traditional music with a twist, with Paul Hutchinson (who also plays with Hoover the Dog and Karen Tweed) – accordion and most introductions, and Paul Sartin (who also plays with Faustus and Bellowhead, the latter having been booked in 2008 for the BBC Proms first Folk Day) – oboe, violin and vocals. Coming from a classical background, their talent is boundless, and their act cabaret style which the Acorn audience appreciated for this occasion.
     Two quintessential English tunes, “Mundesse/Gathering Peascods” preceded such items as “Rondo a la Turkey”, Mozart’s first foray into the world of Appalachian music. Two forty-five minute sets of absolutely virtuostic playing cannot be fully described here, but the listeners were spellbound, and to give readers a taste I will mention “Goliath of Gath” (with the letter ‘s’ pronounced as ‘f’ as in the English Dancing Mafter sic.) , “Ffarwel Ned” (Welsh Tune), “Gentle Diana” composed by Alice Markham from Washington and linked to “Navvy Man”, collected by Cecil Sharp in 1907 from aunt Edith Sartin, and “Music for a Found Harmonium” (breathtaking).
     Eileen Ann’s lifetime wish to play percussion with an ‘orchestra’ must be mentioned, when she was invited to play the triangle in the 258th (or was it the 249th?) bar of “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik/Spring from the Four Seasons” – (European Song Entries from Austria and Italy –nil points!)
     Comments from the audience “they were musical, intelligent, knowledgeable and above all fun” and “What an excellent evening last night. This was the first time I had seen the artists and was quite intrigued by their choice of musical instruments – an accordion with oboe, violin plus a whistle with a stick (and a triangle). I have to say that the instruments blended together perfectly. They also incorporated a gentle humour both between and during their music that was both entertaining yet inoffensive in these very PC times. The humour during the music was combined with impeccable timing, which demonstrated the depth of musical skill and talent of both players. The dexterity of playing from both was quite incredible – I did not realise that there could be so many notes in one bar of music.” (GM)
     Although some regulars from snowed-in outlying villages were missed, the nine Acorn floor spots Benn, Geoff, Paul, Jane, Mike, Di, Jim and Eileen Ann (the latter also comprising The Acorn Crew) gave ideal support - all ably MC’d by Mike Dibble in this warm and friendly atmosphere.
~ Eileen Ann Moore / Acorn Folk Club


The album by Belshazzar's Feast was a real surprise. More specifically, the extra concert recording was a real surprise. I wasn't expecting that at all and it's a delight. That sort of musical pyrotechnics doesn't often work on a studio recording, to my ears anyway, but the recording of a (good) live performance can add a dynamic that makes the whole thing far more entertaining. The CD certainly sounds like the two Paul's are providing great entertainment for the live audience, and not just because they happen to be very good players. The studio CD is excellent as well, I hasten to add. Perhaps it was a difficult financial decision to release this as a double CD - it's not for me to speculate - but I think 'The Food Of Love' is great, so congratulations to the duo and to you and the Wild Geese.Thanks again and best wishes.
~ Bruce Cameron / Radio 2MCE-FM, Australia


A review of The Food of Love CD, by David Kidman, at NetRhythms.


Belshazzar's Feast provided stunning musicianship and the funniest and most imaginative and creative line of patter imaginable – just what we expected really! I can't imagine a festival not booking them!!
~ Eddie Upton / Artistic Director, Sidmouth FolkWeek


Not a stop remains un-pulled out for this new offering from Paul Sartin and Paul Hutchinson. alias Belshazzar's Feast. The lavish quadruple foldout pack with photographs by David Angel contains a new studio album and a live set.   Sartin, who splits his time with Faustus and Bellowhead, sings and plays fiddle and oboe while Hutchinson plays melodeon. The material is an eclectic, not to say eccentric, selection mixing traditional songs and tunes with some Mark Knopfler and Simon Jeffes. A close reading of the sleeve notes may suggest that they are not taking this entirely seriously and 'Rondo A La Turkey' will convince you. Actually they do take it seriously but they have a good time while they're doing it.
   The best way to appreciate Belshazzar's Feast is to hear them live. As you will have observed during 'Music For A Found Harmonium', they delight in mixing up tunes, morphing one into another and making'mistakes'. The first set on the live disc, 'Boda Waltz / Miss Love's Waltz', includes all three tricks and by the end you'll be grinning hugely - and that's without the Swanee whistle solo. Fun for all the family and some wonderful playing, too.
~ Dai Jeffries / The Living Tradition


Review of The Food of Love (Wild Goose Records / WGS353CD.
First, four words about the packaging; lavish, complex and clever. Much like the two CDs it homes. One is a live recording, which dazzlingly captures their humour; virtuosity and versatility, while the studio CD demonstrates... well, their humour, virtuosity and versatility.
   From a strong grounding in classical music, Paul Sartin has already made inestimable contributions to Bellowhead and Faustus and must already be approaching godlike status. The Iegend grows here as he plays oboe, whistle and violin (and it definitely is a violin, not a fiddle) on a probing, surreal and disarmingly unconventional exploration of everything from classical and early music to Remember You're A Womble with accordionist Paul Hutchinson (the hairy bearded one).
   It may be an acquired taste, but Sartin's morbid voice - so effective on the last Faustus album - takes you by surprise every time. There you are, lost in the complex musical cross-breeding and audio jokes (there's a particularly fine blending of Music For A Found Harmonium with Rock Around The Clock) when that voice suddenly makes its entrance to deliver The Begging Song or Twenty, Eighteen with a stirring gravitas rarely heard in this or any other neck of the woods. This even applies to the drinking song Dol Thy Ale, which suddenly splurges into a Romanian dance tune collected by Bartok; while we also get Mozart taken to the Appalachians and a solemn treatment of Mark Knopfler's movie theme Cal complete with sleeve joke ("We really wanted to swell Mark's coffers since we have been told he's in dire straits.")
   Song, dance, top tunes and corny gags... this is indeed a feast fit for kings and peasants alike.
~ Colin Irwin, from fRoots magazine