Rhythmically complex post-punk with a lot of anger in the belly.
At Folly Group the drums always come first. Where with other postpunk bands the guitar riff or the melodic bass line determine the song, with the Londoners the beat rules. Postpunk is also an inadequate description for the wild mix of genres on DOWN THERE! is, as well as trip hop, Afro-Caribbean music and dance. In order to be able to represent this complexity, the band has two drummers: Sean Harper and Kai-Akinde Hummels create complex rhythms through the interaction of a classic drum kit, synthetic beats and all sorts of percussion instruments, over which bass, guitar and vocals can spread .
The music never stops and perfectly accompanies the angry lyrics about gentrification, financial insecurity and the impossibility of a good life in modern Britain. Folly Group manage to ensure that even a classic punk song with a sing-along chorus like “I’ll Do What I Can” never sounds dull or arbitrary, but always light-footed and playful at the same time – and incredibly bleak.
Author: Elias Pietsch