FORBIDDEN JOE: In Mourning for the Pride of Petravore

By Kara Segedin

Stylishly packaged, this is the first album from the Forbidden Joe alt-folk trio of Alex Borwick, Frances Dickinson and Emily June Giles, all talented multi-instrumentalists. They mix traditional folk tunes – shantys, spirtituals, mining songs and the like – with a quirky, gothic edge and. The album opens with a cool, shuffling jazz beat on North Sea Holes, paying homage to the working men of England’s coast. There is an even flow between traditional and original songs and it’s often hard to tell which tracks are hundreds of years old and which are recent inventions. For example The Polkas mixes two traditional songs with a new composition and pulls them together seamlessly. Despite being an original, the instrumental Heavy Wrist Action sounds like its come straight off an Irish pirate ship. US spiritual Death! thumps along with a stamping rhythm and Dickinson’s theatrical vocals manage to fit the traditional song while maintaining their modern sound. With funding from Creative NZ it was recorded live at Devonport’s Victoria Theatre by Steve Garden, various special guests stopping by to lend a hand, including Jono Lonie, Haddon Smith and Ron Samsom. You can tell they love the music they are performing and have captured the orchestrated energy of a live performance and created an original sound out of traditional songs.

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NZ Musician

June/July 2010