WOMAD

The Gloworms

From United Kingdom

Not much overblown hyperbole from an artist’s press release gets past our heard-and-read-it-all-before biography writer. So it’s always very refreshing to come across a line that not only leaves the spin to Monty Panesar but also gets straight to the essence of a band. The Gloworms describe their music as “lumpy, thumpy English music with metropolitan sophistication” and they’re dead right. Keen to grapple with the English country dance tradition but not foolish enough to handle it only wearing kid gloves, they’re not about to suggest they’ve just come in from a spot of harvesting in the top field. They’re from 21st-century London after all and accordingly freshen up the tradition somewhat. Although for this WOMAD ceilidh they’re joined by caller Pete Rees, what’s staggering is that there’s usually just three of them – one Gloworm is on fiddle duties, another wears the accordion while the third picks banjo and kicks a stompbox. Small wonder then that fRoots magazine’s Ian Anderson exclaimed his surprise at hearing such “a big and satisfying noise from such a small number of people”.