In true folk-rock style, the origins of Rising of the Bold can be traced to a long weekend in a country house in Shropshire-where the 8 Merry Hell members converged, allowing our five writers to share their latest offerings. These were worked into a band format, inspired by open fires and free-flowing ideas; fine food, foaming ales, Welsh whisky and good company.
The results are fabulous: classic folk-rock with an upbeat, uplifting feel-songs with serious subjects and a sense of humour. We open with an invitation to dance if you’re feeling down. There’s a dark, minor-key jig, cascading fiddle, bright pop joyfulness and voices joined together in harmony-plus an instrumental composed by Simon Swarbrick when he was left alone for several hours…