An innovative collection drawn from recently discovered song sketches by the late Folk Devils songwriter
Now this is an interesting release – a collection of songs based on snatches of ideas the late Folk Devils singer Ian Lowery had recorded over forty years ago and which had remained hidden from the world for the majority of that time. Folk Devils were one of those highly influential bands whose small but dedicated following has ensured that they left a noteworthy entry in the annals of music history. Their post-punk swampy blues stands proud alongside the likes of Bone Orchard, The Birthday Party and Inca Babies.
Ian Lowery passed away back in 2001 and when Folk Devils decided to reform in 2016 to celebrate a retrospective compilation album, they turned to the band’s old friend and former Parting Shots’ frontman, Dave Hodgson to take up the mantle on vocal duties. Around this time, Ian’s elder brother found a collection of home-recorded cassette demos featuring embryonic songs ideas from the 1980s. These eventually found their way to Dave Hodgson who stripped the songs back, re-recorded the vocals and rebuilt each track. The result is a two-album collection of twenty songs being released under the name of Hank Deadwood, a character featured in Folk Devils 1984 indie hit ‘Hank Turns Blue’.
Across the two volumes of ‘Ian Lowery – Unreleased and Re-imagined‘ , Dave has put together a fascinating collection of songs covering a variety of genres.
Volume 1 starts with the electric pulse of ‘Watching Vultures Glide’, all distorted vocals reminiscent of Wild Billy Childish with a dynamite rhythm and relentless punchy guitars. The rockabilly stomp of ‘Writer’s Cramp’ keeps the pace up only slowing down for the cries of “welcome to Bedlam”. The beat underscoring most of ‘Fatal Flaw’ reminds me a lot of Iggy Pop’s ‘Blah Blah Blah’ with some gloriously scratchy guitars driving the song forward:
‘Pretty Ugly’ is a corker of a song, with its tumbling drums, crashing cymbals and a pummelling central riff matched added to Dave’s irate vocal. Maintaining the upbeat momentum of the first half of volume one, ‘Epic Sleaze’ is another riff heavy track and has a more conventional rock sound to it.
From here on in the pace changes considerably and the album is none the worse for it. ‘Slum Lord’ has a film noir feel to it with a sultry sax guiding you through the song. The jazz swing of ‘Kill Them All’ sees the introduction of keys and backing harmonies for the chorus. ‘Deaths Door’ was originally recorded for the Folk Devils ‘Best Protection’ EP in 1987 as ‘The Third Stroke’. Here the song becomes all sleazy speakeasy music with its jazzy piano led shuffle battling seductive horns as Dave almost breaks into full lounge singer mode:
‘Blowtorch Song’ moves into darker territories with its little shots of musical violence punctuating the quieter moments before an epic guitar solo. Finger clicks and piano introduce the laid-back groove of ‘Artificial Night (remix)’ with added horns making the song an uplifting (despite the downbeat lyrics) end to the first volume.
Volume 2 opens with ‘Watch and Wait’ and returns to rockier territory whilst the lyrics maintain the dark tones of the first volume. There’s a welcome return to a rockabilly vibe for ‘Charmed Lives’ as twangy guitars mutate into a pulsating rhythm – it’s fast becoming one of my favourite tracks on the collection. The version of ‘Artificial Night’ on volume two loses the horns of the remix and introduces a The Shadows-like guitar and keyboards that change the entire feel of the song. Both versions are brilliant.
‘Sleeping in the Shadows’ jumps genres completely, as fiddles are introduced giving the song an alt-folk feel, whilst the lyrics cover the futility of rough sleeping. ‘Suspicion’ is a one minute thirty hoedown, whilst ‘I Know I Know I Know’ adds a hypnotic accordion to the anguished vocals. ‘My Perfect World’ sees another genre change as we enter the world of eighties indiepop with the song’s droning guitar textures and introspective lyrics. ‘Baby Monster’ starts with a gentle vocal building up to a delightful singalong chorus before the harmonica solo and ghostly backing singers kick in.
Penultimate track ‘Blinding Star’ feels very much like a Leonard Cohen song, with Dave’s intonation sounding similar to the great man himself. Volume two finishes with the enthralling gothic blues of ‘The End Again’ with the melancholic vocal taking centre stage:
Dave Hodgson has done a sterling job pulling together Ian Lowery’s sketches and turning them into an enticing collection of songs. Whether it be the post punk-blues of the early tracks or the folky musings of the second volume, you can tell that this project has been a labour of love for Dave. Great stuff and a highly recommended purchase.
Volume 1 was released on 14 July 2026 and Volume 2 will arrive on 24 September 2026.
Preview & Pre-Order Vinyl from Elastic Stage HERE
Preview & Pre-order CD from Bandcamp HERE
Vol1:
- Watching Vultures Glide
- Writer’s Cramp
- Fatal Flaw
- Pretty Ugly
- Epic Sleaze
- Slum Lord
- Kill Them All
- Deaths Door
- Blowtorch Song
- Artificial Night (remix)
Vol 2:
- Watch and Wait
- Charmed Lives
- Artificial Night
- Sleeping in the Shadows
- Suspicion
- I Know I Know I Know
- My Perfect World
- Baby Monster
- Blinding Star
- The End Again
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