Progressive folk? Now there's a genre classification I haven't heard for a while.
To be fair, it's only one of a number of labels The Wharves think help define a sound which is, in truth, a combination of influences ranging from what they call a "spook of 60's girl groups" to some relatively conventional Indie rock.
Dearbhia Minogue (guitar,vocals), Gemma Fleet (bass,vocals), Marion Andrau (drums) are a trio from Ireland, England and France who write songs together and flirt with a mainstream sound without fully embracing it.
Venus Of Hornchurch obviously has folk roots but the prominent guitar and driving drum rhythms change the dynamic entirely.
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The rocking instrumental coda to Old Friend suggests they also enjoy kicking out the jams during down time in the studio but they are never raunchy or unrestrained enough to be deemed truly alternative; definitely more Fleetwood Mac than Sleater-Kinney.
The album is crispy produced by Rory Attwell, features an all female 'Rebel Choir' on the closing track My Will but the lack of real fire in the belly means there's not enough to merit getting too excited about.
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