Ralfe Band at Kilburn’s Luminaire

It was cheering and foot stomping a plenty as Ralfe Band brought their distinctive eclectic take on folk music to this intimate London venue on Thursday. This was the last date in their UK tour promoting new album Attic Thieves, supported by fellow record label mates Mr David Viner and Peter Bruntnell.

Originally played by the late great John Peel, London-based Ralfe Band’s sound is like nothing else you’ll hear. Fronted by Oly Ralfe, they deliver a diverse mix of traditional English folk with a slightly Eastern European sound; grand waltzes and uplifting melodies. These are offset by their surreal and often darkly comedic lyrics which create a somewhat uneasy feel, yet captivate the audience.

Very few bands are able to hold a crowd with instrumentals these days, or are even brave enough to try, but Ralfe Band managed it perfectly. Opening with the haunting piano-based instrumental Big Head, the set went on to include songs from both their new album and their debut: Swords. These ranged from new track Helmutsine, a fast-paced and catchy offering, to the insanity of March of the Pams, the Cossack-like instrumental, building to a frantic crescendo as the band egged each other on to crank up the speed while whipping the crowd into a frenzy! And not forgetting the quirky classic Women of Japan, a real hit with the audience.

Oly’s throaty yet melodic vocals hit every note, and this was beautifully illustrated on the swinging melody: Stumble. ‘Now you have to imagine this is a harpsichord,’ he said hunched over the keyboard…and it worked. It is nothing short of miraculous that they are able to recreate the sounds laid down on their album in the live setting with just keyboards, percussion, guitars and a mandolin.

Their musically brilliant and lyrically surreal songs take you on a journey through their world and are the perfect form of escapism. The depth and layers to their sound owes a huge amount to the skills of Garo Nahoulakian on lead guitar, whose solos are mesmeric. Amazingly the gig wasn’t a sell out, which is a real shame.

Ralfe Band ‘Guarantee 95% satisfaction per fan’, or so it says on their website. A bold statement even if it is tongue-in-cheek, but if the reaction after the gig at the Luminaire is anything to go by, they’ve raised that to 100%.

Attic Thieves is available now on Loose Records.
www.ralfeband.com