(Continued...)
Folk - Ben Paley and Tab Hunter...

“I love doing the folk scene, because it’s so pure,” he continues. “When you’re going through a PA you spend half your time combating the system.” I wonder if he find things a little tame, in front of an audience who wouldn’t dream of whispering during a song, let alone getting up and dancing. “Sometimes people are a little righteous about folk music, and go on about its purity,” he says. “This can be misplaced, because folk should never be ossified; it is alive and kicking in the 21st century. On the other hand people do genuinely know and love the music we play, and I appreciate their appreciation.” He feels the folk scene is fairly healthy at the moment, and is pleased that there are a number of fresh faces treading the boards, and not just ‘fat middle aged people’. He particularly likes the Lewes Folk Club. “Vic and Tina are very sincere, and they’ve been running it for hundreds of years,” he says. “They are very passionate, and manage to book fantastic acts.”

One act they are unlikely to book is Lardo Cinghiale, Tab’s forthcoming project, a punk-surf-country band with electric guitars, bass and fiddles. The odd name comes from when he was busking in Naples, and the locals called him ‘cinghiale’ or ‘wild boar’ due to his unkempt dreadlocks. “That won’t be one for the folk clubs,” he says. DL