Part of a triple headline show with Bristol based acoustic artist Rachel Dadd and Winchester’s country, blues, folk experts Polly and the Billets Doux, Cakes and Ale (A.K.A. Jeff and the Peasants) delighted audiences with their upbeat alt-folk last Saturday at the Norwich Art Centre.

The six piece band are from all over the country, but came together in lovely Norfolk city of Norwich to create an interesting mix of English and Eastern European Folk and Blues.

Clearly entertaining the crowd as well as attracting their own devoted fans, of whom many danced through the entire set, Cakes and Ale brought something really quite special to the Norwich Arts Centre. With Norfolk at the very least seeming to be the band’s spiritual home, I particularly appreciated the two tracks they sung about the seaside town of Cromer. But this is not just a band for the county, I would be happy sitting with a beer watching them at any outdoor festival in country.

The band was lyrically engaging, but my true interest lay in the sheer amount of instruments they employed in their set. Truly impressively, the band managed to incorporate mandolins, accordions, flutes, piano, musical saw, guitar, fiddle, clarinet, bass and many others.

With the man next to me making comparisons to Cosmo Jarvis, I think there is something a little more unique about this group. This is band who seemed to love and play on the principle of beer and fun, a rarity now with so many acts so desperate to make a big name for themselves.

Still playing around Norwich the band have released two EP in recent years. Catch if them you can for a great night (or even better an afternoon outdoors) of fun alt-folk.

Find out more about the band here.

last of the summer wine (demo) by Cakes and Ale
five shillings, three bushels of corn and a milch goat by Cakes and Ale