Norwich appears to be developing a folk scene. Well, depending on what you call folk of course. Under the new reign of “folk” kings Mumford & Sons, it seems appropriate to point out that the ever-expanding genre really does seem to encompass anything with both an acoustic guitar and an even slightly twee vibe these days. So, working on that criteria, my native city appears to be giving birth to some folk-oriented homegrown talent – you might remember Alloy Ark and Takeda from previous posts by both Tim and I, and even The Mariner’s Children (who you might have noticed are a mounting obsession here at The Blue Walrus) have an ever-elusive “via Norfolk” included on their MySpace page location. Even a couple of Cocos Lovers are at university in these parts. I love it. I love it all.
The latest example of an unfathomably good Norwich folk band – and I’m quite comfortable calling them folk in a broader sense than the Mumford criteria – are Grenouilles. That’s French for frogs, in case (like me), you’re uncultured enough to be going for Google Translate right now. I find myself naturally sceptical of Norwich bands and it takes a lot for my ears to prick up for a new one, but this trio make charming, picturesque folk songs that demonstrate skill and zest. You’ll find yourself putting their EP on repeat play and humming the tunes for days. What a clichéd thing to say. I promise it’s true on this occasion though.
Grenouilles are currently pursuing domination of the music world via Future Radio’s Next Big Thing Competition. Previous winners include The Kabeedies, Ed Sheeran and Console Wars, and the lovely Alex Sheppard (who was the artist that brought Tim and I together many moons ago) was a finalist a few years back, as were Alloy Ark last year. Honestly? I really hope Grenouilles win. They’re the best of the bunch (hehehe) by far.
They self-released their debut EP ‘Hawk On The Down’ last year, and physical copies are (unsurprisingly) now sold out. The band have been kind enough to make the tracks available for free download though. I’ve included a SoundCloud link to ‘Bones’ below, and you can download their entire EP for free by clicking here.
Grenouilles – Hawk On The Down EP – 01 Bones by thebluewalrus
Love your site. Great taste in music.
Aww, thank you! That’s lovely to hear. I’m so glad you’re enjoying our posts :)