Headsticks - Kept in the Dark

  by Dave Goodwin

published: 14 / 5 / 2019

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Keeping the tradition of folk-driven, protest songs alive area band called Headsticks.. They are a bunch of reprobates who frequent green and grassy cow fields and down and dirty drinking houses, and who have an opinion that is worth giving a listen to as they fine-tune their varied and unique sound. They are also a band that this writer knows quite well. You would have thought with an introduction like that that they sound distinctly English and timeless and the music would be very much a tool to drive their message of hope and revolution across. Well, they do exactly that not just in the studio but more so on the live stage at festivals such as Pennyblackmusic fave Deerstock. These boys have graced the main stage nearly every year since the festival’s conception. If you have seen Headsticks for yourselves on the live circuit, you will know that it would be quite an accomplishment for a strong live act to replicate their sound in the studio, but I’m here to tell you that they have and that they have done it very well indeed. I'm sitting here with a really plush hardbacked booklet that houses Headsticks latest offering, ‘Kept in the Dark’. Before this booklet of wonderment came 'Lies, Lies, Lies', a 10″ EP which gave the unsuspecting public a statement of intent because it featured Steve Ignorant as a special guest vocalist. In flying the flag of protest, Headsticks frequent festival fields and drinking establishments alike. They hail from the North West Midlands, Stoke-on-Trent to be exact and comprise of Steven Dunn, Nick Bayes, Tom Carter with the man of many words being the black-quiffed Andrew Tranter. Sporting a plethora of styles and genres they haunt the realms of uptempo Ska through uptempo folk and come out smiling on the other side of uptempo punk, creating nothing less than uptempo protest along the way. So. you have an idea of the sound and direction of the Headsticks, but nothing will ready you for the package that the studio outing comes in. It’s housed in a black hardbacked booklet, which is the size of the average CD case and is possibly the best packaged offering I have ever seen. This will give you some idea of how serious these punksters are. They come across on stage as a bunch of funsters, which they are, but they are serious funsters with a message too. This colour spectacular is something to savour with around fifteen pages of artwork, which tells of their stage exploits and sport all the lyrics to all the songs for good measure. A pocket in the back keeps the CD in place and opposite this is a page with all the credits and thanks. It is, as I said earlier, a book of wonderment. As is the musical content inside. Its all quite marvellous!

Track Listing:-

1 When
2 I Love You
3 Peace Or War
4 Cynical
5 Mushrooms
6 Mr 'I'm Alright Jack'
7 My Own War
8 It's A Matter Of Time
9 Smoke And Mirrors
10 What If They're Right
11 Out Of Fashion
12 Family Tree
13 All Of The Trees
14 The Song For Songs Sake
15 When The Sun Turns Black
16 Baboon Shepherd

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