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It is
impossible to shoehorn the music of Moveable Feast into a genre, or
even genres, so the rather inadequate summation (Roots, Folk Rock,
Reggae) enforced by the limitations of Myspace categories comes
nowhere close to a true description of the bands repertoire. Formed
in 1995 in the highly multi-cultural environment of South London and
with initial musical influences ranging from Les Negresses Vertes to
The Pogues it has never been easy to pin the music down and that,
according to MF's lead singer and songwriter, Mitch Feral, is as it
should be. In Mitch's view there is no such thing as purity in music
as, especially now that cultures have such opportunities to mix,
everything influences everything else and, in any event, when you
consider the melting pot that the UK has always been we are "all
creole" as he puts it. So the music of Moveable Feast encompasses
numerous styles and, in some cases, with South American Rhythms
partnering English folk melodies for instance, the band manages to
successfully combine entirely different traditions to produce new
and exciting hybrids. But in celebrating so many different kinds of
music doesn't MF run the risk of diluting them all and failing to
find a direction of its own? Where is the unity amidst the variety?
The thread that holds all this together is Mitch Feral's songwriting.
Whilst he draws from so many traditions, Mitch is a highly
articulate and individualistic songwriter with a nice line in
infectious melodies and hooks and so, whether the basis of the music
is Cajun, Blues, Reggae or anything else, the song is indubitably
Moveable Feast. The band are also incredible live and, whilst the
line-up changes, the commitment to giving vastly entertaining live
performances never varies. I can honestly say that I've never been
to a Moveable Feast gig that did not cause the crowd to shout for
more, and then more again! "WASHED UP IN LONDON" (1995) is MFs first
album highlights of which include the title track and the original
version of "Best Day" both of which are still very much part of the
live set. many live gigs and a few changes of personnel later "SPEAK
IN DREAMS" (1999) was released and in the same year the band gave an
acclaimed performance at the Shetland Festival. In 2003 and 2004 MF
did popular tours of County Mayo and County Cork and before
releasing the third album "BLUE MONDO A LA CARTE" (2004) and the
band is now a regular fixture at The Black Horse and Sidmouth
Festivals. The release of "BELLA SIEMPRE" (2006), the fourth album,
coincided with a residency at the Bedford in Balham. MF has recently
released a single "(I GUESS YOU'D CALL IT) A MOVEABLE FEAST", a
fairly new song which , for obvious reasons, is rapidly becoming a
signature tune and a fifth album "TWELVE BALLADS" is to be released
in December 2006. |
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