Kate Arnold - dulcimer, violin, b.vox;
William Barr - mandolin;
John Paul Jones - bass, b.vox;
Eilish McCracken - violin, whistle;
Joe Murphy - guitar, vox;
Influences
Bitter, Guinness, red wine, whiskey, dreams, nightmares, the Borgias, cab rides.
Sounds Like
HIGH SLANG ALBUM:
“Universally charming” (NME)
“ Dazzling...Referencing 1960s punk, psychedelia, German-rock, Irish folk, glam-rock and drone, Sergeant Buzfuz achieve a harmonious, chiming mash-up, sounding like none of the above.” (Aesthetica)
“Ceaselessly inventive...14 candidates for John Peel’s Festive Fifty” (TimeOut)
“Buzfuz are a bloody riot” (Plan B)
“songs full of spirit, an album full of them” (Organ: Album Of The Week)
“Sergeant Buzfuz definitely do whatever they like and they definitely have something to say. Endearing and compelling,” (Supersweet)
“Razor-sharp lyrical wit” (Alternative Ulster)
“The problem with dumbing down radio is that it means most people never to get hear bands like Sergeant Buzfuz.” (Fatea Magazine)
“Excellent stuff” (Marc Riley, BBC 6)
PREVIOUS RECORDS:
“like the Pogues beating up My Life Story....Single of the month by a mile” (Playlouder)
“a bizarre string-driven song about those popes of the middle ages that’s kind of XTCish”
(Organ)
“Like the Soft Boys, this is unselfconsciously smart-pop, with a noir-psychedelic twist” (Sounds XP)
“they have taken the Sixties back catalogue and asked Gorky's Zygotic Mynci to give it a remix” (bbc.co.uk London Calling site)
“Wow” (Mark Lamarr, Radio 2)
“Absolutely brilliant” (Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music)
string-haunted modern urban angst, like Nick Cave on the doleto paraphrase Art Brut: Sergeant Buzfuz - TOP OF THE POPS!
(SoundsXP.com)
"Northern England's twenty-first century incarnation of Bob Dylan, complete with his own Joan Baez"
(Opposition T)
the funniest lyric weve heard for a long time
(Londonist.com)
"vocalist Joe Murphy shares an attribute or two with loveable loonies and oddball wordsmiths like Robyn Hitchcock and John Otway. Or even Ray Davies. Or Wreckless Eric. Listening to 'Fire Horse' is like driving out into the green English wilderness and chancing upon a folk night singaround at a remote village pub called 'The Syphilis Ploughboy'. The crusty bread is hallucinogenic, The Handsome Family have booked a room for the night and there's a dead body in the duck pond."
(New-Noise.Net)
“intense, original, clever, funny and moving” (Sounds XP)
“a rich, warm, string-laden sound that luxuriates in the seedy underbelly of urban living” (Morning Star)
”fabulously amusing lyrics” (Disorder)
“Sergeant Buzfuz have struck gold with this album. A gem.” (Shakenstir.com)
“an album of quietly staggering beauty” (Get Ready To Rock.com)
beautiful... Im hooked.
(Tastyfanzine.org.uk)
Imagine folk music with strong pop sensibilities, an outer layer of humour with a darker inner layer, and a distinctive mix of traditional instruments."
4.5/5
(Shakenstir.co.uk)
a curio and a joy
(Gillian Nash, Logo Magazine)
a work of flawed genius
(SoundsXP.com)
"Buzfuz runs a monthly Blang! night at London's 12 Bar that's featured an alternative array of artists including The Broken Family Band and Chris T-T. It's a vibrant scene reminiscent of the early days of Postcard Records and Buzfuz do recall the bittersweet beauty of The Go-Betweens"
(Essex Chronicle)
“High Slang the fourth album from electric folk quadruplet Sergeant Buzfuz promises to be their most successful yet. Blending an awe inspiring instrumental with poetic and story-telling lyrics on each and every song its difficult to be even remotely bored by this band. Lead man Joe Murphy sounds like a modern day Leonard Cohen and his raspy lyrics are reminiscent of the likes of Morrissey, perhaps even Dylan. Great praise for Murphy himself but for me the real driving force behind the album is the music itself, the way in which four people (and the occasional guest) can sound like a full orchestra is awesome and shows true talent and confidence in their ability. Tracks like "Here Come The Popes Part 3" and "Kisses from the Sickbed" show the band in their full glory and the lyrics are catchy, witty and enjoyable. Anyone who is a fan of the current day folk revival should listen to the band’s new album as an example of true passion and enthusiastic talent” (Music-Zine)
"Somewhere between the points defined by the eclectic folk eccentricity of the Incredible String Band and John Cooper Clark's stream of punk poet consciousness"
(Burton Mail)
"brings to mind Leonard Cohen in a snug bar or a more loveable Chumbawamba. Murphy's raspy vocals also conjure up the spirit of Strummer and many of these songs could be off some alternative Sandinista!
(The West Briton)
"a classmate of the likes of Morrisey and Jarvis Cocker"
(Warwickshire and Worcestershire Herald)
Warm music making palatable and accessible a skewed and screwed lyrical feast. It is a fact that REM would kill, hopefully each other, for songs like these. If you need proof that a Gibson & a stack of Marshals isnt a prerequisite to produce ferocious tracks you need this album and a listen to Scratch A Lover or Cactus will pin your ears back. See Joe Murphy is a bright boy and he has a weird & winning way with words, but hes undeniably a nasty bit of work. Fire Horse is simply a collection of excellent songs and if theres a better reason for buying a record and listening to it, I dont know what it is." (Unpeeled fanzine April 04)
"enchanting, engaging and totally absorbing with more passion and integrity than you could shake a stick at" (Get Ready To Rock)
"Fire Horse manages to pull some cracking melodies out of the hat...impossible to dislike, brimming with eloquent sentiment and a fistful of tunes' Rock Sound (April 04)
"Rich in originality, with lyrics that are vivid and at times very funny. Complimented by an eccentric five-piece band that plays instruments ranging from the maraccas to the hammered dulcimer." (Buzz, South Wales Culture)
"magpie mentality and fondness for folk, building a series of off-kilter arrangements from an eclectic array of instruments including banjo, mandolin, accordion and that 17th-century favourite the hammered dulcimer....quintessentially British music that fits right in the long line running from the Kinks through the Smiths and on into Blur, bookish romantics always ready to conceal a breaking heart with a biting wit." (James Eagle, Morning Star, March 04)
"Nicking the string arrangements left over from Let It Be Naked, this is a tarnished gem. Buy it." THE FLY (March '04)
"The twisted folk element is engrained in every trackunpredictable and sometimes uneasy listening"
(Flux magazine ..41, March/April 04)
" Like another Yorkshire boy exiled to London Murphy has a way with words. The reverse romance of "Don't spray Chanel on your arms and neck / plastic lilies will be all you'll get'' from "Public Enemy .. 1" could be straight out of the Jarvis Cocker songbook... But, if anything, Murphy has an even sharper sense of humour and... he's got the tunes to go with it."
(Trevor Baker, www.bol.com)
"quietly thrilling musical gems...Eccentric and lo-fi, and oddly touching." (April Long, NME)
Excellent. Sergeant Buzfuz is the executioners Billy Bragg.
(Oppositiont.co.uk)
" Sgt Buzfuz has a lot to say about things. His observations left a Billy Bragg/Jarvis Cocker/Ian Dury kind of impression.
(www.trakmarx.com)
hey joe,hope things are going well. quite busy over here but everything goes fine... we gonna have a bit of a radio party soon, with live music etc...gonna keep you posted greetz andre
Hi Joe cheers again for coming down to the gig. Really enjoyed it,,love that venue! I'll ask about here for Jan 16th and I'll get back to ya asap. Villy
Shot By Both Sides keep Halloween alive in one far-flung corner of Brixton! Expect a spektakular soireé at the Brixton Windmill on Friday 13th November. Degeneracy, bloodlust and Bacchanalian debauchery in abundance...
Fanzine handout, cakes, poetry, stories, humanoid beasts, a gritty psych/freakout jazz/fucked-pop/post-punk soundtrack, and some disturbingly delightful live sets from DAVID CRONENBERG’S WIFE (Album Launch for ‘Hypnagogues’), GYRATORY SYSTEM, DEATHRAY TREBUCHAY and JAMIE N COMMONS.
have a great show tonight... wish i could be there! (oh, i just realized that with the time difference, your show is already over... I hope it went well!!) x randi
A special DVD set of the February shows is now available to pre-order at the wire-sound shop
This strictly limited edition 2 disc, region free, PAL format DVD set will be shipped in June.
The ‘Real Life + Thereafter’ DVD contains the entire concert filmed at Manchester Academy …
PLUS … Extra features include ‘Feed The Enemy’ filmed at the rehearsals, an alternate take of ‘A Song From Under The Floorboards’ and exclusive images from the period …
PLUS … On the second CD disc, you get an audio recording straight from the desk of 11 songs from the show at The Forum, London …
PLUS … In the package, you get a free tour T-Shirt in any size you like ranging from Super Small to Mighty XL and all stops in between.
Just to let you know that we've recently changed our booking proceedures so that dates and booking info can be obtained by emailing a blank enquiry to:
redhouseenquiry@gmail.com
Since we're booking up now for the summer and September I wanted everyone who's taken the time to seek us out on Myspace to have a chance to get a gig booked.
Hi there, we just got this new widget. It's kinda like a mini profile, it has tracks, video, news etc. If you grab it from our profile page you can add your other fave bands to it and have them all in one place. How cool is that? Enjoy!!
A Variety of Acts playing Covers of Tom Waits as well as their original material also DJ Music playing Tom Waits and influences of Tom Waits, this Venue does have a Kitchen and serves food, This night is in it's 3rd year and the night plays tribute to Tom Waits with a great amount of spirit Example of Influences Louis Armstrong,Frank Sinatra,Nina Simone,Chuck E.Weiss,Ella Fitzgerald,The Lounge Lizards Fatz Waller,Blind Men of Alabama ,Marc Ribot,HOGGY CARMICHAEL, Ray Charles,Captain Beefheart DR John,Leonard Cohen,Thelonious Monk, The Pogues. http://www.alienjazzparty.com/
Online Now!
