Kate Arnold - dulcimer, violin, b.vox;
John Paul Jones - bass, b.vox;
Rich Keeble - drums;
Eilish McCracken - violin, whistle;
Joe Murphy - guitar, vox;
Influences
Bitter, Guinness, red wine, whiskey, dreams, nightmares, the Borgias, cab rides.
Sounds Like
“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)
"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)
Hi Joe, Happy Birthday - have a good one! Finally found my copy of High Slang...a really good listen, love God to Holloway (another potential Xmas smash), & getting into the rest of the tracks too. Oh, and the banjo level is fine I think on Cockney Rebel. See you soon x
Thanks very much for having us at Blang. 'Twas a splendid night of entertainment all round. Sorry if I was a bit vague after the gig, I always get like that after playing. Anyway, thanks again for getting us out of our comfy little studio. God Bless You, Gareth - Sensation Smith
We've added a bunch of photos to our page from when you played the Ro4 that I don't think you've ever seen. Hope you enjoy them and to see you at our Open Mic Night this Wednesday.
Radio 4, this afternoon, i'm sure you can listen again to it online
Ten Popes Who Shook the World:
"The papacy of Gregory the Great at the end of the 6th century marked a shift in Christian history. As the Byzantine world slipped from its grasp, the church turned its eyes northwards."
I thought this could be the sort of thing you'd like!
