If you’ve ever wondered what authentic traditional country/bluegrass with lyrics to match might come across when transposed from an American setting to one in England then watch this video from The Orange Circus Band. ‘I Miss You’ laments lost love and just aches with lonesome fiddle and sad pedal steel. Typically both might evoke vivid images of a guy in a big hat speeding off across the plain in his pick-up so it comes as a surprise to see he’s a mild looking chap sedately driving what looks like an Austin A40 ( for younger readers, that’s about sixty years old).
Incongruous as this image may may appear, it works. The video is a useful test for anyone over here who says country music isn’t for them because it speaks of a distant world unlike anything they’ve experienced. ‘I Miss You’ shows that love, break-up and its fallout knows no boundaries. The Orange Circus Band may be from Kent and Wales but their bluegrass, country sound is the genuine article, Jessie Moonlight sings as if she’s in the gloomiest old joint in Nashville and the video shows that heartache is just the same the world over. And it never ends either.
This is an original idea and it is effective but The Orange Circus Band don’t really need any props. They play mainly high tempo good time bluegrass with a country and folk blend. It sounds great, Whispering Bob thinks so too. We look forward to the new album.
Lyndon Bolton
