Frank Fairfield will play a gig at Whitehill School on Friday 10th June at 7.30pm.
Frank Fairfield is a young Californian who sings hillbilly stompers, arcane rambling songs and murder ballads. Still in his early twenties but steeped in the pre-War Americana of Mississippi John Hurt and Dock Boggs, he cut his teeth as a street performer in LA and has the raw intensity, passion and technique to make your hair stand on end.
Fairfield plays fiddle and banjo and strums back-porch bluegrass, complete with shaky jug-band vocals reminiscent of The Foggy Mountain Boys from way back in the ’40s (think O Brother, Where Art Thou?).
Here’s a video of him playing Nine Pound Hammer:
Fleet Foxes handpicked him to open for them on their 2008 US tour and he counts Ry Cooder, C.W. Stoneking and Grammy winning producer Chris Thomas King as fans.
Robin from the Fleet Foxes had this to say about him when talking to Rolling Stone magazine:
“He’s like 26 years old and he sounds like Mississippi John Hurt. He’s kinda crazy. He has his own radio show where he just plays these old gramophones. He just puts a mic up and plays all these field recordings from the 1900s; it’s insane. He dresses like it’s the early 1900s. He’s born out of time, and his voice is amazing.”
Read an interview article by The Guardian here.
Platform have secured one of only two Scottish dates on his forthcoming UK tour which will be the first of Platforms offsite events at the unique location of Whitehill Secondary School.
Hypnotic finger-picking from RM Hubbert has been confirmed.
Tickets are £5 (or £3 for Under 16s and Local Link members) and can be bought from Platform, Monorail, Tickets Scotland, The Booth, and See Tickets.
That poster is fantastic. Is there any possibility of ordering one? I really do love it.
Also Frank Fairfield is just the best, you guys are in for a real treat.
Sorry, but I don’t know if prints of the poster are available. I’ve only seen it as an image on the Platform website. They might be able to give you an answer via email, or put you in touch with Stuart White, the designer.