When progressive rock became a movement in the seventies it threatened, for a time, to get its claws into many different forms of music, possessing as it did a limitless potential now that other genre structures could be submerged by this new evolution. But it did not take too many years for Prog to become a dirty word, and anyone left with a soft spot for those pushing the envelope away from DIY simplicity had to keep their fondness buried, laughing it off as a guilty pleasure. Even the folk world in the aftermath of punk’s pretension bursting, prowess sandblasting of the landscape was reticent to admit it ever danced a progressive dance. But back in the early days of Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull the folk and classically minded evolving rock world were happy bedfellows. So much so that, there has long been a sense that there is unfinished business there ripe for further investigation. All it needs is a band with a feel for the music, the chops to push it forward and a taste for electrical energy igniting a sound that is traditionally acoustic. Step forward The Magpie Arc.
They are no newcomers to the scene, but neither is the back catalogue prior to this second album especially deep. What has been evident from the start is their capacity for ambitious, boundary pushing music that leans into a combination prog, rock, and folk without restriction from any. The thirteen minute introductory title track lays the Magpie Arc cards on the table with an energy that is pensive and brooding, the ringing of a solitary bell suggests drama ahead and the jagged, angry guitar slashes that follow conjure thoughts of Black Sabbath more than any ear-fingering folky. In fact, the most direct traditional reference point is the expressive voice of singer Nancy Kerr, whose delivery has more than a hint of the olde-England about it whilst navigating the ‘Gil Brenton’ narrative with engaging authority. With its roots in a 19th century Scottish Ballad, the stories retelling of marital infidelities and a nobleman’s child’s identity, is extremely well suited to the punch and sway of the forceful music it is wrapped around. That is why this album and what the band do in general works so well, because when they rock, they rock hard and they have now succeeded in capturing this strength on record. ‘The Burning Of Auchindoun’ positively throbs along to tremolo guitar waves worthy of the early 1990s indie-dance brigade whilst ‘Thou Shall Not Kill’ is vibrating from the heat of the classic, dark rock ballad buttons it is pushing.
If the band are indeed resurrecting the ploughing of a field that had been left to languish for a number of years, they have always been keen to revisit this old ground accompanied by those whose footprints remain from before. Previously they had a long-standing member in Martin Simpson, who was a delight in concert cutting loose in a voltage enhanced fashion, but this new records closing number, ‘The Mantle,’ features a brace of heavy-duty names in Maddy Prior from Steeleye Span plus Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. Respectively they bring backing vocals and some energetic lead flute to the table, but it speaks volumes for what a monumental number ‘The Mantle’ is that the big names are only a side note to the overall appeal. Simply put, it is already one of the finest recordings in the entire folk-rock canon and, even though its sound is in no way retro, neither do the classic albums of Tull or Fairport appear dated either and therefore, it has fashioned a rather timeless place for itself alongside some acclaimed peers. At the end of the day, ‘Gil Brenton’ is a consistently strong album across all seven tracks that for all its references to past eras, has more than enough conviction and serious intent to fully warrant its place in the modern musical conversation.
Danny Neill
You can buy a physical copy of ‘Gil Brenton’ by The Magpie Arc via this link: https://themagpiearc.com/
The track ‘The Mantle’ appears on our latest ‘new releases’ Mixcloud show here: https://www.mixcloud.com/dannyneill714/fruit-tree-records-fresh-juice-2026-vol-1/
Fruit Tree Records 