Concert by Blood Wizard, a fusion of folk, punk and metal, at The Hope & Ruin.
Blood Wizard plays The Hope & Ruin on Saturday 10 October, with the set starting at 20:00. It's the project of Cai Burns, who spent years fronting the Nottingham punk band Kagoule before moving into this solo territory. If you're coming from that background, the punk is still there, but it's been pulled into a very different kind of room.
What he's doing here is a crossover of folk, punk and metal. The folk side draws on the intricate, fingerstyle tradition of Bert Jansch, while the punk and metal bring the energy and the edge. It's a sound built on dissonant chords and driving rhythms, and the folk elements act as a counterweight rather than a softening. There's a distinct tension between the two: the acoustic, melodic side of things rubbing up against the heavier, more abrasive side. It's folk with a dark streak running through it, and the punk influence keeps it from ever feeling too polite.
Beyond those, the music pulls from a wide range of sources. You'll hear echoes of the art-pop of Cate Le Bon and the experimental, avant-garde leanings of Arthur Russell, both of whom push the sound away from traditional folk and into something more open and unpredictable. It's that mix that gives the project its particular character: the folk provides the structure, the punk provides the energy, and the art-pop and avant-garde influences provide the space for it to go somewhere unexpected.
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The gig is at The Hope & Ruin, 11-12 Queens Road, on Saturday 10 October, with the music starting at 20:00. Tickets are £12.10 and available through seetickets.com.
