The Grazing Saints: E.P Review and Interview

In fact, I was on the same bill. It’s June of this year, and a friend and I have just played a selection of pretty harmonised ditties; up steps three unassuming men (the singer, Joe Quinn, if I remember correctly, even asks the audience to “be gentle”). What followed was a bizarre blend of prog-rock, blues and punk, performed with a confidence and assuredness that belies the band’s short time together.

Now it’s autumn, and the Norfolk lads have released “Infernal Combustion Engine”, an eclectic five track E.P that faithfully renders their live sound. The instrumentation is minimal (these ears couldn’t detect any overdubs , not even underneath Joe’s guitar solos), but, with this E.P, The Grazing Saints show music can be both sparse and strange.

The Saints wear their influences on their sleeves, and it’s a veritable smorgasbord that sounds at once archaic and fresh. Joe’s guitar sound recalls the spikiness of a Sex Pistol or Bernard Sumner, though he is evidently a more gifted guitarist. His voice is a blend of Nick Cave and Ian Curtis, melodic yet sermon-like, with all the weariness and seriousness intact. In “Doomed”, he asks us “Where’s your sense of history/ the misery will repeat itself” – and you don’t dare laugh. He is backed by a versatile rhythm section, who can tightly adapt to the various styles on display. You’re unlikely to hear any other bass player who doesn’t get paid for being that good.

Opener “Heart like a Boulder” has classic written all over it. A conventional song structure, a beautiful chorus melody, and aching, biblical lyrics. It’s not hard to imagine a crowd drunkenly wailing along to it at the end of a night on the town, while somewhere else it’s the soundtrack to a solitary someone crying their eyes out. If some songs simply need to be heard, than this is one of them.

“Coming for You” takes the time machine even further back, beginning with a smooth bassline reminiscent of The Temptations’ “My Girl”, before Joe sweetly croons sugary lyrics like “love is all around is what you said to me”.
For some this may tease the line of easy listening a bit too far, but it’s this playfulness that makes the following minor key earnestness all the more bizarre and sincere. The title track is The Grazing Saints at its most Joy Division, the delivery of the verses sounding like an even eerier version of “Shadowplay”, interspersed with moments of joy thanks to a slick key change.

The Grazing Saints

“Doomed”, on the other hand, is The Saints taking themselves back to 70s prog, with an intro of paranoid guitar fuzz, prolonged rambling solos, and a funeral march rhythm. The song perhaps falls short in its potential due to the flatness of the drums, which seem to stray behind the energy conjured by the schizo guitar and the thudding bassline. That said, it seems unfair to criticise amateur bands on issues such as production.

Closer “(Take me Home) Country Road” might not be a sappy John Denver cover, but its southern rock sound sure does sound bizarrely upbeat considering the drudgery of the previous track. But it’s this bold rejection of bland cohesiveness that makes The Grazing Saints and “Infernal Combustion Engine” so special. Hear it here: thegrazingsaints.bandcamp.com

4.5

Here is Joe Quinn, singer and guitarist, introducing you all to The Grazing Saints:

Q: What is a Grazing Saint?

A: The Grazing Saints were groups of Christians who, after Christianity became accepted and Christians had stopped being persecuted, still wanted to lead a life of suffering and wanted to punish themselves, I guess to give life meaning. They grew their hair and ate only grass and leaves, wore no clothes and slept outside, basically living as their bovine brothers would. Sometimes known as the grazing hermits, these groups were legendary, stories tell of ordinary religious groups being terrified of the Grazing Saints, the wildmen of the mountains.

Q: When did you guys start playing together?

A: Me and Paul have been playing together in bands for around 6 or 7 years, so we know each other well musically, and we decided to form a new band together, and drafted Jack in, who had returned to the drum stool after several years absence. We have been playing together as a group since Spring 2012, so we’re still a new band, just getting established.

Q: What/who influences you?

I think we’re influenced by a lot of things, a lot of the classic organic bands. But i think we’re influenced by everything you see, everything you hear. The Sun, the stars, and the Moon. The Sea, the dark, the ground beneath our feet. The injustices in the world. The state of society . The fairer sex. Our families. The atomic, subatomic and intergalactic force that runs through all things.

Q: How would you describe your sound to those who haven’t heard you?

A: I think i would describe our sound as a mixture of rock n roll, untraditional folk, heavy psychadelia, cave doom, organic dance, mellow beach vibes and yearning blues.

Q: Will you guys be playing any gigs in Norwich soon?

A: We have a show at Belugas for Stacked Promotions on 1st Nov. And a show with Die You Now and Doctor Clyde at the Blueberry on Friday 2nd of Nov.
both shows are free to get in.

Q: Where can people get a copy of your E.P?

A: People can download our EP at Bandcamp: thegrazingsaints.bandcamp.com and you can find the band on Facebook: facebook.com/thegrazingsaints