Missed your local art galleries and museums during lock down? Mancunian folk fusionists Harp & A Monkey certainly have. “As soon as you enter and the door closes behind you the chaos of the street disappears,” muses front man Martin Purdy, “it’s like being embraced by a special kind of stillness.” All of which maybe a bit deep but you get the idea. Such rumination comes as the trio let loose a new single “ The Ballad Of Wisbech Museum,’ which is a long way from their normal northern habitat but is the place where they played a key gig in the promotion of their last album, ‘ The Victorians,’ which you have obviously, wisely invested in. This new material comes as museums across the land are partially opening and on the back of an Arts Council commission to highlight the named venue.

Based on an 1840s Victorian broad sheet the song jogs along strings with sound ples and electronics roll calling exhibits and acquisitions reminding everyone that national and local museums are the keepers of history and culture from the past and present. Mixed in contemporary guise by Darren Jones, noted for his sessions for Stormzy and er… Harry Styles! You can’t say Harp & A Monkey do things without a hint of difference. More from www.harpandamonkey.com