Metal Men and Two Ladies. Simon Jones gets the lowdown from Tin Giants; the crew putting the poke back into folk. 

“Giants are literally awesome and Tin is both ancient, modern and malleable.”

I’ve just asked the Tin Giant’s what’s the thinking behind their name. Ever inscruitable they smile and give the answer you’ll find on their website. Good enough though, this tells me they’re a canny bunch who’re not overly fond of pigeon holing their music, within which as well as strands of British folk you’ll find rock, European trad, and their own deft tunes composed in style.

“Many of the band are fans of Progressive music including prog rock, as well as orchestral music and folk in the broadest sense. Really, we all love so many types of music and all sorts of influences are there. In a previous life, Penni (McClaren Walker vocals/whistles/guitar) was lead singer for a Hawkwind tribute band. Duncan (Moss, hurdgy gurdy, bagpipes and all things blown)  and I both learned classical music in our youth(s), then got into folk music in early adulthood. All of us have played for English folk dance – Morris and ceilidhs and we particularly enjoy the driving, modal sound of early music and trad French dance music. For example, in a Tin Giants set you’ll find Andros, Schottisches and Mazurkas, as well as 500-year-old English Rounds, original contemporary songs, ballads and all out bangers,” says Bryan Causton guitarist and all things stringed.

Instrumentally you’re equally diverse. The stage must look like an instrument shop when you’re ready for a gig.

“People often say they really enjoy the range of instruments, some of them are pretty unusual. As band members we are very lucky to play such a broad variety of different textures adding interest and pace to the creative process. Referencing the definitions, like Tin our identity is part of a blend of ancient and modern – from hurdy gurdy, fiddle, mandolin, cittern, bouzouki and pipes, to bass, bass pedals, guitars, keyboards, drums, percussion and electronica, but always in a malleable way. We use it to make our own signature sound, which is where the Giant part comes in because it can be a massive sound, too,”  Fran Broady harpist muses.

Tin Giants have their beginnings in 90s roots mavericks Shave The Monkey, a crew well known for their diversity and fondness for the experimental and love of fusing traditions. What Tin Giants are trying some years later comes from the same thinking now it’s just wider horizons.

The attendent Giants are off down memory road. “Most of the band have known each other and played music together for decades, the common historical thread drawing members together is our former folk rock band Shave the Monkey which was an established part of the European folk scene for 20 years until 2002. In 2018, Penni and Shave founder members Bryan and Duncan met up and there was a certain spark, reigniting longstanding musical friendships and chemistry. They agreed they had to start up another band, bringing in the best of the Shave legacy to create a new signature sound. Looking for other musicians they felt would add to the magic, they recuited me and long-term collaborator John Armer Campbell on bass and guitar.  We held a series of auditions and Martin(Lindridge), already known  as a great dance caller, was invited to join us on drums and percussion,” Fran fills in the background for me.

You can’t keep a great band down, no matter if they change their name. Good news spreads fast and word about Tin Giants began seeping around the folk village a couple of years back. Like you do I filed the name away for future reference and promptly became too busy to remember. So the months rolled on and it was when they let loose their EP ‘The Lighthouse’ – six tracks of sumptuous melodic craft, some from the studio and some in concert my memory reignited. It’s waiting for you on Bandcamp right now. You know what to do.

Which leads me to asking them about what processes they go through to weave their magic.

Bryan, “Quite often a member of the band will put forward an idea for a song or tune, then it will very much be a group thing to shape it.  It can start with a riff that evolves into a jam sparking ideas that we later develop. Or it can start with a song – from Penni’s huge catalogue of self-penned work, a trad song or an idea generated in rehearsal.”

I mention the traditional seems to be a starting point and then they begin to morph it into other form whilst retaining the core elements.

Fran, “We don’t set any rules about this, but what excites us is the sense of the living tradition. Taking traditional material and making it our own and sharing it, as well as writing our own tunes and songs to keep the tradition going for future generations. That’s already happening with some of our tunes, for example, Bryan wrote a beautiful tune called ‘Chameleon’ in the Shave days, which is now played widely in sessions and by Morris sides up and down the country.”

Bryan, “In a six-piece band, we need to get the balance right. We have tight arrangements and a solid structure but with enough room left for expression. Our gigs are pretty close to the recorded versions, but extemporisation is such an important part of our creative process and there’s space for things to evolve, so arrangements develop over time.”

They’ve had a busy 2024 thus far and as we chat the gigs show little sign of slowing down, already under their belts is The Beardy Festival, “brilliant” apparently, Cromer’s Folk On The Pier, to come Broadstairs Folk Week and a new festival at Bungay in early September in “the beautiful St. Mary’s Church.”  Into autumn a return to the studio is schedued to work on recording new material. Why their feet barely have time to touch the ground!

Anything else you want to say?

“We plan to continue making music that inspires us and take it to as many people as possible. To be busy, busy, busy and to appear on as many festival stages as possible into 2025 and beyond!”

Giant dreams and ambitions then. Just watch, they’ll be reality soon enough.

Find more at tingiants.co.uk and their fab EP at tingiants.bandcamp.com/album/the-lighthouse