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“Oak and Stone” Album
Savage Underdogs who have been known for their aggressive tail weaving folk oriented punk rock have grown into a new direction. Whether it is a sign of maturity or simply evidence of the rich taste in musical styles that is enjoyed by the bands most recent lineup, it has proven to be useful as they embarked on recording their second self-produced album in late October 2022.
In a windowless room of a local rehearsal space, the band recorded what would be the first single to be lifted from the forthcoming album in a just a few hours.
“Walk all Night” sets the benchmark for the songs to come and over the next 18th months, lead guitarist and recording engineer Neil Gard worked to produce the bands first album release since their seemingly anti-authoritarian Ep “This is my Life” in 2021.
Oak and Stone releases in August 2024, the title of which comes from the song that features a collaboration with “Kelp”, Swanage’s very own all male the sea shanty choir. The song tells the tale of the quarry men who worked and lost their lives working the Jurassic Coast for the benefit of its historic mineral trade. The stone crusher Swanworth quarry at Worth is pictured on album cover.
Story telling has always been at the core of lyricists Mathew Williams’ writing and this album “Oak and Stone” tackles timeless themes such as human compassion, social responsibility, love and nostalgia in a way that often cuts close to the bone with an observational style of writing that is can be accusatory and at the same time unabashedly self-critical.
Lead singer Mathew Williams delivers his lines against a backdrop of well recorded and well executed drums from Samuel Cox, backing vocals and bass guitar from Greg Long with backing vocals and electric guitar from Neil Gard.
Oak and Stone releases ahead of their slot at the Swanage Folk Festival with more shows planned for summer 2025.
WHERE TO DOWNLOAD FROM OR STREAM “OAK AND STONE”?
Bandcamp MP3 Downloadable Album or stream
Spotify Streaming
Apple Music Downloadable Album or stream
YouTube Streaming
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Click ‘Play’ button below to listen to the ‘Oak and Stone’ playlist.
Savage Underdogs are a Dorset Folk Rock band delivering finely crafted original tales from land and sea.
Swanage Kelp Shantymen singer and former Devils Rejects frontman ‘Matthew Williams’ formed Savage Underdogs. A loyal Levellers supporter and American blue-collar historian Matt recently recruited Esteban’s drummer and impresario Samuel Cox to steady the ship alongside friend and bassist Greg Long, and Bournemouth guitarist and all-around technical wizard Neil Gard.
Sounds like: Ryan Adams, Levellers, Bruce Springsteen
At the heart of the SAVAGE UNDERDOG sound is implacable spirit and the authentic verse-chorus-verse of true rock. But also, these days, their songs tend to pack the lilt of country-blues and the subtlety of folk.
Having said that, they didn’t come up with the band name until they’d been together for six months:
“We had been making original music for a few years and under different guises, but with recent band additional member Neil (harmonies and guitar) it was time to make a good, solid and reliable line-up.”
“During our early days we kinda formed the subjective impression that we were the little fellows on the scene… the underdogs. Down in the South of England, where we gigged, we found we were surrounded by really good bands — but they were all cover bands — so we stood out from the crowd because we played mainly originals. For example, during a day of concerts, a South-Coast audience might hear the same set list seven times, with us in the middle being the only ones to bring an hour of original songs.”
“One day, after we’d completed a skillful acoustic set, an audience member stumbled up to ask, “Do you play anything by the Killers?” That was the moment we developed our grunt, we discovered our corporate teeth and we growled… it was the moment we went wild, and we decided to do something that no one else had the balls to do … We decided to become the SAVAGE UNDERDOGS. The low dogs of salvation.”
The throbbing “Rollin’ High” with its plaintive bass-beat was on their 4-track E.P. The vocal on this recording is insolent and uncouth but the toiling melody is compelling. The song has exuberant flowering and a sense of overwrought release. If you can imagine New Model Army performing a bouncy Tom Waits number, you’d be in the approximate area.
Savage Underdogs are a Dorset Folk Rock band delivering finely crafted original tales from land and sea.
Likewise, on the same E.P. was the brusquely snappish “Long Dead and Gone” — full of angry guitar, petulant rhythms and nourished by a Celtic atmosphere that might remind a punk-fan of early Pogues. Their oldest song, the one they’ve been playing for years, is titled “The Churches.” The slow, simmering chords and fast rhythms are magnified in this critical essay that touches on the helplessness, hopelessness and redundancy of established religions. The main voice lends itself to annoyance and irritation, while the accompanying voices help soothe away any latent resentment, while the guitars jump the tension. “It’s always fun to play live…”
After a trip along Highway 99 the band’s front- man and lyricist, Matthew Williams began to flesh out the concept of a studio album. The motivation behind the album is love: Love for a moribund American culture that seems flavoured with disappointment. Dave Holder engineered album, recorded at Clint Productions (Dave assisted on the earlier E.P. and helped perfect the band’s distinctive and edgy live sound) includes uncomplicated blue-collar storytelling, songs with distinct imagery and plenty of ditties that always contain a brawny, heartland rawness.
British folk is undergoing a bit of a revival at the moment (for example, O’Hooley & Tidow’s Gentleman Jackis heading for Emmy nomination) and sea shanties are an important part of the canon that brought Celtic rock and folk punk. It is no wonder, then, to discover that Matt, when he’s not performing & touring with SAVAGE UNDERDOGS, joins the sea-shanty-men “Kelp!” — a gang of South-Coast lifeboat-men, sailors and fishermen — to perform traditional music.
In fact, all members of the band are influenced and impacted by the sea and the maritime tradition of South Dorset. Thus, the new album begins with the foam-punk epic, “Storm” with its ever-insistent percussion and luscious guitar-work. This song has plenty of fast-tempo aggro and glints with cutlass-sharp lyricism. It’s buccaneer-rock at its best. But on the album we also get the sympathetic melodic contours of the anthemic title track: “California 99” with expressive accompanying voices, contemplative guitar and clement sway. “I’m coming back to you…” the band sings with dewy nostalgia. But it’s only the starry-eyed crew- members that cling to dreams when all hope is lost for a land we’ll never see again.
Whether it’s protesting government inactions, firing broadsides at social injustices, turning jack-screws on inequality or just singing half-mournful, half-exultant psalms of longing for a lost and dying American dream, the sound of the SAVAGE UNDERDOGS, with their underlying chant, dense inter-mesh of male voices and their expression-filled individuality, bring social commentary and characteristic narrative to original, British, rock ‘n’ roll artisanship.To be filed alongside: The Gaslight Anthem, Mike Ness
Matthew Williams – Lead Vocals & Guitar
Neil Gard – Harmonies & Lead Guitar
Greg Long – Harmonies & Bass and band management
Sam Cox – Drums
Savage Underdogs current line-up in 2022 .
TRACK LISTING
01. SWEET SUN SHINING
02. STATION ROAD
03. WHAT DID YOU DO?
04. OAK AND STONE
05. VALENTINA
06. CALIFORNIA 99
07. WALK ALL NIGHT
08. MILLIONAIRE
09. NO KINGS OF OLD
10. STORM
11. MOUNTAIN FIRE
12. BALLAD OF JOHN FARMER
“OAK AND STONE”
ALBUM FEEDBACK
“This is good stuff, the band have a real individual sound, part folk/shanty, but with a strong sense of the Indy 90’s-Charlatans and Billy Bragg. Perhaps some Mumford and sons. It’s a decent full sound, very melodic, looking forward to listening to the remainder.” – SPOTIFY LISTENER
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