The Thumping Tommys
The Sharp Turns of Life
(Self-Released)
★★★★★

NORTH LONDON based band The Thumping Tommys have for the past 13 years been enthusing festival audiences with an intriguing combination of bluegrass and English, Irish and American blues-tinged folk tunes.

This second studio album, released digitally, contains 12 self-penned songs and is a worthy addition to their repertoire. The opening track Viking Walker evokes memories of a Viking past and is followed by Late At Night (On The Central Line), a familiar experience for many.

There is a touch of bluegrass in the title track whereas The Dealers Blind and One More Whisky give us a bar room feel. But we also get a feel of Eastern European music in High Life in Tbilisi.

This Old Town (Won’t Die Alone) seems relevant in our current world and there is a poignant ending with Hummingbird. Encompassing different genres the album is both barn stomping and reflective.

Dan O’Farrell and The Difference Engine 
The Fish That Learned to Drown
(Gare Du Nord Records)
★★★★☆

THE press release for this fourth album from Dan O’Farrell and The Difference Engine refers to it arriving at the start of 2026 like a cold, sharp bucket of water in the face. Given what we know of 2026 so far it seems appropriate for an album to explore the darker waters of life.

Opening with Heartbreak Hostel “written for Elvis Presley but he never got back to us” the next song The Colonial Club takes on the “I’m not racist but” mentality of those horrified at the sight of statues of slave owners being toppled.

Cyanide Desire asks why things we love may help to kill us whilst Asbestos Love is a rocky track looking at global warming. But it’s not all doom and gloom, with dark humour in Hang Me On the Wall and a tackling of problems of self-confidence in the closing track Ursa Minor.

Sean Taylor
First Light
(Sean Taylor Songs)
★★★★★

THIS new album by folk-blues singer-songwriter Sean Taylor continues his pre-occupation with political themes in a world increasingly facing the dangers of climate change, continuous war and the domination of the far-right.

Most of the songs are new but there are two outstanding cover versions. Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower, and particularly appropriate with Trump’s reassertion of the Monroe Doctrine is Manifiesto by murdered Chilean folk-singer Victor Jara.

Political themes are to the fore in the new songs. Artificial Intelligence portrays a broken society whereas Britain’s Got Talent and Poverty reflect the real state of our nation. Little Donny Returns is a follow up to the 2017 song Little Donny with Taylor emphasising the need for artists to stand against fascism.

But there is hope as well in the title track and closing track Murmurations that good will come from the beauty in nature and humanity.