Quick-fire questions: 10 minutes with Folly Group
The south London music scene has been one of the most febrile in the United Kingdom for some time. Producing favourites such as Shame, Black Midi and The Last Dinner Party, the area has fostered everything from post-punk to experimental sounds, with one of the most exciting bands to emerge from such a healthy environment being Folly Group.
Fusing something resembling the post-punk blueprint with a love of dance music and African and South American rhythms, their dynamic and constantly twisting sound stands out from the mass of notable groups that venues such as the Brixton Windmill and The George Tavern have incubated. It’s an eclectic, distinctly postmodern blend that keeps listeners on their toes.
After capturing the imagination since forming in 2019 and supporting slots for the likes of Do Nothing and PVA – as well as a collaboration with Metronomy and a slew of notable festival dates – Folly Group are gearing up to release their debut album, Down There! on January 12th. Arriving via So Young Records, it boasts singles such as ‘Pressure Pad’ and ‘I’ll Do What I Can’, and will be followed up by UK, EU and North American tours in the spring.
Folly Group are Sean Harper, Louis Milburn, Tom Doherty and Kai Akinde-Hummel, and they recently gave us ten minutes to answer some quick-fire questions, offering more insight into the inner workings of one of London’s most exciting acts.
From the mention of classic stoner metal to the Sandra Bullock rom-com The Proposal, the variety in their responses significantly highlights the mesh of influences the quartet draws upon to make such a multifaceted sound.
Quick-fire Questions with Folly Group:
1. What song would you want played at your funeral?
Sean: “Is it fucked that I think I already have an answer? Is it worse still that I stole it from a friend when we had this conversation years ago? Potentially, at least, it’s the version of ‘Lucky To Be Me’ on Everybody Digs Bill Evans“.
Tom: “Electric Wizard – ‘Funeralopolis’.
Kai: “Focus – ‘Hocus Pocus’, or any song with a drum or guitar solo that goes on for slightly too long”.
2. What’s been your favourite album of 2023 so far?
Sean: “Lankum – False Lankum. Radie’s voice cuts like a knife”.
Tom: “Same as Sean for this one. It’s a bit special”.
Kai: “Billy Woods, Kenny Segal – Maps”.
3. What album have you probably listened to most in your life?
Sean: “On balance, it’s probably Sparklehorse – It’s a Wonderful Life. I must have listened to it every day for about three years, 16 to 18″.
Tom: “Everything Elliott Smith”.
Kai: “Probably Boy in da Corner – Dizzee Rascal”.
4. Do you believe in ghosts?
Sean: “No, but I’m scared of them”.
Tom: “Yep, well up for some haunting”.
Kai: “I have seen one”.
5. Dual question: What is your favourite soup and favourite comfort movie?
Sean: “Dragon Soop and The Thing“.
Tom: “Not a soup man, definitely a Lord Of The Rings man”.
Kai: “Goat pepper soup, not as hot as dragon soup but still spicy as hell, The Proposal (A Masterpiece)”.
6. What song are you most proud to have written to date?
Sean: “It’s not out yet!”
7. Can you recommend an album we might not have heard?
Sean: “Daughn Gibson – All Hell”.
Tom: “Gemi – Gemi Tapes Complete”.
Kai: “Chris Dave and The Drumheadz – Chris Dave and The Drumheadz”.
8. What would be your fantasy concert?
Tom: “Radiohead, Sabbath, Britney, Radiohead Sabbath Britney supergroup encore”.
9. What is your most controversial cultural opinion?
Tom: “Snickers should be banned”.
Kai: “Sunday Rroasts are grossly overrated”.
10. Are there any conspiracy theories you sort of believe in?
Sean: “I have compelling evidence that there are goblins beneath Kentucky”.
Kai: “Not a conspiracy theory, but why are all the UFO sightings predominantly in the USA?”
11. What was the first song you learned to play?
Tom: “Beethoven – ‘Symphony No. 9′”.
Kai: “Freddy Hubbard – ‘Red Clay”‘.
12. What movie makes you laugh the most?
Tom: “Elf“.
Kai: “Seven Psychopaths”.
Sean: “Withnail and I? Alpha Papa? Perilously big question, that”.
13. Where is the best pub in the world?
Sean: “It’s in Totnes, and it’s called the Bay Horse. I won’t hear any more about it. Out to Jo and Brygida the cat”.
Tom: “Little Driver, Bethnal Green. Time capsule”.
Kai: “The Gowlett – Peckham. Honourable mention to The Bank of Friendship – Highbury”.
14. With an hour to kill and no plans, what are you doing?
Sean: “Either making a loop I listen to approximately never again in my entire life or watching exactly two episodes of No More Jockeys“.
Tom: “Power nap”.
Kai: “Watching cooking videos on YouTube of food I am never going to make”.
15. Are The Beatles overrated?
Sean: “That’s above my pay grade”.
Tom: “No”.
Kai: “Yes”.
