Just as if the music world didn’t have enough stomping, banjo twanging, hoedown folk bands already, another has emerged in the shape of Coventry five piece the Fallows.
If you’re a fan of Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers and Of Monsters and Men then you’re probably going to like the Fallows too, because they sound exactly the same. That is no exaggeration either, if you’d told me “Run Like a Dog” was penned by Marcus Mumford and Co, I probably would have believed you without question.
The band fronted by Ross Darby, have received some recognition, particularly in Ireland where singles “Run Like a Dog” and “Kerry Girl” have had a lot of airtime on the Irish equivalent of Radio 1, as well as being featured on BBC 6 Music and Tom Robinson’s BBC Introducing mix tape over here in England. Although they may not yet be a household name nationally, they have a growing reputation in their home town of Coventry, where they will play a high slot at the city’s Godiva Festival this summer, headlined by Maximo Park.
Run Like a Dog sounds as if Darby and Co stumbled across the blueprint for Mumford’s two chart topping albums, and copied it step by step. The kind of ‘folk-by-numbers’ approach which made them loved by many, yet loathed by many more. It combines stripped back verses, building into a group sang chorus, before an almighty hoedown and a Capella ending in a way which sounds almost formulaic. It even throws in a Lumineer like shout of HO for good measure. The track is catchy, and there is no doubt that once people hear it, they’ll be humming the melody for the rest of the day. However, it brings absolutely nothing new to the table, and every aspect of the song sounds as if it was taken from the ‘Sigh No More’ cutting room floor.
Watch the video for Run Like A Dog: