Brighten The Corners Presents Cambridge psych-folk quintet Fuzzy Lights at The Smokehouse on Saturday 28th March, with support from The Feathered Thorns.
“Outstanding. A beguiling, brilliant second LP from the Fenlands band. Like the Dirty Three meeting Low…” - UNCUT
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Time: 7:30pm - 11pm
Venue: The Smokehouse
Tickets: £12+bf
Supports: tbc
Age Restrictions: 14+ (14- 15s must be accompanied by an adult)Accessibility: There is step-free access into the venue and the bar / accessible toilet / venue are all on one floor. For further information, please email info@brightenthecorners.co.uk so we can make your visit as comfortable as possible.
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Cambridge's acclaimed psych-folk quintet Fuzzy Lights return with their fifth album 'Fen Creatures', set for release in November via Meadows. Following 2021's critically lauded 'Burials', the band have created their most conceptually ambitious work to date - a meditation on environmental crisis that uses the folklore and history of East Anglia as a lens to examine humanity's fractured relationship with the natural world.
Where 'Burials' explored personal trauma and environmental collapse, 'Fen Creatures' expands this vision into something far more sweeping and interconnected. The album operates across multiple historical timelines, from Iron Age hill forts to medieval plague houses, from Byron's Romantic-era environmental warnings to the immediate threat of rising sea levels, creating a temporal tapestry that weaves ancient stories with contemporary concerns. “In the world we live, with the challenges of environmental devastation and change, it's really important to reconnect to our history and the land around us," explains vocalist Rachel Watkins. "We need to learn lessons from the past and try to live with the landscape rather than changing it to fit our needs. The album calls attention to environmental change while exploring how folklore ties to the landscape and our connection to our ancestors."
Musically, the quintet, Rachel Watkins (vocals/violin), Xavier Watkins (guitar/electronics), Chris Rogers (guitar), Daniel Carney (bass), and Mark Blay (drums), have pushed deeper into experimental drone territories while maintaining the crystalline folk sensibilities that have become their signature. The result is their most atmospheric and immersive work to date, with vast sonic landscapes that mirror the fenland geography they're documenting.
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The Feathered Thorns tell stories which lay in the shadows and folds of the mysterious landscapes of the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Part folklore fantasy, part domestic truth, half remembered dreams, visceral memories. Desperate fragility and sharp toothed menace. The right amount of tender, the right amount of grit.