Orphans & Vandals

Orphans & Vandals are built around the lyrical meanderings of front man Al Joshua who once journeyed to Paris to retrace the steps of Arthur Rimbaud.

His half spoken word lyrics focus on his home city of London and Terra Firma, the first song on this self-released double-A single, takes a dramatic sweep through the towers and alleys of a grey and wet town. Its stabbing strings and epic length endow it with grandiose weight but the sweeter Christopher, with its searing violin and saw and earthy harmonica is far better. It’s poetic music though not quite poetry.