The story of Keston Cobbler's Club goes like this:
"Once upon a time, many, many years ago, in the little village of Keston there was a man who mended shoes... The Cobblers' business was struggling, but with the pennies he had inherited from his late father, he bought himself an old fiddle and would cheer himself up by playing till the early hours of the morning in the rickety old public house on the corner. Before the warm fires and under the cavernous ceilings, village folk would gather, fill their jugs with beer and dance with each other to the jolly haphazardness of his music. Such was the hearsay of the evening’s merrymaking that the following week villagers flocked from as far as Hayes, bringing instruments, tools and kitchen utensils, and one by one, joined in the music-making".
Soon the Keston Cobblers' Club was born. The toe tapping and dancing of hundreds of feet had destroyed the soles of their shoes within hours...and from that day onwards, business was always busy for the Cobbler. Now, two centuries later, Keston Cobblers' Club is back, embracing contemporary styles and traditional melodies."
The four-piece that is Keston Cobbler's Club consist of Matthew Lowe, Tom Sweet, Julia Lowe and Bethan Ecclestone. Siblings Matthew and Julia grew up writing and performing from an early age. Surrounded by all genres of music and encouraged by their parents, Matthew (who studied The Arts at Camberwell College), and Julia went on to persue their passion for music. The group are a talented bunch, sharing the instrumentation between them and staying true to their folk and indie influences. The band create delicate harmonies and foot-tapping rhythms using a range of instruments like accordions, ukeleles, trumpets, as well as four-part vocals and classic folk elements such as the hand-clap.
Keston Cobler's Club reference influences from bands like Mumford And Sons, Jonny Flynn, Frank Turner, The Shins, Bon Iver and The Low Anthem, and with them, create their own blend of quaint, witty and honest songs. Hailing from the leafy suburbs of South London (Kent, really), the young band write about subjects close to their own lives and produce a level of songwriting far beyond their years; mature and down-to-earth. Songs like You Go highlight slightly husky vocals with embellishments synonymous of Marcus Mumford's (Mumford And Sons) gruff, yet intensely rich voice. The pulsing ukelele drives the track forward while the contrast between the male and female vocal parts and harmonies bring a freshness and new dimension to their sound. The band's ability of layering and song structure is something wholly enjoyable to listen to, and with new instruments being added in simultaneously, the track never feels static or stale. Some of the tracks have a hint of the novelty about them at first, (Wrecking Ball) but once you get used to the presence of the accordion and the tuba (an instrument often known for it's comedy value), they become part of the band's unique charm and appeal.