folk devils

Formed by Co. Durham native Ian Lowery (formerly of The Wall and Ski Patrol) with a line up that consisted of Mark Whiteley (Bass), Kris Jozajtis (Guitar) and Alan Cole (Drums), the latter also previously of Ski Patrol. Throughout their 4-year lifespan, the band released several acclaimed singles including “Hank Turns Blue” and "Beautiful Monster" and recorded several sessions for BBC Radio's John Peel Show. Musically their heady brew of swampy rock on a bed of bastardized blues created a vehicle for Lowery's increasingly misanthropic worldview. A well-honed gutter poet since the early days of punk, Ian developed an idiosyncratic style, fusing a natural gift for sly wordplay and a well turned snarky phrase with his often vitriolic and poignant lyrics channeled through an explosive onstage persona. Folk Devils opened for the likes of The Fall, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Gun Club and Spacemen 3, and also toured extensively throughout Europe.

The second incarnation was short-lived, consisting of Ian Lowery, Nick Clift (ex Ski Patrol guitarist), Robert Mune (Bass), John Hamilton (Drums) and Saul Taylor (Saxophone). During this time they released one 12" single of new material "The Best Protection" for the Beggars Banquet imprint Situation 2, and an anthology collecting all their earlier material entitled "Goodnight Irony".

Singer Ian Lowery sadly passed away in 2001. The band reformed in 2016 with new singer Dave Hodgson around the release of the retrospective CD/2xLP "Beautiful Monsters" featuring remastered audio of all the band's studio and demo recordings. The re-formed Folk Devils play re-union shows twice a year, most recently with The Membranes, The Inca Babies and The Cravats.

Folk Devils on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5hkrgr79U7MWJzSBKNXIRY

See also Ian Lowery: http://www.ianlowery.com
See also Ski Patrol: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ski-Patrol/375662688134