Photo credit: Cole Flynn Quirke
Mên An Tol release debut EP ‘The Country’
‘The Country’ Visualiser here
The band headline The Social in London on 25th March
Mên An Tol have today released their debut EP ‘The Country’ via ADA. The EP comes after two sensational early tracks, ‘NW1’ and ‘Set In Stone’.
The four-track EP represents the perfect snapshot of where this London-based five-piece are at, capturing the essence of this thrilling new band – urgent and stirring tracks that offer hope and romance, love and escapism. They come with frontman Bill Jerfferson’s lyrics, alive and relatable, bursting with poetic lyricism fit for pub corners where tall tales are best told.
The band’s first release, ‘NW1’, came out last autumn and instantly cut through with BBC 6 Music playing it multiple times whilst Radio 1, So Young, Still Listening and more got behind it. ‘Set In Stone’ followed and is already a fan favourite, a highlight of the five-piece’s recent residency at Camden’s Dublin Castle. These three shows were intense, celebratory affairs as the band’s sense of hope and ambition resonated with the packed crowds and came after headline shows at The Shacklewell Arms and a support slot with Yannis And The Yaw at KOKO.
The band’s music manages to seem greater and more important than the sum of its parts. It’s as much about unifying people in the rooms they play, be it tiny backrooms or massive stages as it is celebrating the beauty and majesty hidden in English rural streets and fields.
‘The Country’ tracklisting –
NW1
Set In Stone
The Country
I Get The Message
Mên An Tol have announced they’ll be appearing at The Great Escape in Brighton this year for the first time and they headline The Social in London on 25th March.
About Mên An Tol:
Given the band themselves formed while living and working in the orbit of a Camberwell pub, it feels fitting Mên An Tol’s songs are rooted in community and togetherness. That synergy isn’t lost on singer Bill Jefferson either: “It is this strange coincidence that we all met around this building and happened to have this shared vision, it feels special how quickly it clicked.”
He says it was all about getting in a room and writing from the heart. “We never had a conversation about our influences, it was about how we could deliver it in the most real way. We’ve all got influences that cut through but our ambition is quite wide, from the 90’s stuff like The Verve, The Cranberries and The Sundays, through to some of the more traditional folk influences on the other end of the spectrum and The Pogues and The Waterboys. Even though they’re completely different on paper they have a similar DNA.
Mên An Tol’s music instantly manages to seem greater and more important than the sum of its parts. It’s as much about unifying people in the rooms they play, be it tiny backrooms or massive stages as it is celebrating the beauty and majesty hidden in English rural streets and fields.
That unique spirit can be traced back to Jefferson’s own musical education in his native Cornwall where he’d play folk sessions in and around the local pubs – in-fact the band name itself is taken from a rural site of ancient stones. “That’s where I found my love for writing songs,” he explains. “Those old school folk songs really tell a story and there’s no fat on them, I think that’s where the love and the artistry of writing a song comes from.”
You can’t help but feel that connection is at the heart of their mission statement as they strive towards a better land. “We wanted to write songs that people could relate to and sing-along to that are about people,” says Jefferson, “That’s really the soul of the music, we just create what we really want to hear. There’s a lot of bands out there that don’t really resonate with me personally. We’re trying to find something in the middle that feels good.”
Having recently had their first of many tastes of the bigger stages, via a date supporting Yannis and The Yaw at Koko, the band aren’t shying away from gunning straight for such platforms. “We’ve always said we want to be playing to as many people as possible,” says Jefferson. Stevens adds, “It just felt right, like we deserve to be here.” Much like the music they make, it’s unsurprising the road ahead is about staying true to their foundations. “We’re hungry for more and we have a lot more coming, this EP is really an invitation into our world.” If ‘NW1’ is anything to go by, you’d be foolish not to accept it.
Mên An Tol are Bill Jefferson (Guitar, Vocals), Felix Knox (Mandolin), Max Silvey (Bass), Robert Wiseman (Guitar) and Tom Stevens (Drums)
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My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago
