Grantura

A six-piece band from South East London, Grantura plays echoes of the sort of music you would have expected to hear at places like Woodstock: plenty of love, plenty of sun and plenty of flowers. The sort of music that sets your soul free.

But once you've heard the lyrics you think again. In stark contrast to the breezy melodies, they are thought-provoking and clearly born of painful experience. Grantura, says the publicity machine, has skilfully mastered the art of splicing opposed lyrical and melodic content.

Grantura's intricate musicianship is very much in evidence on the album In Dreams and Other Stories: a beautiful and personal look at life, its political values, relationships, chance meetings, debauchery (!) and late night story-telling. Each track is a masterpiece in its own right — very much in the tradition of the folk and country styles that influence the band.

Now signed to Ruffa Lane, the label — part owned by Lucky Soul — was totally enraptured by Grantura's sound. With a nod and a wink to Crosby Stills Nash and Young, The Band, The Byrds, and Elliot Smith, the roots and influences of the band are clearly Trans-Atlantic. The wonder is, says the publicity machine, that Grantura writes and performs with — and simply exudes — an air of 21st Century Britishness.