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The Recks

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Multi-genre madness from the Channel Islands!

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Hometown	Sark, United Kingdom
Genres	Indie Rock, Other
Band Members	Richey Powers (Guitar, Vocals); Gregory Harrison (... » more
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Upcoming Shows	None

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About the Artist

The Recks are a gypsy, jazz, folk, funk, genre-bending, mind-melting, slap-dashing, five-piece from the Isle of Sark in the Channel Islands.

Formed in 2012, The Recks quickly gained positive reviews and became known as the “kings of schizophrenic folk...

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Achievements

Top 10 in Americana, June 2020

Top 10 in Americana, April 2020

Top 10 in Americana, March 2020

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Review Anything... by Our Review of Lovers In The Night
The Recks are from the tiny island of Sark, which is apt because Guide Daily is often viewed as a tiny island of sark in the ocean of grown-up seriousness that is the rest of the Guardian website. But I'm going to play with a straight bat here: The Recks aren't bad at all, at least in terms of a band you might find some smugs chaps in tweed and taches lindy-hopping to on a smaller stage at the Secret Garden Party. Their stray-cat strut with gypsy bells on is saved from burlesque-lounge futility by the singer's throaty croon: a little bit Walkmen, a little bit Coral. Nice Boosh-esque animated video too. SR

Sark Attack by The Recks were back at the Fermain Tavern
Sark band The Recks were back at the Fermain Tavern last Friday supported by Thee Jenerators and Ray & The Guns. Tom Girard was there... Last Friday night, following a year of build-up that has seen mentions in various national media as well as a rapturous reception all around the Channel Islands, The Recks' first tour kicked off in earnest with a show at The Fermain Tavern. Before they took to the stage though we got a double-headed rock 'n' roll treat from Thee Jenerators and Ray & The Guns. Thee Jenerators launched into a set that spanned their 10-year career from Mystery Man and Fight The Power to brand new songs not yet recorded. Having seen the band play many times over the years it can be hard to differentiate one high energy garage rock set from the next, but for this they seemed to have stepped back up a gear, with Mark Le Gallez now free of bass-playing duties and able to be his now legendarily frantic self. While Mark was jumping around on and off stage, new bass player Jo Reeve joined Steven Lynch as a more static but the nonetheless watchable presence. Sonically, Jo has added a new low-end power to Thee Jenerators' sound that had been missing for the last 18 months or so. With new material heading in a heavier direction, but still with their particular garage rock flavour, the band kicked off the show with raw power that had people dancing throughout. Following this kind of energy was never going to be an easy task, but Ray & The Guns did their utmost to keep the ball rolling. While they're not such a force of uncontrollable nature as Thee Jenerators, their reworked twist on rock 'n' roll classics went very well. Front duo Rachael Cumberland-Dodd and Rosie Allsopp provided contrasting vocals that added an extra depth to many of the songs and helped set what could easily be a straight rock 'n' roll covers band apart. Once again people were dancing throughout and as the band combined I Just Wanna Make Love To You with Born To Be Wild they created an unexpectedly great song that proved a highlight of the set. Ending on an Imelda May-like take on Soft Cell's Tainted Love, Ray & The Guns left things on a high before the evening's headliners. With a Sark flag waving, thanks to and enthusiastic contingent of Sarkees, The Recks kept the energy going from the off as the crowd packed to the front of the stage. At this point the feeling really was as if we were in the presence of a major visiting act, which I think shows the momentum The Recks have built since their first acoustic dabblings appeared on Soundcloud a couple of years ago, and they didn't disappoint the packed Tav. Starting out slower than their most well- known tracks, the Sark-based five-piece slowly built up the speed, drawing the audience with them as their mix of folk, indie, jazz and rock worked its way into the dancing shoes of many in attendance. They don't solely rely on danceable energy, though, as front triumvirate Richey Powers, Nick Coombes and Ash Jarman at times provided some excellent vocal harmonies while at other points working together with lead, rhythm guitar and trumpet to create a real three- pronged up-front presence. Rounding out their set with a pair of bang-on floor fillers, the crowd wouldn't let The Recks leave the stage, so they closed with an encore of the song Porcupine. This somehow managed to kick the energy up another level and get many singing along as well as dancing. With gigs around the south of England happening as I write and local festival appearances coming up over the summer, this show left me thinking that The Recks may well have just what it takes to make it beyond our shores in a really meaningful way. The momentum they've built, both locally and nationally, was certainly more than backed up by their performance.

Sark Band Unleashes 'Beast From The Sea' by At Star-Studded Music Festival
Sark band, The Recks, will be sending their “schizophrenic folk” across the sea to play among international stars and up-and-coming acts in a London music festival today. The well-known stalwarts of the Channel Islands music scene, will be going national at a BBC Introducing live event. Ahead of today’s performance, Express spoke to one of the bandmembers, Greg Harrison. The singer, guitarist and banjo player described the band’s sound as an “eclectic mix of styles”, including everything from “Django, gypsy, jazz, swing, salsa rhythms and rock”, adding that the only guarantee at one of their gigs is “you’ll be dancing by the end of it!” The festival, which started on Thursday, is an event where emerging musicians get the opportunity to play in the same line-up as established acts. This year, singer-songwriter Ben Howard and rapper Lady Leshurr are amongst those performing. The three-day event also hosts live Q&As and masterclasses with a range of artists. Greg told Express that they were all really grateful to Tom Girard – the man leading the local radio platform which scouts new music talent – for championing them. The Recks are seasoned performers in Sark, Guernsey and Jersey, but are also no strangers to the UK stage, having played at Latitude Festival earlier this year. “It’s always really fun… meeting musicians who are at the same level as you is inspirational. There’s a strong music scene in the Channel Islands, but it’s always nice to see what’s out there,” Greg said. Fresh from releasing their debut album ‘The Beast from the Sea’ in March of this year, the Sark band have high hopes for touring their signature sound beyond Channel Island shores. Greg explained that their next album is “definitely in the making”, but that in the new year the group will be focusing on releasing new singles, touring the UK and Europe and playing as many festivals as they can.

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The Recks

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