theirishwunderkind

[theirishwunderkind]

Henry Facey - Ocean Sky - Album Review

English singer-songwriter Henry Facey is one of those artists that has a certain timelessness and sincerity about them that brings you back into the world of the alternative/independent music scenes of the ‘60s and early noughties. Henry is one of those acts that you feel you have heard before but you just can’t put your finger on where...

This seems to happens a lot when an artist is inspired by classic songwriting from days (not so) long ago when there was no social media, no frills, no drama - just pure authenticity & art in it’s simplest form - a man with his guitar, piano and raw, heartfelt lyrics that speak of true experience and delve the listener into their own unique musical world. 

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Originally born in London, Facey moved to France when he was a teenager and after leaving school, worked as a language teacher for 2 years before deciding to move back to London and “make music and performing a central part of [his] life.” Taking his guitar to the streets, Facey spent his time honing his craft while busking in central London and performing nightly gigs in those dimly lit, psuedo-bohemian bars of Soho. This landed Henry with the opportunity to perform with Rod Stewart in Piccadilly Circus, and for musical legends such as John Paul Jones, Tom Jones and Ray Davies amongst others at the V&A museum in London. 

I had the pleasure of seeing Henry perform in 2021 at a festival in Budapest, Hungary. We kicked it off immediately and have become good friends. Since then, we have performed together on numerous occasions and most recently, I supported his band in London at the Barbican. 

This year, on the 28th of February 2022, Henry Facey released his debut L.P. ‘Ocean Sky,’ a beautiful introspective journey across sea and sand that brings the listener back to the days of their youth. Facey’s quest for meaning in life is evident through his songs and lyrics and he invites us to share in this adventure under his ‘Ocean Sky.’ 

The opening track, ‘Heart in the Sand’ was written circa 2014 after Facey moved back to London from France and revolves around a breakup with the mother of his child. On a bed of glistening piano, we are immediately taken on a nostalgic dive into the artist’s personal life, and although he tells us “it’s just a passing phase,” we can feel a call out to the broken hearted for some respite from the pain of a breakup. 

“Don’t leave me out, now my heart’s in the sand, and the tide pulls your hands” 

As the song’s outro slows down, we are thrown headfirst into the guitar intro of title track, ‘Ocean Sky.’ This song sees the artist at the start of a journey into his mind, pondering over existential thoughts and inner conflict, 

“I guess I’m up and down the ladder again, the same old things that never seemed in range

You flick the coin but never ask for change, the tables turning round the wrong way.” 

However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel… or out over the horizon of a “deep blue sea” as Facey reminds us that 

“it’s all about the little things, it’s all it’s really meant to be.”

More highlights come in ‘Mouth of the sea’ with its golden shimmering piano tones that allows us to almost taste “sweet caramel” while the lonely background vocal harmonies and reverb drenched guitars emphasise the longing in Facey’s lyrics for some sense of peace - 

“We haven’t seen you round for such a long time, have you ever thought it’s taken too long to find, will it ever be the same”

‘Sleepy Heads’ sways between lush ‘Strokesy guitars’ and half time drums in the chorus with a jazzy b-section that reminds me of lazing about the house on a sunny afternoon. 

Facey also shows that he is not afraid to get down and dirty in ‘Rendezvous with Recklessness’ an upbeat driving rhythm that takes us back to early Strokes and Red Hot Chili Peppers with what could be described as as a ‘Frusciante-esque lick’ 

In ‘Seafaring Days,’ I imagine a young child sitting in a makeshift raft drifting across a calm glassy ocean under a moonlit sky. Howling ‘a ooooh’ at the moon. 

In fact, the whole record makes me think of myself on an adventure out on the open water - a journey into my imagination. This is something every songwriter wants to achieve through their writing, giving the listener a sort of make shift bed to lie on while they put their own meaning into the words while drifting between clouds, out on the waves. 

Immersed in swaying lullabies, evocative lyrics and wonderful blending of harmonies, guitars and pianos we can hear the influences of Bob Dylan, The Strokes and even some Coldplay throughout ‘Ocean Sky’ and it is just a delight to listen to.

9/10 

:) 

Listen/Buy the album now: https://henryfacey.bandcamp.com/album/ocean-sky 

Stream the album: https://linktr.ee/HenryFacey

Follow Henry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henryfaceymusic/

[theirishwunderkind]

The Drink’s the Curse

Long drawn out days by the Alster

Where the two roads meet at Lange Reihe 

Look for refuge from the rain under the canopé

Of a smoking bar that goes by the name of St Georg.

Would you like to watch the football? Or would you rather

Read a book? Well every time that you look up,

You miss the goals, so choose the latter. 

And seemingly Endless chatter interrupts you every chapter

You could leave but the rain subsides to hail.

Warmed by whiskey, entertained by the mystery of

This bar that might have drawn you closer to the grave

Prepare the coffin, prepare the hearse

Remember son, 

‘The Drink’s the Curse.’

Drunkards and widowed women drink

Aperol spritzers: Reject the urge to think

About all the things to do at home.

Broken teeth and ragged clothes

‘Barman, please, one more of those!’

For every drink have several smokes

Recite your stories, tell your jokes

Forgotten in the morning when

Breath is stale and money’s spent

And what is left but a lighter purse

And those recurring daily thoughts

Remember son,

‘The Drink’s the Curse.’

For quietly you climbed the stairs

Oh! it's miracle that you got home safe

But check the mirror and it bears

Resemblance to another face

‘Is it really me?’ you ask yourself

Skin is drawn and ghostly pale

And blackened eyes in a morning hell

Where sirens cry and babies wail

A heightened sense to your dismay

pounds you on the head like cream

Soft and beaten into clay,

Moulds the night into a dream.

Recite the words you know in verse;

For too long now,

‘The Drink’s the Curse.’

For what you’ve heard and what you've seen

More like flashes on a screen

Than something tangible - hard and clean

No, it's torn and ripped around the seams.

And if you could remember more

Would you do it with disdain?

Or would you open up the door

And prepare to do it all again.

Stand your ground for better

 Or stand your ground for worse

And don't forget when you go out

Remember son,

‘The Drink’s the Curse.’

[theirishwunderkind]

Isolation Stories from around the world (Published in MYP Magazine Berlin.)

It’s not often in my life that I have truly felt like I am one of the lucky ones. I mean, I knew I was lucky in the sense that I grew up during the Celtic Tiger in Ireland when the economy was flourishing, I had a good education, I’m healthy, I have a supportive family and all of that. But since this pandemic hit the world and we have all been forced to ‘cocoon’ in our own homes indefinitely, I have felt what it really means to be lucky. 

I came back to Ireland on the 15th of March after being in Hungary and before that, I was in my flat in London. I passed through 3 major airports in 4 days before coming back home and somehow managed to avoid picking up the virus. However, just when I came back everything was starting to go into lock down and I decided rather than be in London among the chaos, I would stay. So, I am currently living in my family home with my parents, 2 brothers and my sister in the countryside in Ireland. 

We have a lot of space here. The house is situated on the Royal Canal in Mullingar. It has plenty of room for the six of us not to feel on top of one of another and most importantly; there is a piano and a garden. My brothers and I have spent much of our time in isolation playing ‘spike ball’ - a game consisting of a small trampoline, a little ball and two teams who bounce the ball off the trampoline against each other to score points. It’s a lot of fun and you can get it on Amazon for about €70 - A worthwhile investment provided you don’t live on the fifteenth floor of an apartment block in Kreuzberg. 

I am proud to say that Ireland was one of the first countries to take heed of how real this situation was. When I arrived home, unlike in the U.K., all the schools had already closed and nearly all the pubs were shut. I remember the first few days watching videos of Londoners jumping over one another and losing their heads over toilet roll and nappies… Thankfully, I escaped the city just in time. 

Right now, I think our country is very much united, more than it has been in a long time. I get a strong sense of togetherness from calls in to the radio and the streams of supportive chat threads on facebook and twitter. There have been initiatives coming from people all over the country to stand behind our frontline workers. Friend’s of mine set up a charity called ‘Ireland’s Call’ with all proceeds coming from public crowdfunding to pay for flights to bring Irish doctors and nurses back home to help on the frontline. Musicians, comedians and performers from all over the country (and across the world) have taken to doing online performances in order to raise money for charities such as ‘Alone.ie’ in order to help provide care and support for the elderly - even while their own revenue streams have been almost completely wiped out. 

This solidarity has given me a new belief in people. We live in quite an egotistical world and this strange departure from society has allowed us some much needed time to reassess our values, both as individuals and as communities, and focus on what really matters most. It is something of a spiritual awakening for me and I hope that when we come out the other side, we shall go forward with the same mentality. To quote from Thoreau, “We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical means but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.” 

[theirishwunderkind]

Hanging out in fire escapes

[theirishwunderkind]

Not the whole Shebang

Why give more than you get, you ask? Well, then why give anything at all? The choice of charity, the age old debate over whether or not this person is worth giving a portion of my earnings. It should, in fact, be a prerequisite that the government looks after these sorts of things, but if we don’t take a stand ourselves then it would be a very grey, lonesome and perhaps - miserable world. “ Somebody else will do it, ” is a loser's game. As they say, “ the best way to get a job done is to do it yourself.”

Regardless, it is often hard to fathom why one should give a pound or a penny to a beggar when I barely have enough to keep things going myself. Most of us are struggling and need every little penny we can get. Why should we help those who do not help themselves? On top of that, almost half of what we make is taxed and given to a government who chooses to ignore the less fortunate and leave them to their own reckoning. Should we follow what the leaders of our nations decide is right? Or should we take matters into our own hands? 

Is it true to say that those in need really do not help themselves? Why are they in this position in the first place? Was it a choice they made or was it some other unforeseen circumstances that led them to wind up on the street, torn between begging or stealing for survival. Which may seem like an obvious moral dilemma, but pride can be a more intimidating trait than one might realise. 

For me, what has always mattered most is eye contact and a nod. Just a simple acknowledgement of the person asking the question. It’s like holding up a hand to wave at the person in a car that has stopped to let you cross the street. They don’t have to be kind, but they were, so in my opinion it is important to show that you appreciated that. Even the simplest thing, such as saying thank you, can mean an awful lot. I don’t want to be the high-browed braggart who decides to ignore someone because of their current situation or personal struggles. I don’t want my own actions to further intensify the public and personal humiliation one must have to endure when faced with the need to ask strangers on the street for help. I’ve never been able to understand how some people are able to just completely blank another human being. I suppose, sadly, it is a dog eat dog world out there. 

The truth is that we all need help sometimes. We all have our own battles, our own struggles and in the grand scheme of things, your time is not worth any more than somebody else’s. We all need a fist-bump, handshake or a hug and a sense of belonging or importance. Especially when life gets us down, we need it more than ever. We all need to feel like our existence on this earth matters to some degree to somebody out there. And to go further, we all have the urge to rant, complain, argue and give out about what is grinding our gears. Most of us, after a hard day, go home and rant to our loved ones about how the bus was delayed or the traffic was shit or how the book we ordered online should have been there on Friday. So why is it so hard to allow those less fortunate the time to their own little rant? Why is it so hard for us to give someone else just a little of your time? Yes, time is precious and yes, you may not have enough money to share right now. But you don’t always have to open up your wallet and give them the whole shebang. It’s not always everything or nothing. Sometimes just a little nod of acknowledgement is all that we need.