The Newcranes

Formed in Derby, Derbyshire, England, and frequently compared to the Levellers, this band were never especially fond of their press tag of ‘crusty rock'. Although relying on the half-acoustic, half-electric songwriting pioneered by the Levellers and other contemporary folk rock groups such as Men They Couldn't Hang, the music of the New Cranes was additionally flavoured by a strong Slavic influence. This was informed principally by Wally (vocals), who has a Ukrainian background and had previously worked as a performing Cossack dancer. He had released his own, self-financed deb...