Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

[Boris Carpark]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Chas & Dave met & first performed at their posh public school near Battle (the same one where Keane later went). They effected their gruff cockerknee personas performing in pubs around New Cross while studying fine art at Goldsmiths.

[Renart]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

historyman wrote:

REM - Georgia

Really? I don't think I'd ever have guessed REM were from Georgia, or even from the South, simply by listening to them.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

I'd agree , but the B52's have a noticeable peachland accent now and again.

One of the most unusual twangs to me is Iris Dement's. She's from an obscure corner of Arkansas and, being country n'all, it's quite upfront, a very round "oi'm" and "chroist" for "I'm" and "christ," for instance.

[HORN]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Have I missed the mention of Arctic Monkeys or hasn't there been one on this thread?

[Fussbudget]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Which reminds me :
Kaiser Chiefs - West Yorkshire

[historyman]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Renart wrote:

historyman wrote:

REM - Georgia

Really? I don't think I'd ever have guessed REM were from Georgia, or even from the South, simply by listening to them.

Well possibly not Georgia, but don't you think that Michael Stipe's vocals have a distinct Southern twang?

I know that Stipe moved around a lot when he was growing up but on the Green, Out of Time and Automatic albums I thought the 'Southerness' was quite prominent.

Which might suggest that he hams it up a bit.

[Renart]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Stipe definitely hams it up and has distinctive vocal mannerisms, but I don't think they have much to do with a Southern accent.

Maybe I need to listen again.

[MsD]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

The Awesome Berbaslug!!! wrote:

[i]
that's it exactly. The pogues aren't an irish band at all. they're primarily english punks singing their version of their parent's music. it's probably better to think of him as an english punk doing an impression of luke kelly. which is perfectly fine. (ultimately he has real problems with the vowels, such as the word stay)

"Better" in what way, and for whom? And why is it a problem?

The other problem he has[/url] is the rhythm and phrasing. it's generally speaking too rigid and forced. Compared to how it would be sung in the irish folk tradition though as far as I know this is a scottish song.

it's just a different kind of thing, and should be considered on its own merits. he doesn't sound irish. he sounds like shane mcGowan, and no-one else.

And again, it's only a "problem" if he were trying to pretend he'd never lived in London, which he doesn't.

I agree he sounds like himself, totally disagree this is any kind of "problem" or that he's "English". He may have lived here at crucial times for his linguistic development, and was immersed in the London punk/music scene but he has Irish nationality, he's an Irishman who's lived in England a lot.

[Wyatt Earp]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Yes, and specifically London, and specifically at the punk moment. He wasn't creating, or seeking to create, music in the "Irish folk tradition"; he was drawing on that tradition and feeding it into his very particular vision of post-punk.

MsD is entirely right here. None of this is a "problem". A Pogues record isn't a failed attempt to create a Chieftains record.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

"Better" in what way, and for whom? And why is it a problem?

it's better only in that it is more accurate. The point is that the pogues sound only like the pogues, and that shane mcGowan is completely singular.

And again, it's only a "problem" if he were trying to pretend he'd never lived in London, which he doesn't.

ah, that's not what I'm trying to get at at all. This discussion is taking place in the context of a thread where we're discussing bands who sing in regional accents.

my point is that the pogues don't do this. London irish people as a rule don't sing like shane mac gowan. and he's not really trying to sing in an irish accent. There are a couple of similarities, and many clear differences in accent, and also in the way that he sang, that mark out what the pogues were doing as completely unique. Musically they are also seperate from the Irish folk tradition in a number of key ways. (the drums for one)

So I suppose it's only a problem if you are seeing the pogues as someone who is trying to be Irish, or trying to see them as someone rather than clearly and consciously doing his own thing. Which is being an english punk, reinventing the music of his childhood in ireland, and in the london Irish community.

As for referring to him as english, that is only shorthand for the london part of his upbringing being the major part. I met his dad in a pub in silvermines when I was at a ceili band practice, during the France Paraguay game in france 98. and it occurred to me that if Shane mcGowan had grown up on the north tipperary offaly border in the seventies, it would have been trickier to be such an enthusiastic part of the punk scene, and drugs wouldn't arrive for another 20 odd years.

Yes, and specifically London, and specifically at the punk moment. He wasn't creating, or seeking to create, music in the "Irish folk tradition"; he was drawing on that tradition and feeding it into his very particular vision of post-punk.

yeah, I would agree with this entirely. I would have thought that bit was clear. especially from this bit.

that's it exactly. The pogues aren't an irish band at all. they're primarily english punks singing their version of their parent's music. it's probably better to think of him as an english punk doing an impression of luke kelly. which is perfectly fine.

Doing an impression sounds harsher than it should in retrospect, I suppose "was heavily influenced by luke kelly" would be fairer.

[MsD]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

I wish you'd stop calling him English. He isn't, he just lived here for ages. You don't have to call him Irish if he doesn't meet your personal criteria, but he's not English.

Actually even I instinctively bristle at being called English. That's paddies for you.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

ah now, I refer you to this bit.

As for referring to him as english, that is only shorthand for the london part of his upbringing being the major part.

To be fair, If you look back I only really say english, as part of "english punk", in that it is very much part of the english part of his formative influences. The rural punk scene wasn't that well developed up around the Ragg, or silvermines in the early sixties.

[Calvert]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

That's Berbaslug for you, though.

If you aren't born within the sound of a priest touching an altar boy or a pair of buckle shoes kicking a pig, you're not Irish.

I'd love to arrange him a tour of Ballymurphy where he can tell them all to their faces that they are in fact just a bunch of Brits.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Peter Noone's Mancunian accent is also well to the fore with Herman's Hermits

A colleague of mine did a few weeks teaching in a Chinese Uni and started each session with a different Manc song/singer to [strike]induct them into the glorious contribution of Manchester to world culture[/strike] get them used to his accent.

He had The Smiths, The Hollies, John Cooper Clarke (not really singing, obv), Buzzcocks, Herman's and also early Bee Gees. Probably others I've forgotten

The Rezillos had Fay Fife singing exactly as if she wiz fae Fife

[Alderman Barnes]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Manchester's a very good shout. Apart from them you've also got the Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays and of course the Fall.

I'm trying to think of people singing in Scouse, but all I can come up with, apart from the Beatles when they were being silly, is Space. There must be more, surely.

Harking back a bit, a Woking accent's very different to a North Kent one, but you've got to know what to listen out for. I'm not sure I could tell Mackem from Geordie without help, but I'm quite prepared to believe they're very distinguishable once you know.

[Wyatt Earp]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

One clue's in the name. Sunderland people traditionally pronounce "make" as "mack", whereas the Geordie is more like "myehk".

[Wyatt Earp]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Felicity, I guess so wrote:

The Rezillos had Fay Fife singing exactly as if she wiz fae Fife

Christ, it's December 2011 and I've only just got that gag, or indeed realised that it was one. Fucking English bastards, uh?

(Mind, you can't blame her for changing her name. No-one was ever going to make it as a girl singer with a name like Hynde.)

[MsD]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

The Awesome Berbaslug!!! wrote:

To be fair, If you look back I only really say english, as part of "english punk", in that it is very much part of the english part of his formative influences. The rural punk scene wasn't that well developed up around the Ragg, or silvermines in the early sixties.

That's alright then, fair enough.

[MsD]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Calvert W. McCutcheon wrote:

If you aren't born within the sound of a priest touching an altar boy or a pair of buckle shoes kicking a pig, you're not Irish.

Ha.

[Edie St Pierre]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

I always thought it was odd that people who would be pretty vocal about despising folk music from England, were often also fairly vocal about loving folk music from Ireland, or stuff influenced by the latter, like The Pogues.

I though it was odd, 'cause the two are pretty much the same thing, there was just this perception that all Irish folk music - and no English folk music - were rebel songs.

It's sad that 'cause it's not true. There were massively close links between the English working-class and Ireland that you goes back to - at least - the Chartist Movement, songs like 'The Lion of Freedom' and goes right up to the leftish English folk revival in the 60's.

[Calvert]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Mat wrote:

I though it was odd, 'cause the two are pretty much the same thing...

They really, really aren't.
They sound absolutely nothing like each other.

[Mitch]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Martin Carthy made the point that while Irish & Scottish folk music was full of rebel songs, the English folk musicians couldn't sing openly about things like that, so they used to use code instead.

Which is why so many traditional English folk songs are about poachers or outlaws.

[Edie St Pierre]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Calvert W. McCutcheon wrote:

Mat wrote:

I though it was odd, 'cause the two are pretty much the same thing...

They really, really aren't.
They sound absolutely nothing like each other.

They really, really are.

'She Moved Through The Fair' sung by someone from Donegal, sounds exactly the same as 'She Moved Through The Fair' sung by someone from Bolton.

[Diable Rouge]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

Mat wrote:

Calvert W. McCutcheon wrote:

Mat wrote:

I though it was odd, 'cause the two are pretty much the same thing...

They really, really aren't.
They sound absolutely nothing like each other.

They really, really are.

'She Moved Through The Fair' sung by someone from Donegal, sounds exactly the same as 'She Moved Through The Fair' sung by someone from Bolton.

A Donegal voice sounds similar to a Northern Irish accent, and perhaps West of Scotland at a push, but can't hear any resemblance to a northern accent.

[Edie St Pierre]

Artists Who Sing In Regional Accents

People don't sing in their speaking voice do they? I know this thread is ostensibly anout people that do, but no-one does really, you might just hear an odd twang here and there.

Can you hear Mario Lanza's accent? Maria Callas's? Dame Janet fucking Bakers? Can you fuck.