BY JO LAWFORD
jo@jeemo.co.uk

Lupen Crook is a British singer-songwriter and musician who has been part of the underground folk scene since 2004.

The first official release of Crook’s career was the ‘Petals Fresh From Roadkill’ EP.  He followed this with ‘Halloween and Love 80’.  After meeting Tom and Bob Langridge he decided to record the album ‘Accidents Occur Whilst Sleeping’ which was released on June 24, 2006 gaining critical acclaim from NME and The Fly.  This was the start of Lupen Crook and the Murderbirds and for the second album; ‘Iscariot the Ladder’, Chris Austin and The Shofar Horns were briefly featured in line up.

With performances packed full of insane lyrics and quirky guitar tunes the guys offer a slightly dirty take on modern folk music and their bold, dark performances will take you away from your normal, functional life. They have been described as “Indie folk heroes” by The Sun, “Utterly compelling” by NME and “Indisputable genius, sublime stuff” by The Fly.

Read on for an insight in to the mind of Mr Crook..

WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME, AGE AND OCCUPATION?
“Names, Date’s and Places aren’t exactly a strong point of mine. Let’s stick with Lupen Crook.”

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS
“A Massive **** (Bob Murderbird often says so)”

DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC CAREER IN ONE SENTANCE
“A succession of curious and improbable disasters available on CD, Vinyl and Download – otherwise come and see the shows in September!”

WHEN DID YOUR CAREER START?
“Well, I’ve been writing, drawing and playing music since I was a child. Today, I am still doing that. In 2005 I released my first EP ‘Petals fresh from Road Kill’, so for arguments sake you could call that the start. To be fair, I’ve never been a unit shifter so some would argue that my career has not actually started at all. I only know that I have always been doing this ever since I can remember.”

SO WHERE DID YOU GET THE NAME FROM?
“Simply the sound of the two words together – Lupen Crook – it defined the unattainable fantasy I was searching for at the time.”

WHEN DID YOU JOIN THE MURDERBIRDS?
“I didn’t join the Murderbirds. The Murderbirds are an extension of Lupen Crook and the songs. It was something that evolved over time during the recording of the first album ‘accidents occur whilst sleeping’, and after meeting with the good brothers, Bob and Tom Langridge, The Murderbirds materialized as an actual band.”

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
“The UK tour in 2007 for ‘Iscariot the Ladder’ was a complete disgrace, utter ****ing chaos. It didn’t do us any favours in the long term, we made a bad reputation for ourselves along the way but for those few weeks we were untouchable punk rockers, who with little in the way of resources, mostly frozen to the bone and filthy right through, built the foundations of a brotherhood that stand stronger than ever today. It has seen us through some really hard times. It’s been 4 years now, and there have been many rites of passage, but without that particular episode we wouldn’t be the band we are today.”

WHAT ARE YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES?
“Everything. Anything. Early Walt Disney. The spirit that is Punk Rock, the smell of sex and the sound of stray sods singing out from The Medway Towns.”

HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON ANY NEW MATERIAL?
“Yeah, ever since going to New York, and throughout 2008 we have been writing and playing out new material. We’ve been really working hard to find the heart and soul of the music, and what we stand for as a band.”

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR LYRICS?
“My head is kinda weird. I don’t exactly know. I’m just following an age old tradition that is trying my best to observe, experience and then communicate feelings and thoughts and hopefully do so in such a way that is original and interesting. Most importantly I need to satisfy my own sick little traditions, my imagination, its fantasies and all those fruits that appear forbidden.”

I HEAR YOU WENT OFF TO THE BIG APPLE TO PERFORM LAST YEAR, WHO WAS THAT FOR AND HOW DID THEY HEAR OF YOU?
“A few years back a young girl, Chicago born Katie Camosy, was filming a documentary on British anti-folk in London. She went back to live in New York and last year she got back in contact with me. After the ‘Iscariot Tour’ we needed to get the **** away, so she got us in touch with all the right people, and whereas in England ‘eccentric’ and ‘uncompromising’ seemed to be descriptions that were detrimental to a bands success, over there, they really understood what we were doing. We stripped the band back to its acoustic beginnings and went out. It was ****ing brilliant, a new beginning for us. We met our fourth Murderbird Craig Harff whilst out there, who has since been back to the UK to record and write with us.”

DIDN’T YOU ALSO END UP ON TV OVER THERE?
“Yeah; Katie Camosy again. It was a TV show called ZOOM-IN. Very surreal and unexpected.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST GIG YOU HAVE PLAYED SO FAR?
“I guess the festival crowds are the largest. But venues like 93 Feet East in Brick Lane are great, the perfect size. Other than that, I supported J-Spaceman at Queens Festival Hall in London. That was pretty huge.”

WHAT’S THE BEST VENUE YOU’VE PLAYED SO FAR?
“So many, it’s hard to say. The Cellars in Portsmouth is a great gig and I’d recommend bands to get down there asap. The Windmill in Brixton is pretty cool. 93 Feet East in Brick Lane, and so many more I can’t remember off the top of my head.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR LUPEN CROOK AND THE MURDERBIRDS?
“We are not represented by anyone so, having recorded the new record at Ranscombe Studio’s with Jim Riley, we are preparing for its release and a tour in September/ October. A book I’ve written, that I am currently editing with my friend Cale Wolf, will coincide with the album’s release. Meanwhile, Stewart Hardy, a guy we’ve met through our gigs has been sorting out a website. We’re gonna do some crazy photos with Jenny Hardcore in May, and maybe a video of some sort. As well as this, Lucy Langridge has been making some fine pieces of jewellery from designs that are central to the themes on the record and things like t-shirt designs and videos are being put together by Tom and myself. Basically a few months of chaos, but hopefully it will come together.”

TELL ME ABOUT THE MEDWAY NON LEAGUE EXTREME MOVEMENT YOU’VE SET UP. WHAT’S IT FOR AND WHAT DO YOU AIM TO DO WITH IT?
“Myself and Driver (Burn Paper Tigers) have been putting on gigs at a great little venue in Chatham called Poco Loco. Our plan is to generate enough cash and then put out a 12inch vinyl of the bands who are playing around these parts, sort of a documentation of what’s going on. Besides that it is just an idea. I like the sound of it. Who knows what it will become.”

FAVOURITE BAND?
“I like ‘Elvis’ and ‘At The Drive In’ this week. Last week it was ‘Patti Smith’ and ‘MGMT’.”

ANY FAVOURITE LOCAL BANDS?
“Yeah. ‘The Flowing’ are this rustic, torn-up, dirty little three piece of two acoustic guitars and an acoustic bass. A country blues sorta thing, but very punk, if only in spirit. The songs are great and they have that heart and soul in what they do  type feel, which I consider essential.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE KENT MUSIC SCENE?
“It’s getting there. Lounge on the Farm is a marvellous festival. I’m full support of everything those guys do. Generally more gigs are needed, which doesn’t necessarily mean more promoters, just that bands need to get together and communicate with one and other. There’s always been so much bubbling under the surface, sometimes these things need to join forces and rise up together.”

WHO WOULD YOU LEAST LIKE TO BE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH?
“It wouldn’t bother me who was there. If I didn’t like them, I would eat them.”

ART OR WORDS?
“They are all as one to me.”

IF YOU LIVED YOUR LIFE BY A PHILOSOPHY WHAT WOULD IT BE?
“I do live my life by a whole host of philosophies, but mainly I believe that an opinion is nothing if it is not based upon actual experience. Mistakes and misfortune are things that are crucial to experience and without them we wouldn’t know about anything at all.”
If you want to experience the strange but talented being that is Lupen Crook and the Murderbirds visit  www.lupencrookandthemurderbirds.co.uk

Pictures by Jenny Hardcore: www.jennyhardcore.co.uk

Tags: 93 Feet East (Brick lane), Accidents Occur Whilst Sleeping, At The Drive In, Bob Langridge, Burn Paper Tigers, Cale Wolf, Chris Austin, Craig Harff, Elvis, Halloween and Love 80, Interview, Iscariot the Ladder, J-Spaceman, Jenny Hardcore, Jim Riley, Jo Lawford, Katie Camosy, Loung, Lounge On The Farm, Lucy Langridge, Lupen Crook, Lupen Crook and the Murderbirds, Medway Non League Extreme Movement, MGMT, NME, Patti Smith, Petals Fresh From Roadkill, Poco Loco (Chatham), Queens Festival Hall (London), Ranscombe Studios, Shofar Horns, Stewart Hardy, The Cellars (Portsmouth), The Flowing, The Fly, The Sun, The Windmill (Brixton), Tom Langridge, ZOOM-IN

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