I first witnessed Joe jumping off a speaker at a small indie festival in Horncastle called ‘Joefest’ (now Beyond The Woods). Performing with his band Indigo Husk, Joe introduced the quartet, ironically being Joe, Joe, Joe and Flynn. I and my friends stopped and freaked out, why? Our friend with us was called Joe Flynn. He had dashed off to the toilet moments before so we screamed for him to come running back. Once he returned we grabbed Maxwell’s attention, ‘Fuck off,’ he exclaimed to us and asked for ID. After the performance, Indigo Husk came out from the tent, after going over their performance time and spoke with us. Or should I say me and Joe Flynn attempted to hang out with them for the rest of the day, which the group did not mind. Joe Maxwell, the lead vocalist and guitarist, told us that it would be the groups’ last performance together, as they were splitting up to go focus on other projects. Joe Taylor, the drummer, told us to keep an eye out of his radio show ‘Fruit Salad Radio,’ Joe MacLaren just told me he would carry on playing the bass with Maxwell and Taylor. And Flynn well I think he was ‘tired’ should we say.
The Rebellious attitude of Joe Maxwell, really caught my attention, swearing at 6 pm, to arguing with the staff because they were going overtime (which led to one of the best drum solos by Joe Taylor I’ve ever heard) and finally the attempted speaker jump. Their music was a blend of soft rock and alternative sounds stuck with my friend group for the coming years. As time has moved on, I have lost contact with these friends and the group that we all freaked out over has also moved apart, or so I thought.
‘natureland’, by Joey Maxwell is the latest release from the group. The Natureboys being made up of Joe Taylor, Joe MacLaren and George Garford, a saxophonist and composer. Initially releasing ‘going thru changes,’I expected a similar piece to the original raw sounds of Indigo Husk, however, I was surprised. Maxwell took on a completely different style on this project. An Indie Pop hybrid, with clean understandable rhythms and catchy chorus. Going thru changes stuck on my playlist for the numerous months it was out, eagerly awaiting the ep.
Listening now, there are numerous experimental sounds, ‘fresh air,’ beginning with a synthetic intro leading into a very basic drum piano combo beat, overlaid with the synth and Joe complaining about ‘e-girls.’ Throughout the project, Joe has shown to be a different style that I feel he enjoys a lot more than the previous songs. Seemingly, he sounds at home with these kinds of songs. The blend of drums, sax and piano also are wondrous to hear.
We can’t all stay the same, people come and go, like my friends before. Now, I introduce my new friends to the band I fell in love with and it just brings me great joy to be able to show them new music from them. However, it’s nice to reminisce of that time, surrounded by nature, listening to a band having fun.
natureland out on all platforms now.
