A reminder that what we have been getting used to here over a number of years is not a set of problems unique to one nation. Listening to Grievous Angels’ latest release has a familiarity that chimes in all the worse ways: “I got two jobs I got three room mates I’m a woman of forty three / … / I save what I can in this gig economy / … / Greasy Brendan is the foreman and his hands they won’t stay still / …/ My boss I’ve never seen him he’s Mister One Per Cent, he saves money in the Cayman Islands whilst I can’t pay the rent.”
Grievous Angels are in something of a special position when they air their politics openly – with co-founder and principal songwriter Charlie Angus being an NDP Member of Parliament since 2004, representing the huge blue collar constituency of Timmins-James Bay, there’s no reason to be surprised at what the band sees as priorities. However, Grievous Angels have always been a collective unit dedicated to carving out a unique place within the alternative country and folk worlds with songs and live performances that reflect the tragic beauty of life in Canada’s working class northern frontier. The band’s current seven-piece line-up has a new album out called ‘Last Call For Cinderella’ —its first album since 2021’s ‘Summer Before The Storm’.
