So my first encounter with Sandwich came at one of the biggest and nicest folk festivals in Britain in the summer of 2001, Faiport's Cropredy Festival in Oxfordshire.

You will enjoy this album if you hail from the Steeleye and Albion camp. As favourites like Chris While's "Circle Round the Sun" and trad favourites like "Alison Gross" and "Susanna Martin" are played out with confident vocals and great "Tull" style flue parts. Alan Hull's "Day of the Jackal" also appears on "Hourglass".

Other styles also grace the album like the Irish one, which include "The Banks of the Lea" and a cracking tune penned by Paul Metsers called "Farewell to the Gold". The Polkas are also arranged in a Fairport style -e - span.

We are also introduced to 3 songs penned by Hallier and Freebury, one moody spooky piece called "Dracula's landing in Whitby" (probably been hired by the folk police to run the festival!). The next "Annie's Secret Place" and very nice it is to... and the album's name sake "Hourglass" which is taken from a short story written by Buddy - the very fate of a nation is held in the hands of a Witch's hourglass. As time passes through it and the sands run back and forth a nation fears that if it should break then a great doom will befall them. All fear the Sand Witch. We don't we love them!

All in all, a great debut album.

For more information email b.freebury@danceordie.net

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