The Gallows Pole is a novel inspired by a real gang of criminals who lived in the Upper Calder Valley of West Yorkshire in the 18th century shortly before the industrial age reshaped the landscape and lifestyles of a nations. They were the Cragg Vale Coiners and are every bit as important to the occultist history and narrative of this country as the tails of Beowulf, King Arthur, Robin Hood or Dick Turpin, but much less widely known. Theirs is as story of survival, enterprise, community, grand folly, rich versus poor, crime and class warfare. Some early reviews have mentioned comparisons to The Wire, Deadwood and The Sopranos had they been filmed in the windswept uplands of the Pennines.
It is also a walking novel. It was conceived, research and partly written on foot, at an average of 5 miles per day through woods and across moors around West Yorkshire. The real life protagonist of The Gallows Pole is King David Hartley, a folk anti-hero who is prone to delusions of grandeur, extreme hallucinations featuring stag-headed men and supreme acts of cruelty and violence.
In the prose I hope to convey movement and drag the reader through the mud of the Pennines in the same way that film director Alan Clarke often had his characters always on the move think of The Firm, Scum, Elephant or Made In Britain. I was aiming for a steadicam-style narrative, so some of my musical choices are included for their rhythmic or repetitive qualities, or perhaps because they evoke landscape. The title for the book came quite late in the day and was inspired by the traditional folk song The Maid Freed From The Gallis Pole, which was later recorded many times over as The Gallows Pole.
This playlist was put together during a very early draft of the book.
Odetta The Gallows Pole
There are dozens of versions of this song but Odettas voice is a revelation, so dark and ominous but soothing too, and with a restraint and subtlety that Led Zeppelins more famous version lacks. The themes of the song money, poverty, betrayal, execution run alongside themes of the book too. A perfect fit.
Matt Berry Gather Up
I cant say Im particularly a fan of the over-inflated thespian routine that Matt Berry seems to employ in all his TV characters, but the tone of this song matches that whcih I was aiming to achieve in the novel a sort of haunted and ethereal earthiness, which draws on a limited vocabulary and heavy use of repetition. The Gallows Pole features the names of people and places repeated over and over again almost to absurd and annoying levels, in an attempt to induce a trance or evoke a rural reverie within the reader. Berry achieves that here by listing various indigenous plants and herbs in a song that is definitely a homage to a lot of the folk-horror films that I am also a fan of.
Donovan The Song Of The Wandering Aengus
True music snobs seem to despise Donovan, and it is a hatred that I suspect is partly based on the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Bob Dylan in the biopic Dont Look Back. But Ive always gravitated towards the bands youre not meant to like for that very reason The Doors are another example and though his hippy-dippy shtick can grate, actually Donovan did his own thing. This track was recorded for an album aimed at children and is an adaptation of a WB Yeats poem that is elemental and feverish. Set to music it is unnerving, beautiful, dream-like and stands knee-deep in the fast-flowing waters of some forgotten rural backwater: And when white moths were on the wing / And moth-like stars were flickering out / I dropped the berry in a stream / And caught a little silver trout.
Stealing Sheep Not Real
Stealing Sheep have carved a sound of their own intricate arrangements, amazing playing, perfect harmonies. Theyre a rare band who actually sound better live than on record and somehow manage to find a common ground between futurist electro-pop and traditional folk music, with shades of Scouse psychedelia in there too. The last time I saw them play a friend who happens to be an amazing guitarist in a pretty successful band was utterly baffled as to how they were achieving certain sounds. I like their entire presentation: theyre an ideas band.
Winterfylleth The Divination Of Antiquity
The musical equivalent of a raging moorland tempest, a storm twisting down a fecund gulch. Sometimes you have to unleash your inner black metal bastard.
Noel Coward The Stately Homes Of England
An unexpected inclusion perhaps, but the flipside to the story of the rise of the Cragg Cale Coiners, who were uneducated peasants, weavers and landworkers, was their downfall, which was brought about by the intervention of one Lord Rockingham, former Prime Minister, and owner of the largest and most opulent house in England. As much as anything The Gallows Pole is a story about class divide and working class insurrection. Im a big fan of Noel Coward (who was neither upper nor working class); his lyrics are acerbic, catty and often unapologetically offensive, and the way that certain songs such as Mad Dogs And Englishmen scan and flow is not a million miles away from some of todays hip-hop and grime and There Are Bad Times Just Around The Corner could have been written for today.
The Stately Homes Of England perhaps encapsulates a Britain that very few of us will ever get to see though that of mad toffs, clinging to old ideas and past glories, a life preserved in aspic. Im quite fascinated by the landed gentry from an anthropological standpoint those people with old money, as opposed to the tasteless nouveau riche, who think that style and taste can be bought.
Marmaduke Duke Blunder & Haggis
This is just pure lo-fi electro malevolence, a piece of bad mood music created by Simon Neil from Biffy Clyro the side of him that his day-job probably doesnt reveal. Im quite confident that it hasnt been covered on The X-Factor.
Richard Dawson - The Ghost Of A Tree
Richard Dawson can do as much with his voice and the stamping of his feet than an entire orchestra. Theres a sense of confrontation and courage to what he does, and a timelessness to his lyrics, but also a lot of humour which is perhaps overlooked in the clamour dissect his output. Its folk music delivered with a court jesters sensibility. I often wonder who the legends of the future might be, those who transcend genre and era to stay the distance; people like Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen or John Martyn. I think Richard Dawson will one of them and The Ghost Of A Tree is the closest sound to the stories in my head, a modern gothic novel set to minimal music that digs deep into our DNA as humans who once roamed the earth in small tribes.
Various Hanging Johnny
Id not heard this old sea shanty, traditionally sung a capella, until The Futureheads did a rendition on their Rant album a few years back. Its a dark story about snapped necks, gibbets and nooses, and can I imagine it being sung as King David Hartley was lead from York Castle to Tyburn, where he was hung in front of a crowd of several thousand in 1770, and consequently hailed as a martyr by many.
The Memory Band When I Was On Horseback
I dont really know anything about The Memory Bank, nor how I even discovered their music, but their 2013 album On The Chalk (Our Navigation Of The Line Of The Downs)is another record whose feel, pace and atmospherics sits right. Its heavily topographical, a flaneurs collection that rolls along like clouds; foreboding and portentous one moment and then shot-through with blinding bursts of sunbeams the next. Also, I wanted to include a song that influenced a horseback riding scene in the novel.
Black Widow Come To The Sabbat
Ive a fascination for that period in the late 1960s and early 70s when a confluence of old and new ideas mythology, literature, folklore, drugs, paganism, Satanism, sexual liberation, black magick and other esoteric practices emerged and, for a short time, suggested a bold anything goes direction for society. Out of that period so much good music emerged, such as this mock-baroque anthem by Leicesters Black Widow. Like all good rock songs it borders on the ridiculous and with its Jethro Tull-inspired flutes and Brian Blessed-like satanic chant actually offered a gentle face of devil worship. Ah, England. What a stupid and brilliant place.
The Horse Loom Lie Here
The Gallows Pole was partly written with the big screen in mind its structure follows that of a film, and I knew that an imaginary soundtrack should include this. The Horse Loom is Steve Malley, who played guitar in a number of north-east bands including The Unit Ama, Kodiak and Crane, who were like Newcastles own Fugazi when I was a teenager. Now he plays very intricate and intimate guitar music that is part of the same lineage as Bert Jansch, John Renbourne and Nick Drake and, for me, captures something unspoken about the north of England. Its very cinematic, timeless and technically dazzling, in a very understated and humble way.
Lead Belly The Gallows Pole
Its almost embarrassing the amount of white artists who have covered Huddie Ledbetter, and almost certainly always to greater financial reward. But along with Odetta, his is the only other version of The Gallows Pole worth listening to.
The Gallows Pole is out now, published by Blue Moose
View original post here:
The Gallows Pole By Benjamin Myers: A Playlist - The Quietus
- An Introduction to LaVeyan Satanism and the Church of Satan - December 10th, 2016 [December 10th, 2016]
- Satanism - RationalWiki - December 11th, 2016 [December 11th, 2016]
- Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture by Chris ... - February 5th, 2017 [February 5th, 2017]
- Christians think 'the Rapture' is coming and the signs are already here - Metro - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- The Week in Art: Sarah Crowner at the Guggenheim's Wright Restaurant and Jake and Dinos Chapman in LA - artnet News - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Unhinged 'Professor' Whose Hissy Fit at NYU Went Viral Turns Out to Be Lobster Porn Artist - PJ Media - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Russian Lawmaker Says Jews Once 'Boiled Us In Cauldrons' - Forward - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Female cultism in Nigerian universities and other dangerous cults - NAIJ.COM - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Weekly roundup of world briefs from JTA - Heritage Florida Jewish News - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Deconstructing Pagan religions - Daily News & Analysis - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Coming to America: The History of Mail-Order Brides - Utne Reader Online - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Zeal & Ardor Devil is Fine: Album Stream - The Independent - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Delusions of Antiquity - Splice Today - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- How Does the New Turkish Curriculum Look Like? Conservative Changes Dominate - PoliticalCritique.org - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Witchcraft is the new feminism - NME.com (blog) - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Modern Satanism | Prometheism.net - Part 2 - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- The Awolowo Legacy And Its Message For Nigerian Youths | The ... - The News - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- The Awolowo legacy and its message for Nigerian youths - Tribune - NIGERIAN TRIBUNE (press release) (blog) - March 12th, 2017 [March 12th, 2017]
- 'Bible torching,' 'neo-satanic' college group planned 'lamb sacrifice' at Clemson University - TheBlaze.com - March 12th, 2017 [March 12th, 2017]
- In literature and art from over 100 years ago, images of the cow as mother - The Indian Express - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Modern Satanism | Prometheism.net - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- Catholic Priest: MN Park's New Monument Will Attract Satanists Who Want to Molest Kids - Patheos (blog) - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Understanding contemporary white supremacy: Is the alt-right really something new? - Salon - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Witch Hunts, Resurgence and Defiance: Heavy Metal In The Middle East - The Quietus - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- The Alt-Right Is the Modern, Hideous Face of White Supremacy - AlterNet - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture - Chris ... - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- The Occult Roots of Modernism - The New Yorker - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Paganism Is Back! Now What Are We Christians Going to Do? - Patheos (blog) - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Christians and Jews Combat Witches' Summer Solstice Satanic ... - CBN News - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Ritual Skulls and Other Magical Objects, in Photos - Atlas Obscura - June 23rd, 2017 [June 23rd, 2017]
- Outlast 2 Garishly Exploits Your Sexual Hangups For Horror - Paste Magazine - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Satanism Making Comeback Through Witchcraft and Atheism: Rabbi - Breaking Israel News - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Modern Satanism | Prometheism.net - Part 7 - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Neo-Pagan Witchcraft vs Satanism - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- It's Time to Overanalyze the First American Horror Story: Cult Teaser - POPSUGAR - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- Coltrain: Satanism and paganism are not the same thing - The Daily Iowan - July 24th, 2017 [July 24th, 2017]
- How the Satanic Temple Became a Queer Haven - VICE - July 24th, 2017 [July 24th, 2017]
- Kangaroo Court: Of Chief Lundu orders to ban ECG church | Malawi ... - Nyasa Times - August 2nd, 2017 [August 2nd, 2017]
- 'Embrace ICT with caution' - The Herald - August 4th, 2017 [August 4th, 2017]
- Nocturnes Mist announce Sept 15th release of "Diabolical Baptism" - The Gauntlet - August 5th, 2017 [August 5th, 2017]
- Secular doctors are realizing that demonic possession is real, and needs special attention - Catholic Online - August 7th, 2017 [August 7th, 2017]
- The Wild Hunt | Tag Archive | paranormal investigation - The Wild Hunt - August 11th, 2017 [August 11th, 2017]
- Nottinghamshire sees increase in Witchcraft complaints | The Wild ... - The Wild Hunt - August 12th, 2017 [August 12th, 2017]
- We Asked Diehard Swedish Metalheads What They Consider to be 'Metal' - Noisey - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- A Brief But Very Informative History of How Fascists Infiltrated Punk ... - Noisey - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- I'm a founder of the Satanic Temple. Don't blame Satan for white supremacy. - Washington Post - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- Satanic Leader Calls Upon Christian America to Face Their Contribution to Racist Right - Patheos (blog) - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- The Devil's Cradle: The Story of Finnish Black Metal - The Gauntlet - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Court orders new trial in satanic sacrificial murder case RT America - Standard Republic (press release) (blog) - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Why Some Christians Are Calling White Supremacy 'Satanic' - HuffPost - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Wash Post column cheers Satan, jeers Christians - WND.com - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- I'm a founder of the Satanic Temple. Don't blame Satan for white ... - Washington Post - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Important Women of Satanism - Diane LaVey - Spiritual ... - January 24th, 2018 [January 24th, 2018]
- Neo-vlkisch movements - Wikipedia - January 27th, 2018 [January 27th, 2018]
- The Origins Of Modern Zionism & Satanism ... - February 9th, 2018 [February 9th, 2018]
- The Luciferian next door A modern face of satanism and ... - February 27th, 2018 [February 27th, 2018]
- Satanism | Hollywood Subliminals - March 4th, 2018 [March 4th, 2018]
- F.A.Q. Fundamental Beliefs | churchofsatan.com - June 2nd, 2018 [June 2nd, 2018]
- Freemasonry: Midwife to an Occult Empire - June 13th, 2018 [June 13th, 2018]
- Satanism | occult practice | Britannica.com - July 6th, 2018 [July 6th, 2018]
- o 9 a - October 6th, 2018 [October 6th, 2018]
- Modern Paganism - Wikipedia - October 6th, 2018 [October 6th, 2018]
- We are using witchcraft, Satanism and magic confesses ... - March 3rd, 2019 [March 3rd, 2019]
- The Occult and Satanism in America - The American TFP - March 20th, 2019 [March 20th, 2019]
- Theistic Satanism - Wikipedia - April 27th, 2019 [April 27th, 2019]
- 40 Scariest Halloween Movies of All Time - Best Classic Horror Movies - Esquire - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Are these the 20 scariest horror movies of all time? - TheSpec.com - October 16th, 2019 [October 16th, 2019]
- Pagan Community Notes: Restricted access to Stonehenge during Solstice, Waverly Fitzgerald crosses, 44000-year-old cave painting, and more! - The Wild... - December 21st, 2019 [December 21st, 2019]
- Catholic Exorcist Warns of Rise in 'Aggressive Satanism' Among Young People - Newsweek - December 26th, 2019 [December 26th, 2019]
- The best movies of 2019 that you haven't seen - The Guardian - January 5th, 2020 [January 5th, 2020]
- Grimmfest 2020: Screen Classic Horror Movies as Part of Their Horror Legends Season - ScreenAnarchy - January 30th, 2020 [January 30th, 2020]
- A Modern Witch's Guide to Paris: Where to Find the Occult and Esoteric - Frenchly - January 30th, 2020 [January 30th, 2020]
- Types of Satanism and Their Beliefs - learnreligions.com - February 29th, 2020 [February 29th, 2020]
- Satanism - Founders, Philosophies & Branches - HISTORY - February 29th, 2020 [February 29th, 2020]
- Adulting in the Beyond | Review of Extra Ordinary - Washington Examiner - March 25th, 2020 [March 25th, 2020]
- The Satanic Temple Has The Best Response To The COVID-19 Pandemic Yet - HillReporter.com - March 27th, 2020 [March 27th, 2020]
- The Evolution of Modern Satanism in the United States - Time - April 1st, 2020 [April 1st, 2020]
- Modern Satanism | Spiral Nature Magazine - April 1st, 2020 [April 1st, 2020]
- F.A.Q. Fundamental Beliefs | Church of Satan - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- Tar Heels stomped out the Phantoms; Scorpions next? - Elkin Jonesville Tribune - July 29th, 2020 [July 29th, 2020]