One thing I’ve always loved about the grassroots’ music scene is the way that a band can create a song that sums up everything that is awesome about independent music and the people that go to their gigs. ‘Lifeblood’, the latest single from West Country folk-punk firebrands All For Jolly, does this perfectly, resulting in a rousing, heartfelt anthem that celebrates the venues, communities and shared sweat-soaked nights that keep live music alive.
Driven by propulsive drums, gritty guitars and their unmistakable folk-punk swagger, the track is built to be shouted back from packed floors and sticky-floored back rooms. There’s a sea-shanty heart beating beneath the punk energy, creating the sense that this could be sung anywhere people gather to make noise together, and the single will clearly become a highlight of the band’s upcoming tour, gigs that are bound to be brilliant with support by Aubrey Blakeledge, the king of chaotic, melodic mayhem, and other local supports offering something different at various venues.
Lyrically, ‘Lifeblood’ wears its purpose proudly on its sea-sprayed sleeve. This is a song about grassroots venues, the small stages, the DIY spaces, the rooms that shape scenes before anyone is watching and the places where we spend time with our festival family forgetting about whatever fuckwittery the world has descended into for a couple of hours, giving us hope and happiness. The song’s metaphor of ‘lifeblood’ is an apt one, accentuating the way that grassroots’ music is the pulse that sustains creative culture in a world where homogeneous melodies with meaningless lyrics flood the charts and arena tours sell out in minutes whilst venues that give grassroots’ bands a stage are struggling to survive. It is a passionate plea to support the venues, promoters, tour teams and everyone else who makes this scene so special so that there is still a platform in the future for stomping songs that come straight from the heart.
The crowd-ready chorus and driving folk-punk pulse of ‘Lifeblood’ are staples of the grassroots’ scene but All For Jolly bring something distinctly their own to the track with a strong sense of place, infused with their individual identity and maritime grit, grounding the song in lived experience rather than borrowed aesthetics.
What really elevates ‘Lifeblood’, though, is its sincerity. This is a band speaking from inside the struggle. Knowing the track sits alongside a wider campaign supporting grassroots venues only adds weight to every lyric and chorus, as does the fact that the band will be taking a touring hiatus after their current clutch of concerts. The tour may be an ending of sorts, but there is joy here, a definite defiance against the algorithm age , and an acknowledgement that solidarity will save our independent stages in the end.
So, in a time when independent music spaces are under constant threat, ‘Lifeblood’ arrives as both celebration and call to arms. It reminds us why these places matter, why they’re worth fighting for, and why bands like All For Jolly are vital voices in the scene. Those of us who are part of this scene know that there is nowhere else out there that is as inclusive, supportive and community-driven as our grassroots’ venues and All For Jolly have recorded a rhythmic reminder that it is down to us to keep this lifeblood flowing. Buy the single, get yourself a ticket for the tour and celebrate our sensational scene with an incredible pint of Illicit in your raised glass. Everyone is always welcome with the All For Jolly crew.
Watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/H3_3Wc1XyOI?si=TxLR3mgt0jJg1UfX
Tanya Russell
Lyric Lounge Review
