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Every now and then, a band come along who so palpably love what they’re doing, it makes you wonder why anyone who isn’t getting this level of joy out of their work bothers to get out of bed. AsAll Isoftwareuiphraseguid=“d0c5ec34-b582-4ef2-8a4f-17ebf95e9aa2”>’m Asking kicks off Duende with a soulful swing that has such a pep in its step it’ll brighten any day, it’s infectiously clear that the Band Of Heathens absolutely live for this.

Their take on Americana – stuffed with silky soul, sprinkled with funk, indebted to country rock, blues and both boogie and woogie – rolls around in their influences, from the Stones (of the Rolling and Sly varieties) to The Band, with the enthusiasm of a labrador in a muddy puddle.

Imagine Wilco slipping on their best party hats for a night on the tiles (especially on Cracking The Code) and you’re part way there. Absolutely joyous.

Emma has been writing about music for 25 years, and is a regular contributor to Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog and Louder. During that time her words have also appeared in publications including Kerrang!, Melody Maker, Select, The Blues Magazine and many more. She is also a professional pedant and grammar nerd and has worked as a copy editor on everything from film titles through to high-end property magazines. In her spare time, when not at gigs, you’ll find her at her local stables hanging out with a bunch of extremely characterful horses.