Scene... New York to London

Anti-folk is a very scene based genre. Within webrings it is frequently described as a secret scene or micro-genre. The foundation of the movement is the Sidewalk Café which is located in the East Village of New York City. The Sidewalk Café was initially the only venue to support anti-folk artists. The café was opened by a performer who couldn’t get gigs anywhere else and the venue became the hub and home of anti-folk. Though some artists have received mainstream recognition internationally, many local artists are unknown outside of the New-York anti-folk scene which is predominantly made up of other artists with similar ideals and sensibilities. The Sidewalk Café really is a café but the backroom - known as The Fort (named for the creator’s first club which was shut down) opens at 7.30pm each night for live music. The venue is small scale fostering a ‘house concerts’ feel and promoting interaction and familiarity between the community of artists and fans. The Sidewalk Café also hosts the annual New York Summer Anti-Folk Festival which is in its 22nd year.

There is also an ‘antifolk’ scene (which apparently differs from ‘anti-folk’) in the UK. This scene appears to be quite a bit larger than the American scene as it is spread more widely across the country. The London scene was initially sparked by the New York scene but has developed differently, and after listening to the two styles I think the differences stem directly from the different cultures. “This urban-bred music is the closest we’ve got to a modern-day folk music: people telling everyday fables, valuing humour over sorrow, storytelling over technique and personality over polish” (http://www.timeout.com/london/features/1971.html). Certainly the American and British day to day existance, priorities and storytelling techniques are different but the musical style, scope and influences are very different too.