For Brixton-bred artist Sam Frankl, words are everything. A published poet, the budding singer-songwriter’s literary career is a lofty one: he previously served as an editor at le cool London, and has had his works appear in journals on both sides of the Atlantic, including Ardor, Cent Magazine, Ginosko Review, and more. In addition, he created a video series in 2013 called The Surrogate Poets, which was published by Black & Blue, and featured strangers reading his poems. One of those that agreed to participate was famed beat author and poet laureate Jack Hirschman – one of his idols and a contemporary of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.

While he continues to write poetry, Sam’s passion for words only further fueled his love of music, which has been his main ambition since he was 14. Something of a vagabond, Sam has spent most of his life on the road, and when not in school, he lived on a hundred year old German sailing barge. This spirit of adventure has stayed with Sam, who has traveled cross-country across the States and in Latin America starting from Argentina down to Colombia, the latter which ignited a passion for Latin rhythms and bossa nova. Sam’s sound evokes this same romanticism, a kind of poetic pop, where hooks are weighted with a precise use of language, recalling the likes of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits.

The fruits of his journeys are showcased best in the release of his new single ‘Gold Rush’, recorded with RAK Studios-based producer Rob Brinkman (Barns Courtney, Mumford and Sons) and mastered by Enginge Earz (Jorja Smith/Ray BLK). Sonically fitting somewhere between Father John Misty and Glass Animals, the track is born from a programmed bossa nova beat and looped saxophone samples. Naturally drawn to issues surrounding housing, Sam drew on a local case study as inspiration -- Heygate Estate in Elephant & Castle -- a 5 minute walk from his flat. “The Heygate Estate was in the process of being demolished. It was once the largest housing estate in western Europe but had fallen into disrepair due to systematic defunding,” Sam recalls. “Eventually only a handful of tenants remained where once 3000 family units had lived. Those tenants refused to leave.”

Listen to ‘Gold Rush’ here

Iconoclastic London ska punks Eat The Evidence fire a satirical salvo at Theresa May and her self-interested ilk in ‘Tories Go To Waitrose’. The track is taken from the band’s upcoming album, Sex, Drugs, & Wishy-Washy Politics, produced by Sam Duckworth, aka Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. Heralding the upcoming snap election with an uproariously irreverent depiction of the bourgeois shopping habits of those who’ve decimated the country’s public services, ‘Tories Go To Waitrose’ is a hilarious punk-rock takedown of the toffs at the top, delivered via propulsive skank and overdriven amphetamine pop.

A viral terrace chant of a chorus ensures the song is a certified crowdpleaser live, even if there’s a certain flippancy in play that the band are first to admit: “The song accidentally implies that the Conservative Party might shop ethically. Although we do hate the Tories, the song doesn’t make much sense. It may not be enough to swing the vote in key marginals then, but it’ll certainly make you feel better come polling day. Altogether now: “Tories go to Wait-er-ose...”

A entertaining hybrid of The Specials, NOFX, Ween and The Streets, Eat The Evidence are led by brothers Jack and Tom Lattimer, skilled musicians whose deceptively dextrous playing demands equivalent levels of expertise from fellow band members Ric Lygo, Joe Bartlett and Michael Saminaden. With an earthy, animated and uninhibited stage presence, the band’s live shows are swiftly becoming London legend, riotous gigs of carnivalesque proportions with not a little audience interaction. Exploding onto the ska-punk and festival circuits in 2014, Eat The Evidence are always the punkest band on a reggae bill, or the reggae'est band on a punk night. Either way, they will always own the room.

Capturing such visceral energy on tape could have been a challenge, but with the help of Sam Duckworth (aka Get Cape Wear Cape Fly), Jay Malhotra and Rees Broomfield, Eat The Evidence emerged from The Broom Cupboard in Southend-on-Sea brandishing their debut album, Sex, Drugs & Wishy Washy Politics, which surges from the speakers in a flood of sonic sweat. Eschewing romantic escapism for the distinctly down-to-earth, the album’s subject matter ranges from junkie girlfriends to the post-party comedown to political and existential conundrums, all delivered with biting satirical lyrics, breakneck rhythms and such a liberal approach to instrumentation that accordion, trumpet, ukulele and even slide whistle are thrown into the bass-guitar-drums mix. There’s no pretence, no heeding of passing trends, just the foul-mouthed rejection of societal flaws and a riotous celebration of the good times.

Listen/Share ‘Tories Go To Waitrose’ here

See Eat The Evidence live

Saturday 3 June: Bones & Pearl Studios, London N15 (album launch party, with special guests)

Sex, Drugs & Wishy Washy Politics tracklisting

1. Fruit Of The Loot

2. Duck Hunt

3. You Only Say You Love Me When You’re High

4. Third Eye Spy

5. Any Old Excuse

6. Comedown With Me

7. Monkey Thing

8. Honesty

9. Creepy Smile

10. Hippies With Hayfever

11. Theme From An Eat The Evidence Album

12. Tories Go To Waitrose

13. Human Beings

14. No ‘Ists No ‘Isms