05/09/2026
Albion are a London folk rock and metal quintet consisting of Joe Parrish-James (vocals, guitar, flute), Jack Clark (guitar), Peter Szypulski (bass), and Ollie Medlow (drums) with Rhiannon Parrish-James on vocals. Their follow-up album to 2024 debut ‘Lakesongs of Elbid’, ‘It Was In The Month Of May’, was released on May 27th, 2026, featuring Tolkien-inspired tracks like lead single "Eldest (Tom Bombadil)". The single is representative of what the band is about, from pastoral, acoustic elements to orchestral rock, steeped in the British and Celtic folk traditions, comparable to early Genesis and Jethro Tull - which both Joe and Jack have played with in recent years.
Albion returned to Parkvilla in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands, on September 4th, 2026. And all I can say is that the quintet performed a fabulous double set of songs, including a Black Sabbath medley with the vocals being replaced by the flute. The show was fun, too, as it was quite interactive, partly thanks to the venue providing a rather intimate setting, with a captive audience attending 🎶
I returned home well after midnight, with the full band catalogue of two vinyls, the CD versions of these albums and the debut EP, bearing the signatures of all five band members - and the setlist as a bonus.
And lest I forget to mention this: Arne van Os van den Abeelen, by whose invitation I attended this memorable performance, had also offered me the opportunity to interview both Joe and Jack. A representation of that will appear online soon, as well as on my Ron’s Brew Progressive Rock Radio 📻 show on September 17th. Stay tuned!
Cheers, 🍻 Ron