Anyone like bankers? Not on your last Christmas Card list? Then you might like to check out the video to “Arrogance, Ignorance & Greed” by top UK folk duo, Show of Hands. The band is comprised of singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer, augmented by Miranda Sykes on double bass and harmonies. Shot in and around the City of London, the promo includes light projections onto signature buildings in the City, the heart of the UK financial industry, and a stinging message for those casino bankers. The performance part of the film was shot at Gibson Guitars in London’s West End.
Knightley and Beer have been stalwarts of the UK folk scene for more years than they may care to remember. Publicity around the AIG video, coupled with a resurgence of mainstream interest in folk based music, fuelled by the success of acts like Mumford & Sons, may yet make turn them into household names. The pair have just been voted Best Duo in the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards while the Knightley penned “Arrogance, Ignorance & Greed” itself, won Best Original Song. Just can’t see them playing many investment bank dinner-dances, though.
