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Quotes
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Press Quotes

DOWN WITH THE CREEPS (single by THE FLYING CHAUCERS, Joe's lockdown side-project, March 2021)


" a dream of a single, one to put a smile on the face of the sternest motherfucker." MONOLITH COCKTAIL


"a brilliant pop paean kicking against the pricks" DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE


MISCELLANEOUS LIVE REVIEWS/RADIO COMMENTS


"that is what, I do believe, they call a pop tune" MARC RILEY, 6MUSIC


“Buzfuz is Northern England’s twenty-first century incarnation of Bob Dylan” OPPOSITION T


"amazing" SKY SAXON


 “genius songwriter” CHRIS T-T


FOX POP (album JULY 2020)


"a workshop in great lyric writing...as a whole it is magnificent... these eleven songs will educate and amaze you whilst challenging your tastes...highly recommended" I DON'T HEAR A SINGLE 



"always lyrically astute...eclectic, but if you want comparisons you'd be looking at a long list but you can start with The Byrds, The Kinks, The Velvet Underground, Squeeze and The Levellers" THE PUNK SITE



"the very English charm of a Syd Barrett solo album, and a host of melodies that recall the wistful observations of The Kinks or The Small Faces.... it all adds up to a very satisfying listen" GOD IS IN THE TV


"it grabs by the neck and fills your head and heart with joy" ANGRY BABY


"wrapping a fiery political core inside layers of charming, playful psychedelic folk-pop" JOYZINE


"a perfectly crafted antidote to chart pop" BEEHIVE CANDY


"a disc with infinite nuances and surprises.... Sergeant Buzfuz delight our ears with intelligent and witty pop songs... a band with infinite creative resources" ONDAROCK


THERE'S IDIOTS, THEN THERE'S IDIOTS WITH MONEY single (June 2020)


"hints of Dylan, Love or perhaps Syd Barrett. Folky psychedelic flavours are woven into the gritty tapestry of infectious tight percussion and punky raw guitars" FAME MAG


"really love it" AMY LAME, BBC 6 MUSIC


HUMBLE PIE EP (March 2017)


"ultra-melodic... an inventive free-thinking EP with a healthy disregard for genre barriers" BLISS AQUAMARINE


"a wonderful collection of clattering antifolk, warped psychedelic pop and strange experimental post-punkery... a line which threads back through the likes of The Soft Boys, XTC, The Kinks and The Beatles" DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE


" a subliminally subversive and wilfully stimulating, if unpredictable and cryptic, diversion from the normality of current musical trends" FATEA


NOW THAT I'M THE MAYOR OF LONDON solo single from Joe Murphy AKA Joe Buzfuz (March 2016)


"the poetry enthralls as only his can" RADIO 2XS (Sheffield)


"Both sides feel like the work of a modern day bard" SOUND OF CONFUSION


ADIEU TO ALL JUDGES AND JURIES (Joe Murphy solo track on Shirley Collins tribute album, Fire Records, June 2015)


"Joe Murphy gives us a very Dubliner-ish version" LOUDER THAN WAR


BALLOONS FOR THIN LINDA (Album April 2015)


"With so many highlights to choose from, picking a favourite is something of a challenge" SOUNDS XP


"elegant and charming folky pop that's easy to love. Tailor-made for late night folk festival beer-tent shenanigans" R2 LIVE REVIEW


"a clear influence of late 60s folk psychedelia, from the upbeat poppy sound to the off-kilter lyrics... a political commitment shines through" R2 ALBUM REVIEW


"exploring the minutiae of life in the quirky, English style of Jarvis Cocker" R2 POST-LP FEATURE


"this is the album Ray Davies has been trying to make for the last forty years WALTHAMSTOW FOLK CLUB


"imagine if Billy Bragg and The Beatles collaborated... creative, inventive and quirky" FATEA


"it is a rare thing to find songs so meaningful land so lightly on the listener, not for them the soap box ranting of more earnest and less aware artists... wonderfully unique... so now a decade's worth of back catalogue to purchase" DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE


"21st century folk... a delight" AMERICANA UK


"one of the freshest, most original records out now, reminds me a bit of The Kinks" RADIO FREE AMERICANA


"well crafted and subversive... acute observations of modern ills... recalls Alan Hull, Robyn Hitchcock and Ray Davies! BLABBER'N'SMOKE


"a masterpiece in modern, British social commentary" SOUND OF CONFUSION


" a punky and folky sonic pot... charismatic and pleasantly haywire" AND SO SHE THINKS


S6 GIRLS single


"sketches a vibrantly visual portrait" WHISPERIN AND HOLLERIN


GOLD FEELINGS (Single)


"A chorus so contagious Bob Geldof is probably considering another fundraising track to stop it" SOUNDS XP


"is it any good? Oh yes!" UNPEELED


GO TO THE DEVIL AND SHAKE YOURSELF ALBUM (April 2012)


"the album is divided between the Here Come The Popes mantras first half and the more experimental, Factory Records imbued, 'schism' second... an often unsettling post-punk influence... Here's to the next chapter" GOD IS IN THE TV


“the finest tracks here have a determined energy, eccentricity and radical sense of purpose very few records being released at the moment do.... almost certainly destined to become a future cult “lost” album" BEARDED


"chocked full of witty and intelligent lyrics... a truly brave and ambitious project and I guarantee you won't hear anything else like it, EVER" SUBBA-CULTCHA


“I find myself almost lost for words...absolutely glorious” PETER MUGGS, THE ARTS DESK


“It's mental - in a good way! Absolutely hooked on it" IAN RANKIN


"Musically inventive, they are by turn complex, playful and challenging" R2/RnR


“an eye-opener and an eyebrow-raiser” GIDEON COE, BBC 6 MUSIC


“It’s a peculiar record. I think I rather like it though” TOM RAVENSCROFT, BBC 6MUSIC


"the folk progginess of The Decemberists crossed with the Television Personalities" A MUSICAL PRIORITY


"A complete mish-mash of psychedelia, Celtic folk, punk, improv, drone-rock and the occasional douse of pop, their live shows are never short of breath-taking" SHOUT FOR MUSIC


“It connects, grows on you ... and then completely engages” FOLKWORDS


"anyone else just heard Sgt Buzfuz's Here Come The Popes on BBC 6 Music? Stunning. Just stunning" LIAM MULLONE (COMEDIAN), TWITTER


DANNY'S ROOM/MOLLY'S BAR (Single, June 2012)


"another two effortless tunes. Danny's Room is situated somewhere between Simon And Garfunkel and The beatles at their most maudlin, it's a gorgeous lament. Molly's Bar is more upbeat with a chorus which impales itself in your head from first listen" SOUNDS XP


@an excellent showcase for the band's idiosyncratic folk-pop sound, not to mention Murphy's increasingly compelling lyrical dexterity... great story-telling" WHISPERIN AND HOLLERIN


"Fantastic" NEW SINGLES REVIEW (SINGLE OF THE DAY)


"as finely a crafted acoustic pop song as you'll find anywhere... two absolutely solid songs that can put albums to shame" FATEA


KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK EP (Feb 2011)


"an intriguing genre-shredding mash-up...an enviously memorable chorus which simply cries out for radio play" WHISPERIN AND HOLLERIN


POPES 4, COPS 2 (Single March 2010)


"an addictively good tune" ORGAN


"'Bummed' era Happy Mondays with John Cooper Clarke for vocal niceties... Flip side 'Here Come The Cops' is a trip-wiring tapestry of mood melting retro groove" THE SUNDAY EXPERIENCE BLOG


HIGH SLANG (Album Feb 09)


“Universally charming” (NME)


“ Dazzling...Referencing 1960s punk, psychedelia, German-rock, Irish folk, glam-rock and drone, Sergeant Buzfuz achieve a harmonious, chiming mash-up, sounding like none of the above. ‘High Slang’ should be the record which catapults the band out of the underground” AESTHETICA


“Ceaselessly inventive...14 candidates for John Peel’s Festive Fifty” TIMEOUT


“Buzfuz are a bloody riot” PLAN B


“songs full of spirit, an album full of them” ORGAN: ALBUM OF THE WEEK


“Blending an awe inspiring instrumental with poetic and story-telling lyrics on each and every song it's difficult to be even remotely bored by this band.” MUSIC-ZINE


"If a Northern Bowie was in The Super Furry Animals... infectiously catchy" SUBBA-CULTCHA


Sergeant Buzfuz definitely do whatever they like and they definitely have something to say. Endearing and compelling,” SUPERSWEET


“Razor-sharp lyrical wit” ALTERNATIVE ULSTER


“delicious sense of wit” R2/RNR


“The problem with dumbing down radio is that it means most people never to get hear bands like Sergeant Buzfuz.” FATEA


GOD TO HOLLOWAY (Single Jan 2009)


 “this has had us in something of a swoon....strangely perfect” LOSING TODAY


HERE COME THE POPES PART 3 (Single Sep 2008)


 “One of my favourite songs for some time... I love its spirit, I love the idea behind it, I love the fact that it’s like nothing else I’ve ever heard” MARK LAMARR, RADIO 2


“Absolutely brilliant” Tom Robinson, BBC 6 MUSIC


“like the Pogues beating up My Life Story....Single of the month by a mile” PLAYLOUDER


 “a bizarre string-driven song about those popes of the middle ages that’s kind of XTCish” ORGAN


“Like the Soft Boys, this is unselfconsciously smart-pop, with a noir-psychedelic twist” SOUNDS XP


"heart-meltingly splendid" BEARDED


 “they have taken the Sixties back catalogue and asked Gorky's Zygotic Mynci to give it a remix” BBC LONDON CALLING SITE


"an after hours drinking session between Dexy's and Robyn Hitchcock" LOSING TODAY


"from that oddball corner which gave us Robyn Hitchcock, jarvis Cocker and XTC" SANDMAN


THE JEWELLED CARRIAGEWAY (Album 2006)


"'Swallows' puts you in mind of XTC while Television Personalities wouldn't turn up their noses at the minimalist pop magic of 'Something To Lose'... intense, original, clever, funny and moving and 'in the best possible way gets you wondering: what the Hell am I listening to?" SOUNDS XP


"has a rich, warm, string-laden sound and luxuriates in the seedy underbelly of urban living... perverse and memorable, modern-day folk music" MORNING STAR


"an album of quietly staggering beauty... enchanting, engaging and totally absorbing with more passion and integrity than you could shake a stick at... new British folk at its very, very best" GET READY TO ROCK


"Buzfuz have struck gold with this album. A gem." SHAKENSTIR


"very tuneful and undeniably modern." ROCK SOUND


INDELIBLE (track on Fruit Machine compilation, 2005)


"like Nick Cave on the dole" SOUNDS XP


"the funniest lyric we've heard for a long time" LONDONIST


FIRE HORSE (Album 2004)


"Imagine folk music with strong pop sensibilities, an outer layer of humour with a darker inner layer, and a distinctive mix of instruments... Fire Horse oozes sincerity and acute personal observation, while creating a sound that is wholly original and tantalising. There's no better example of Murphy's art than the title track and the incredible closing track 'See-Through'. Eleven diverse, beautiful and moving folk/pop songs, I implore you to buy a copy.' SHAKENSTIR


"it sounds like he's dragged Bob Dylan, Robyn Hitchcock and Marc Bolan into the studio with him as well, making this both a curio and a joy" LOGO MAGAZINE


"REM would kill, hopefully each other, for songs like these. Simply a collection of excellent songs" UNPEELED


"manages to pull some cracking melodies out of the hat... impossible to dislike, brimming with eloquent sentiment and a fistful of tunes" ROCKSOUND


"a rich passionate record that brings to mind leonard Cohen in a snug bar or a more loveable Cumbawamba. Murphy's raspy vocals also conjure up the spirit of Strummer and many of these songs could be off some alternative Sandanista!" THE WEST BRITON


"Murphy shares an attribute or two with loveable loonies and oddball wordsmiths like Robyn Hitchcock and John Otway. Or even Ray Davies. Or Wreckless Eric... like driving out into the green English wilderness and chancing upon a folk night at a remote village pub called "The Syphilis Ploughboy". The crusty bread is hallucinogenic, The Handsome Family have booked a room and there's a dead body in the duckpond" NEW-NOISE


"Oddities like this come along once or twice a year. I'm hooked" TASTY ZINE


"touched with lyrical genius. Like Damon Gough or Jarvis Cocker he's got a knack for romanticising the mundane" BURTON MAIL


"a classmate of the likes of Morrissey and Jarvis Cocker" WARWICKSHIRE AND WORCESTERSHIRE HERALD


"quintessentially British music that fits right in the long line running from the Kinks through the Smiths and on into Blur, bookish romantics always ready to conceal a breaking heart with a biting wit" MORNING STAR


"this is a tarnished gem. Buy it." THE FLY


"the veins of originality which run through Fire Horse are easy to see and rich for mining" FLUX


"sometimes viscerally emotional, sometimes stuffed with weird imagery and sometimes very funny" JOHN KELL VS SATAN BLOG - BEST ALBUMS OF THE DECADE


OBSESSIVE COMPULSION POUR HOMME (Album 2001)


"a nice line in charming melodies, simply marvellous" THE LIST


"Like another Yorkshire boy exiled to London, Joe Murphy has a way with words. The reverse romance of "Don't spray Chanel on your arms and neck / plastic lillies will be all you'll get" from "Public Enemy #1" could be straight out of the Jarvis Cocker songbook. Musically, too, there are similarities with early Pulp in the low-rent organ sounds and lo-fi production. But, if anything, Murphy has an even sharper sense of humour and the likes of the Hefner-esque "Bite Your Lip" show he's got the tunes to go with it." TREVOR BAKER, BOOKS ONLINE


PLUGGED IN (VINYL EP, 2000)


"three quietly thrilling musical gems. The warped pop of "Cool Brittania" is rambling, ephemeral and literate in a manner reminiscent of Robyn Hitchcock; "Jesus Loves You When You're naked" comes on like a comedy cross between Dylan, Hefner and George Harrison; "Plugged In" somehow manages to bridge all of the abovewhile incorporating a Theremin. Eccentric and lo-fi, and oddly touching."  APRIL LONG, NME


"not unlike The Kinks being produced by Badly Drawn Boy" FRONT MAGAZINE


"incisive lyrical content" RECORD COLLECTOR


"comes on like a one man Teardrop Explodes" SELECT MAGAZINE