Chesterfield musician Ichabod Wolf: an enigmatic voice worth hearing

"We were a big music household. Mum and Dad always had music playing. Bowie, Beatles… I wanted in on the action,” he added.

"I got a guitar for my eleventh birthday, straight in there. I was a big punk guy at the time. And the great thing about punk is it’s three power chords. Easy to pick up, easy to start playing songs I liked straight away.”

Ichabod Wolf (aka Kieran Smith) laughing describes his style as “a lounge singer… almost like a naff Elvis tribute.”

This response says much about Kieran. Humble, and humorously self-deprecating, when asked how he would describe himself he replies with a smile: “I wouldn’t”.

But, what we do know about Ichabod Wolf is this: his last album ‘Carry On, Crow’ was featured on BBC Radio 6, and gained much kudos. One of the tracks, Painted Horses, was listed by Steve Lamacq in his ‘best songs of 2019’ calling it “an amazing thing, it stopped me in my tracks”.

Another Radio 6 DJ, Shaun Keaveny said of Ichabod: “Truly an enigmatic voice worth hearing, it’s masterful. Romance cheek-by-jowl with ugly reality.”

When asked how it felt to hear himself on the radio, this humble self-confessed oddball replies: “I’d love to be able to play it cool but it was a real buzz… a lot of the music I discover is through 6 Music. They play good stuff, so it was nice to be included.”

Kieran cites his main influence as David Bowie, referencing other likes as Roxy Music, Leonard Cohen, Bright Eyes and Bob Dylan. “I definitely work in that confessional singer-songwriter tradition, but I think you can over-do that personal angle. But equally, I like characters, and I like songwriters that write characters.”

This see-saw between confession and myth can certainly be heard in his songs: moments of swing between open heart and bizarre ogre, sensitivity and scary scene, memoir versus dark pantomime. And for sure, like many good stories, it feels up to the listener to decide what seeds of truth lie between the metaphorical and made-up. “Lyrics… that’s what I enjoy doing the most.”

And how do the songs come together? “Little kernels of ideas. Make notes on my phone, noodle around on the guitar and you know, you finish the song and look back and think: I don’t know how I did that, I can’t really break that process down… I enjoy writing songs, it’s nice to have a hobby.”

As most of us know, a hobby is something we generally keep to ourselves, the occasional sunshine of a neighbour commenting on how nice our garden looks, the warmth of seeing a baby niece wearing the hat we’ve knitted. But what Kieran does is a shared experience by default: music, is made to be shared. And recently, Kieran shared a collection of early songs (Man Cub, 2005 - 2015) on his Bandcamp site.

“It felt a way of measuring time.” He pauses. “Sometimes it’s hard reflecting on that person you’ve been, but maybe that sounds a little more dramatic than it is… you just listen to what you might want to change. Mistakes that you’ve made.”

And here again is that humble tightrope of Ichabod Wolf: quiet, unassuming, devoid of ego, versus the performer that emits such a powerful vibe he holds the room every time. And arguably, here is the artist (a badge he would probably push under the settee) that makes something from what is life. Don’t we all look back at things we’d like to change?

Kieran’s part in the changing Chesterfield music scene is certainly more than performer, he is also part of the vibrant and influential Independent Electric Group. “A monthly night run at Chesterfield Labour Club, we host a variety of guest performers: poets, musicians, comedians, storytellers, a real eclectic mix. I run it with Chesterfield legend Matt McAteer. And we love it. A different cast of characters each month, and you hear things you just wouldn't hear anywhere else. It’s a treat.”

“It’s been going for a long time now, about fifteen years. It started with us putting on sporadic Rock Against Racism events, fundraisers for the TUC, and that’s when we started using the space at the Labour Club.”

This is a strong example of how the local music community has much to offer, and acts as a community should, with things achieved by joint effort. Ichabod Wolf’s first album ‘Carry On, Crow’ was engineered by Sheffield musician Tom Nash “who was studying as a sound engineer at Derby University. I was fortunate enough to work with Tom and make use of Derby University’s facilities, which was a real treat.”

When asked if he thinks the Chesterfield scene is on the up, Kieran replies, “Maybe it’s because I'm older now, but it used to feel like a real bustling scene. The Springbank Centre was responsible for a lot of that, a youth centre so younger bands could play, and there seemed to be more pubs playing original live music. That being said, we have a couple of great open mic nights, one at Chandlers, one at the Neptune, the Indie Electric group, but yeah, I would like more space for original musicians.”

What does Ichabod see in the future? “I would love to get a new album recorded… that’s the plan.” And what advice would he give to young musicians starting out? “Listen to music, all the time, and play, play with other people too.” And finally, if he could go back in time, what would Ichabod Wolf do? “I would go back to the start of this and think about my answers.”

You can find Ichabod Wolf’s music on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and Spotify, with regular live performances at the Independent Electric Group at Chesterfield Labour Club.