Matinees On Saturdays (Vinyl)

Exquisite singer-songwriter outing from 1976 South Africa with private-press sensibilities. A quirky and intelligent yet deeply moving set from a contemporary of Rhodesian folk outsider John Phillips.

John Oakley-Smith was part of a generation of songwriters from the 1970s, spearheaded by the likes of Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell, who expanded the creative and confessional boundaries of folk music and altered the course of popular music as we know it. Written and recorded in South Africa from 1973 to 1975 and originally released in 1976, Matinees on Saturdays is an obscure classic that weaves intimate and poetic narratives into a melancholic set with flourishes of wry attitude and sharp wit. The album is notable for its subtle yet ornate production with Oakley-Smith's fragile vocals and graceful piano at it's core.