London

Like Dury, many of the London performers are also differently abled. Tom Mayne, of David Cronenberg’s Wife, is missing a couple of fingers; Spinmaster Plantpot is just 4'11" and Paul Hawkins – ‘He sings out of tune and can’t play guitar, but he’s a brilliant songwriter,’ says Buzfuz – has three registered disabilities. As with the Mad Pride festival, these are people who choose to celebrate their differences.

‘We did a show at Tate Britain a couple of years ago,’ says Buzfuz, ‘and I remember shouting during the gig: “We are the misfits of society, listen to our music.” I think I’d had a few drinks at that point but I certainly meant it.’

There are plenty of entry points into this strange world, the first being the 12 Bar’s Blang club, a monthly night that’s been going for over four years. Capturing the spirit, Sky Saxon – erstwhile frontman of ’60s garage rockers The Seeds – popped in one night to play a song called ‘Ronald Reagan Is Dead’ the day after Mr Reagan had died. Like most antifolk clubs it’s run by one of the performers, in this case Mr Buzfuz. Other hotspots are the Beautiful Bucket Of Fun, held at Stokie’s Bodrum Café on the first Friday of every month; Rhythm Factory’s Spoonful Of Poison Open Mic every Monday and one-off events that can be found in Time Out’s music listings. Feature continues

A word of warning, though. In a parallel with another pre-antifolk scene, the shambolic indie world of C86, antifolk has been criticised for being twee, insular and lacking ambition. As a result, some artists have distanced themselves in order to progress, such as cockney poets Milk Kan and London’s Hong Kong-born Emmy The Great, who have both tried to get away from the often cutesy image that can come with the territory. But Emmy is still indebted to the scene.

‘My first ever gig was at Blang,’ she says. ‘I was just starting out and Joe immediately put me on a bill and that’s how I got my confidence. They give people a chance to start out without going through the vetting procedure of the big venues or having the pressure to bring lots of people. And they’re completely open to you playing whatever you want’.

It looks like it’s going to continue. JJ Crash will release his ‘Antifolk Compilation 2’ in January, produced by Kramer of Bongwater fame. Meanwhile, Filthy Pedro and David Cronenberg’s Wife are hosting a fine two-day mini-festival at the 12 Bar on November 17-18. It looks like London’s misfits are more than a match for their Yankee contemporaries.

‘UK antifolk has definitely developed its own personality,’ says Filthy Pedro, ‘and the nights over here are really, really rowdy. Some New Yorkers are even starting to say we’re doing it better.’