These Wicked Rivers – Fire And Folklore
From the first handful of gigs around Derbyshire to a third full-length album recorded just down the road in Belper, the story of These Wicked Rivers has always remained firmly rooted in their home county.
Formed in 2014, the band have spent more than a decade building their following the old-fashioned way. Gigs, festivals, records, miles on the road and an increasingly tight-knit community of fans known as the Rivers Family have gradually taken These Wicked Rivers from the Derby and Belper scene to sold-out shows around the UK and mainland Europe.
Along the way, their music has developed too. The blues and classic rock foundations have remained, but increasingly they have been mixed with heavier riffs, big grooves, soulful vocals, Southern rock and, particularly on their latest material, touches of country and Americana.
That journey now reaches its biggest chapter yet.
Released on Friday 2nd October 2026 through Fat Earth Records, Fire And Folklore is These Wicked Rivers' third studio album and arguably their most ambitious record so far.
At Eyesore Merch, we work directly with These Wicked Rivers and sell their official music and merchandise on their behalf. From the different Fire And Folklore vinyl pressings to CDs, USB editions, clothing and collector bundles, you can find the main TWR range together in one place.
Shop These Wicked Rivers at Eyesore Merch
From Derby and Belper to Eden
These Wicked Rivers played their first show in 2014, with debut EP The Enemy following in 2015.
A second EP, simply titled II, arrived in 2017 as the band continued to establish themselves around Derby, Belper and the wider UK rock circuit. Those early releases already contained many of the ingredients that would become familiar to fans — bluesy guitar work, substantial riffs, big choruses and a warmth that owed as much to classic rock and soul as it did to contemporary hard rock.
The first full-length These Wicked Rivers album arrived in 2020.
Eden took that developing sound and gave it room to breathe across a full record. Tracks including Shine On, Floyd, Evergreen, This Train, The Garden and World In Chains helped establish the character of the band beyond the live circuit.
It was recognisably rock music, but never particularly interested in sitting neatly inside one box.
Blues rock is an obvious starting point when describing These Wicked Rivers, but there has always been more going on. There are traces of classic 1970s rock, Southern rock, blues, soul and heavier modern rock in the mix, with quieter, more reflective passages regularly sitting alongside much bigger riffs.
It is that combination that has gradually become the band's own sound.
And, perhaps just as importantly, the records have always been closely linked to the live band.
These Wicked Rivers have built a reputation for energetic but unusually warm live performances, with the relationship between the band and their audience becoming a significant part of the whole TWR identity. The term Rivers Family is considerably more than a convenient name for a mailing list.
Force Of Nature
Four years after Eden, These Wicked Rivers returned with their second album, Force Of Nature, in 2024.
By this point the band's audience had grown considerably, and the record reflected a group with rather more miles under its collective belt.
Force Of Nature reached No.3 on the UK Rock Chart, alongside No.1 on the Independent Album Breakers Chart and No.5 on the Independent Albums Chart.
At the same time, the live side of the band continued to expand.
Sold-out shows in the UK were joined by dates across France, Germany and the Netherlands, while festival appearances and headline tours introduced more people to the peculiar mixture of blues, rock and good-natured communal chaos that surrounds a These Wicked Rivers show.
If Eden introduced the band properly and Force Of Nature demonstrated how far they had come, album number three provided an opportunity to push the sound somewhere new again.
That brings us back home to Derbyshire.
Fire And Folklore – Made in Belper
For Fire And Folklore, These Wicked Rivers did not need to disappear to London, Los Angeles or some distant residential studio.
The album was recorded in Belper, Derbyshire, at the home studio of producer, engineer and guitarist Andy Sneap.
Sneap is himself closely associated with Belper and has spent decades working with some of the biggest names in heavy music. His production and mixing credits include Judas Priest, Megadeth, Saxon, Opeth and Amon Amarth, alongside his role as a touring guitarist with Judas Priest.
Working alongside Sneap on Fire And Folklore was another hugely experienced British producer, Colin Richardson, whose career includes records by Slipknot, Machine Head and Fear Factory, alongside more recent work with British rock acts including Massive Wagons and Those Damn Crows.
It is a formidable production pairing, but one of the most interesting things about Fire And Folklore is how local the record remained.
These are musicians from Derby and Belper recording in Belper, with songs written and developed around Derbyshire, rather than trying to manufacture some artificial American Southern-rock identity.
Singer John Hartwell described recording so close to home as a privilege, with the studio only a short distance from where some of the songs themselves had been written.
That Derbyshire identity matters because, despite the increasingly broad influences on Fire And Folklore, the album still sounds like These Wicked Rivers.
Wizard-Blues, Southern Rock and Something Broader
The band's own wonderfully unscientific description of their sound as “wizard-blues rock” remains surprisingly useful.
At the centre are blues-based guitar riffs, groove and Hartwell's soulful vocal style, but Fire And Folklore stretches those foundations considerably further.
There are heavier moments and the kind of large riffs long-standing fans will expect, but there is also more room for Southern rock, country, roots music and soul.
Rather than representing a sharp change of direction, it feels more like the band opening up parts of their sound that were already there.
The new material had also been developing in front of fans for quite some time before the album was finished. Ain't No Smoke was appearing in live sets as early as 2024, while the band's January 2025 gathering gave fans a glimpse of a much larger pool of songs being considered for the record.
By the time recording began in Belper, those ideas had been narrowed, rewritten and developed into the finished album.
There is another Derbyshire connection on Sing Another Song, which features guest vocals from country artist Kezia Gill.
That collaboration fits naturally into the more expansive sound of the album rather than feeling like a guest appearance included simply for the sake of one.
Guitarist Arran Day summed up the band's attitude to the finished record:
“We're so immensely proud of this collection of rock and roll wizardry we've conjured up together. Each song reflects the power, spirit and love we have to share and we can't wait for you to drop the needle down and join our revolution.”
Fire And Folklore Tracklist
The standard edition of Fire And Folklore contains ten tracks:
- The Healing
- Horse To Water
- Ain't No Smoke
- Love To Love
- Sing Another Song feat. Kezia Gill
- Rise
- Brother Oh Brother
- Better Man
- Woodland Queen
- Stories
For anyone choosing between the different physical versions, there is a little more to it than simply deciding between CD and vinyl.
The Fire And Folklore Digipak CD adds two studio bonus tracks:
- Sign Of The Time
- Silver Or Gold
There is also a USB edition, which contains the complete album together with two surprise acoustic bonus tracks and a special video message from the band.
Fire And Folklore on Vinyl
As you would probably expect from a band with such a dedicated collector following, there isn't just one version of Fire And Folklore on vinyl.
At Eyesore we have several different editions available, both individually and as part of larger Fire And Folklore packages.
Fire Vinyl
The Fire edition is an appropriately fiery sunburst orange pressing of the album.
It is one of the principal coloured editions of Fire And Folklore and is available through Eyesore individually as well as within selected bundles.
Flower Pressed Vinyl
The limited Flower pressed vinyl is the most unusual version within the Eyesore range and offers something rather different from a conventional single-colour pressing.
Individual coloured and specialist vinyl pressings can naturally vary slightly from one copy to another, making each finished record a little different.
The Flower edition is available on its own and in selected Fire And Folklore packages through Eyesore.
Picture Disc
There is also a Fire And Folklore Picture Disc, bringing the album artwork directly onto the record itself and giving collectors another visually distinct edition.
Black Vinyl
For those who prefer to keep things traditional, Fire And Folklore is also available on classic black vinyl.
No swirls, flowers or pictures required. Sometimes a black record is exactly what you want.
Purple Vinyl
And for the completists, there is another colour to add to the hunt.
A Purple pressing of Fire And Folklore is also part of the wider release. The band have Purple copies available directly at their live shows, giving collectors another edition to look out for when seeing These Wicked Rivers on the road.
So if you intend to assemble the full set, there is a little homework involved.
For the Fire, Flower, Picture Disc and Black editions, along with the wider range of album packages, Eyesore Merch is the place to start.
Shop Fire And Folklore and These Wicked Rivers at Eyesore Merch
CDs, USBs, Merchandise and Collector Bundles
The physical campaign around Fire And Folklore extends considerably beyond the four Eyesore vinyl options.
The range includes:
- Fire And Folklore vinyl
- Digipak CD
- USB edition
- Official Fire And Folklore T-shirts
- Signed items
- Vinyl and music combinations
- Larger collector packages
- Canvas artwork bundles
Selected Eyesore packages also include an exclusive signed photo card.
The Digipak CD features a vinyl-effect disc, the two additional studio tracks and a hand-signed insert, while the USB adds another pair of acoustic recordings alongside its video message from These Wicked Rivers.
For anyone who simply wants the album, there are straightforward options.
For the Rivers Family member whose definition of “straightforward” involves three records, a USB stick, a signed photograph, a T-shirt and something sizeable to hang on the wall, we can accommodate that too.
Because Eyesore works directly with These Wicked Rivers and sells this range on their behalf, our TWR section brings the different formats, official clothing and collector packages together rather than treating the album as another title in a general record catalogue.
The Buxton Edition
There is another physical edition tied directly to one of the major Fire And Folklore celebrations.
On Saturday 10th October 2026, These Wicked Rivers head to The Octagon Hall at Pavilion Gardens in Buxton for The Big Show, marking the release of the new record in Derbyshire.
They will be joined by Hayseed Dixie as special guests.
For the occasion, Eyesore has an online-exclusive Buxton Edition CD sleeve available with selected packages.
Crucially, the sleeve itself will not be available to buy at the show.
Instead, fans can order the signed Buxton Edition through Eyesore and take it with them to Buxton. At the merch stand on the night it can then receive the special:
I TESTIFIED AT BUXTON 10.10.26
stamp.
For anyone attending the show, it turns the physical album into a proper souvenir of that particular night rather than simply another variation of the packaging.
Shop the These Wicked Rivers range at Eyesore Merch
The Third Chapter Begins
From the early EPs and Eden, through the chart success and growing audience around Force Of Nature, These Wicked Rivers have developed without losing the Derbyshire roots that helped shape the band in the first place.
It is fitting, then, that their third album was made back in Belper.
Fire And Folklore retains the riffs, blues, groove and soul that have defined These Wicked Rivers while allowing considerably more room for the Southern, country and roots influences that have increasingly worked their way into the band's music.
The next stage begins when Fire And Folklore is released on Friday 2nd October 2026, followed by the Buxton show and another busy run on the road.
Whether you are discovering These Wicked Rivers with album number three or have been part of the Rivers Family since Eden and before, we have brought together a substantial selection of the band's official releases and merchandise at Eyesore.
From Fire, Flower, Picture Disc and Black vinyl to CDs, USBs, signed editions, clothing and collector bundles, Eyesore Merch works directly with These Wicked Rivers and is the place to go for the official Fire And Folklore range.
And if you really do need every vinyl colour, remember to keep an eye out for that Purple edition when the Rivers roll into town.
SHOP THESE WICKED RIVERS AT EYESORE MERCH