25 Noel Road

by The Bone Folders

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about

A song about the controversial and influential British playwright/diarist Joe Orton (1933-67) and his partner Kenneth Halliwell (1926-67) who bludgeoned Joe to death at the flat that the two shared at 25 Noel Road, Islington. Halliwell subsequently took a fatal overdose of sleeping pills.
Their lives have since been the subject of several books, documentaries, theatrical presentations and the 1987 feature film 'Prick Up Your Ears', starring Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina.
For this song, '25 Noel Road', songwriter Ian D. Marks drew upon the style of the Kinks circa 1966-67, figuring that the camp, music hall style of the band at that time fit in with the subject matter and theatricality of this story.

lyrics

25 Noel Road

Kenneth and Joe met in the stately halls of RADA
And they soon made a home in a one room upstairs flat
And their life was made comfortable by the National Assistance Board
A world of no circumstances at all at 25 Noel Road

Typing out pages of the books nobody would publish
They took their revenge out on the local library shelves
It started as a harmless joke, but it landed them in Wormwood Scrubs
A life less comfortable than the one at 25 Noel Road

Once they set him free, Joe became the darling
Everyone adored his naughty plays
Sipping champagne at London society parties
While Mr. Halliwell sat alone at 25 Noel Road

One dark night Ken couldn't sleep and Joe was already dreaming
So Mr. Halliwell made them equal again, at 25 Noel Road
25 Noel Road.

credits

released December 22, 2022
Ian D. Marls: vocals, guitars, piano, washboard, slide whistle
Scott Boydle: drums, vocals
Stephen Tighe: bass, kazoo

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about

The Bone Folders Melbourne, Australia

The Bone Folders are a Melbourne (Australia) quartet. Their music ranges from country and folk to garage punk, psychedelia, jangly guitar pop and Aussie pub rock -- always with a unique lyrical bent.
They have released two full-length albums, two mini-albums, an EP and a vinyl single. (Profile picture by Pip Serpentina) ... more

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