Lando Manning on Fragments

South London’s Lando Manning doesn’t just sing folk songs—he exhumes them. Describing new EP Fragments (out 14 October) as “a love letter to British Folk, but if it was written by Mary Shelley,” Manning blurs the line between reverence and reinvention: regendered traditional ballads, psych-garage takes on Vashti Bunyan, and original compositions that explore ancestry, exile, and eerie coastline imagery. Recorded at home with guest players Dina Wilcock (Blue Bendy), Jacob Muna (Roscoe Roscoe, Den Izhen), and Bianca Wilson (The Pegwells), Fragments is both intimate and otherworldly—like a whisper caught between sea spray and candlelight.

Offstage, Manning has carved out an enviable live résumé: sharing bills with Maya Ongaku, Billie Marten, Six Organs of Admittance, Buffalo Nichols, and Oracle Sisters while quietly amassing grassroots press support from Far Out, Tradfolk, and Hard of Hearing. With lead single “Blue Silk Ribbons” out now, Manning spoke with us about psychogeography, the gothic heart of folk tradition, and what it means to keep these songs alive in 2025.

You’ve described Fragments as “a love letter to British Folk, but if it was written by Mary Shelley.” What does that gothic twist reveal about your relationship to folk tradition?

The stories told in traditional folk songs are generally quite macabre which leans into the gothy vibe for sure; songs about murdered lovers, suicides and general gloom are commonplace. I was always drawn to this from an early age which was accompanied by a fascination with the Brothers Grimm, Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley which has had quite a significant impact on my own writing.

“Blue Silk Ribbons” pays homage to family ancestry and the sacrifices of past generations. How did psychogeography and those northern coastlines shape the imagery and emotion of the song?

On one side of my family I come from both the Jewish and Irish diasporas, with the grandparents on that side eventually settling in Manchester. With the anti-migrant sentiment in this country at the moment I had felt a guilty sense of relief for being British and a Londoner which made me contemplate what some of my forebears had to endure for me to be a British-Londoner. I found the imagery of the Northern coastline symbolic for a lot of the emotion surrounding those sentiments.

Recording at home in South London and collaborating with musicians like Dina Wilcock and Jacob Muna gives the EP an intimate feel—how did that DIY approach influence the final sound?

The EP came together in a very fragmented way which is what gives it its name. I had intended to release a 7" with Blue Silk Ribbons and Black is the Colour as the A/B sides. Rose Hip November was recorded at a studio in East Dulwich as a warm up for the session and Ginkgo Queen was recorded at home as an experiment, which I ended up being really happy with. The EP is more of a mix-tape than a deliberate body of work, which is what I think gives it the DIY feel.Most of the work I have previously released has been mainly recorded on my own, but with Rose Hip November, I wanted to capture my band's live sound since the live sound is a bit heavier than on record. Dina, Kitcatt (drums) and Jacob are all apex musicians so working with them brings the best out of me too. Also a shout out to Bianca Wilson who plays shruti box on the second half of the EP.

Your live history spans everything from Maya Ongaku to Billie Marten. How have those experiences across different scenes informed the way you approach performance and songwriting?

I've never found that my music fits neatly into one particular scene which at times has felt isolating, but the benefit of it is that I've supported a really wide range of different artists who I love from different genres. My music is informed by so many different genres so it's fun to get to interact with artists across them.Supporting Maya Ongaku was an amazing experience this year, it was one of the best things I've ever seen, their attention to every minor detail was really inspiring and has motivated me to tighten aspects of my own craft up. I also supported Six Organs of Admittance back in March who is one of my biggest influences, I was so nervous I wanted to be sick on stage!

The EP balances ethereal comfort with eerie, otherworldly tones. What do you hope listeners carry with them after spending time in the world of Fragments?

I guess that since the EP is inspired by my connection to British Folk, I hope it inspires people to dive into the genre a bit more. I think there's an assumption that Traditional Folk is a dusty old tome, but within it there is so much great music and tradition which is really inspiring.A traditional song is much more alive than people realise, Black is the Colour (the last track on the EP) for example originates in 19th Century Scotland and its interpretations have crossed over into America and beyond. Folk songs pre-date the 'music industry' which means they exist beyond the reach of modern music institutions which I think makes them sacred in a way. I love the way that folk music and traditions stay alive over centuries and I'm sure that in 300 years, people will still be singing Black is the Colour while other songs that seem more important in our collective musical consciousness will have faded to dust.