Lankum is a bogeyman who appears under other spellings (Lamkin or Lambkin) in a gloomy traditional song said to have originated in Scotland or Northumbria, in the north of England. In fact, it belongs to the murder ballad genre, as it recounts the murder of a newborn baby, and then its mother, by the merciless character.

In Ireland, the oral nature of this story was captured on tape by Irish Traveller singer John Reilly (1926-1969) under the title "False Lankum," which in 2016 would provide a new name for the most innovative and astounding band on today's folk scene: Lankum, based in Dublin.

"He's evil incarnate," said Radie Peat, a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist in the quartet, as are her three comrades. "He kills the baby with a pin, then his mother, who has been awakened. The blood is collected in a basin by an accomplice nurse." Her companion Ian Lynch added, however, that "in some versions, it's made clear that he's not acting out of pure malice: He's a mason who's never been paid by the lord of the castle, and he's out for revenge."

Noted over the past decade for their powerful and disturbing retellings of centuries-old songs, Lankum chose False Lankum as the name of their fourth album (Beggars/Rough Trade), without singing the horrific tale. Released in March 2023, this impressive record, hailed outside traditionalist circles, has propelled the band into another dimension. False Lankum took second place in the Irish charts, just behind Lana Del Rey, but ahead of Depeche Mode, U2 and The Weeknd.

This is no mean feat for music played on old-fashioned instruments, far removed from the cheerful green folklore exported on St. Patrick's Day. Lankum prefers brown hues, which bring up smells of stout and peat. They wander on a rainy moor, on the quayside of a damaged port or in an industrial wasteland. "Death is omnipresent," Peat confirmed. "But there are also beautiful love songs, like 'Newcastle' [included in a 1651 collection of country dances titled The English Dancing Master] and 'Lord Abore and Mary Flynn,' even if this one is very tragic." This time, the monster is the mother: She poisons her son, who married against her will.

The unlikely success of False Lankum also enabled the band to embark on an ambitious European tour, but it was unfortunately thwarted by family problems. Ten dates were scheduled in France, with an expected concentration in the West. Only two survived, with an additional date in Nantes in November.

Current events also interfered when a concert was canceled in November 2023 in Leipzig, Germany, this time by decision of the organizers, due to the musicians' "political stance." They found out about this while doing the sound check. "We had expressed our support for the people of Gaza and given charity concerts," explained Peat, who noted "a big difference in perception between Germany and Ireland, where empathy and solidarity with the Palestinians is strong, which is linked to [their] history with occupation."

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