If classic protest rock hooked up with 21st-century fire, it’d sound exactly like Oaken Lee’s “Where Now?”—a track that screams “rebellion!” and the rigid pulse of hope. Jamming 60s folk-rock and punk, and delivered by a North London singer who’s not afraid to punch apathy right in the face, Lee’s music is screaming at us to open our eyes to the climate crisis without falling into a pit of doom and gloom.
Jake “Oaken Lee”, dudes, isn’t your mainstream musician. Born in the quiet countryside of Shropshire but toughened up in the gritty streets of Tottenham, he’s a storyteller who uses sound as his pen. His music is a crazy quilt of acoustic rawness and electric mayhem, stitched together with pure passion. In “Where Now?”, Lee becomes a one-man army of change. He piles on growling bass lines, pounding drum machine beats, and even throws in real chants from climate protests in London. When you hear that crowd roaring at the start, it’s not just for show – it’s the real deal, pulling you right into the sweaty, angry heart of actual protests.
This song bleeds revolt from every note, tipping its hat to icons like Dylan and Lennon but dripping with the anxiety of our times. The clash between jangly folk guitars and distorted bass proves the song’s message: our world is walking a tightrope between falling apart and pulling through. Lee’s voice swings between sounding worn down and fired up, especially when he hits that solo and final verse. Those guitar licks spiral up like a scream, telling us loud and clear: “We’re not throwing in the towel yet!” This isn’t merely protest music that cries about the world burning – it’s the kind that shoves a bucket in your hands and tells you to start putting out the flames.
Recorded in stolen moments between Tottenham’s daily grind—late nights, bleary-eyed 5 AM mixing sessions—the track reeks of determination. Lee’s no greenhorn; he’s shared stages with Mumford & Sons and lit up festivals like Glastonbury, but here he’s reborn as a garage-rock prophet. The upcoming album Home (is a folk-rock mixtape), set to drop this summer on tape (hell yeah, analog warriors!), promises more of this raw alchemy.
In “Where Now?”, Oaken Lee doesn’t preach; he amplifies the crap outside your window and dares you to do something about it.