The Folk Forecast: 11–17 Jan 2021
Featuring Christy Moore, Martin Carthy, Celtic Connections, the Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival, a fundraiser for Halsway Manor and the chance to share your views.
Hello, friends. As the UK plunges into its third lockdown, I think we all need something to cheer us up. Luckily, the next week has lots in store to keep us amused, including Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival, Celtic Connections and gigs from Martin Carthy, Christy Moore and Gilmore & Roberts. This issue covers a week rather than a fortnight, as it was getting a bit too big to email out!
The ongoing repercussions of the pandemic are having a devastating impact on many of the places and people we love. One of the organisations at the front of my mind right now is Halsway Manor, the National Centre for Folk Arts, which is facing a huge financial blow from being closed for the best part of a year. Halsway is one of my absolute favourite places, and plays a huge part in continuing our folk traditions, supporting artists and helping everyone to learn about and enjoy folk music. If you’d like to help me support them, please donate to the new Folk Forecast fundraiser.
Share your views
As the Folk Forecast has been running for a little while now, I’d love to hear your views about it, so I’ve put together a short survey. If you have a couple of minutes, it would be great to hear your thoughts.
WEDNESDAY 13 JANUARY
The Shackleton Trio — 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room
Enjoy a blend of self-penned songs and imaginative reworkings of traditional material, with influences from British, American and Scandinavian folk. This highly original and energetic trio is just as likely to move you to tears as to move you to your feet. Gig is streamed via Zoom.
Tickets £14, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
FRIDAY 15 JANUARY
Celtic Connections 2021 Opening Celebration Concert — 7.30pm GMT
Celtic Connections
Celebrate the opening of Celtic Connections 2021, with over 12 performances packed into a 90-minute show, featuring the Celtic Connections 2021 Big Band, Duncan Chisholm with Scottish Ensemble, Ímar, Fiona Hunter, Kinnaris Quintet, Le Vent du Nord and many more.
Tickets £10, or get a festival pass from £30
Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival: Friday Night Concert — 8pm GMT
Whittlesea Straw Bear on YouTube and Facebook
Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival is an annual tradition, and this year the tradition is continuing online. It all kicks off on Friday night with a concert featuring Granny's Attic, Jackie Oates and more.
Free to attend, but donations to the festival encouraged.
An Hour or So With… Gilmore & Roberts — 8pm GMT
Downend Folk Club
Downend Folk Club are back with their weekly gigs on Facebook to cheer us all up during lockdown. Next up, it’s Gilmore and Roberts. Tune in for music, chat and the chance to ask them any burning questions.
No ticket required, but donations gratefully received on Paypal.
Dan Walsh — 8pm GMT
Furness Tradition
Enjoy a blend of British, Irish and American folk music, played with Dan’s unique and dazzling take on clawhammer style banjo.
Tickets £14 plus booking fee, with the option to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Chris Cleverley + Dan Whitehouse + The Jellyman’s Daughter — 8pm GMT
Green Note website, Facebook page and YouTube channel
Enjoy an evening of song-sharing with Chris Cleverley, Dan Whitehouse and The Jellyman’s Daughter, as they perform ‘in the round’ for London’s Green Note.
No ticket required, but donations gratefully received on Paypal.
Driven Serious — 8pm GMT
The Globe Newcastle
Punk-folk band Driven Serious play a mix of new songs and old favourites with an anarchic twist.
Livestream tickets £7.50, with the option to pay more to support the artists and venue. Stream is available to view for a week.
SATURDAY 16 JANUARY
Celtic Connections — Events throughout the day
Celtic Connections
10.30am - D whistle workshop with Sean Gray
1pm - Nigel’s Big Session with Nigel Gatherer
3.30pm - Ukelele Tips & Techniques with Finlay Allison
5pm - Danny Kyle Open Stage
6pm - BEMIS presents Celtic Connections in the Community
7.30pm - Shooglenifty | RANT | The Paul McKenna Band | Fiona Hunter | Amira Kheir
Individual event prices range from £2 to £10, or get a festival pass from £30.
Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival: Strawbear Saturday — Events throughout the day
Whittlesea Straw Bear on YouTube and Facebook
Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival continues with a virtual procession, a talk on the history of the Whittlesea Straw Bear, a guide to how straw bears are built, a live music and song session, a storyteller and a Zoom ceilidh.
Zoom ceilidh £6. All other events free, but donations to the festival encouraged.
Virtual Accordion Camp — from 5.30pm GMT
https://virtualaccordioncamp.weebly.com
Accordion fans can enjoy workshops with Jamie Maschler, Rachel Bell, Alex Cumming and Jeremiah McLane, followed by a tutor concert. Tutors are based in the USA, hence the evening timings for the UK. Sessions will be hosted on Zoom.
Workshop tickets $65.00 (approx £48), with the option to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Ninebarrow — 7pm GMT
Ninebarrow on Livestream.com, Facebook and YouTube
Ninebarrow are here to cheer us up this January with a livestream that’s open for all to view. Blast away the winter blues with a night of singing, stories and banter.
Free to attend, but donations encouraged to support the band.
Luke Jackson — 7.30pm GMT
Rosslyn Court on YouTube
BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominee Luke Jackson’s latest studio release, ‘Journals’, was voted 2019 Album of the Year by Fatea Magazine. Join him for an evening of beautifully crafted songs hosted by Rosslyn Court in his native Kent.
Free to attend, but donations encouraged
Christy Moore — 8pm GMT — POSTPONED to Saturday 1 May
National Concert Hall Dublin
A Christmas or New Year concert in Dublin is something of a tradition for Christy Moore. This year, the National Concert Hall in Dublin invites fans around the world to tune in online.
Tickets €16.50 (approx £15), access to the stream lasts for 48 hours.
Martin Carthy — 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room
For more than 50 years, Martin Carthy has been one of folk music’s greatest innovators. His skill, stage presence and natural charm have won him many admirers, not only from within the folk scene, but also far beyond it. Join him for an intimate set from his home to yours, via Zoom.
Tickets £14, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Chris James — 8pm
The Globe Newcastle
Virtuoso blues guitarist Chris James has played many of the top folk and blues festivals as a solo artist, and also plays regularly as a duo with harmonica player Martin Fletcher. Catch him live from The Globe in Newcastle.
Livestream tickets £7.50, with the option to pay more to support the artists and venue. Stream is available to view for a week.
SUNDAY 17 JANUARY
Celtic Connections — Events throughout the day
Celtic Connections
10am - Claire’s Music Club
10.30am - Introduction to Bluegrass Banjo Picking Styles with Garry McFadden
1pm - Strathspeys - in many styles with Daniel Thorpe
1pm - New Voices: Josie Duncan
3.30pm - Beyond the Tune with Emma Tomlinson
5pm - Danny Kyle Open Stage
7.30pm - Chris Stout & Catriona McKay | Georgia Cécile | Fergus McCreadie Trio | Sona Jobarteh
Individual event prices range from £2 to £10, or get a festival pass from £30.
Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival: Strawbear Sunday — Events throughout the day
Whittlesea Straw Bear on YouTube and Facebook
Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival concludes with a music and song session, a concert and the traditional burning of the straw bear.
Free to attend, but donations to the festival encouraged.
Eliza Gilkyson — 8pm GMT
The Live Room Saltaire
Eliza Gilkyson, the two-time Grammy-nominated folk singer, songwriter and activist, is one of the most respected musicians on the folk roots and Americana scene today. Thanks to the wonders of technology, you can catch her wherever you are in the world with this gig presented by The Live Room in Saltaire.
Tickets £10
Martin Hayes Fiddle Workshop: How To Develop and Shape Melody In Irish Music — 8pm GMT
Old Town School of Folk Music
World renowned Irish fiddler Martin Hayes will demonstrate how to break down a melody to its essential bare bones elements and rebuild it through a process of interpretation, variation, and ornamentation to make it your own. This workshop is being run by the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, so it’s at 2pm CST which is why it’s at 8pm in the UK!
Tickets: $40 for non-members (approx £30)
Sam Lee & Viktor Wynd - Bed Time Ballads, Stories & a Lullaby — 9pm GMT
The Last Tuesday Society & The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities (Tickets via Eventbrite)
Join Sam Lee and Viktor Wynd for a nightcap, as they share fairy tales, ballads and a lullaby to send you off to sleep.
Tickets by Donation - 50% to CRISIS - no minimum
Regular events
‘Almost Acoustic’ with Eliza Carthy on Radio Scarborough - Mondays at 8pm. The show is also repeated through the week, so you can catch up if you miss it.
Afternoon Tea with Paul Walker and Karen Pfeiffer - Concerts are held on Fridays at 4pm on Facebook.
Winter Wilson Live from the Lounge - Concerts are held on Thursdays at 8.15pm on Facebook.
Tim Edey’s Sleeping Tunes - Concerts are held on Saturdays at 9pm on Facebook
Will Pound’s Sunday concerts - Concerts are held on Sundays at 11.30am on Facebook.
Cara Dillon: This Woman’s Work on BBC Radio Ulster - This radio series is being broadcast on Sundays at 4pm, and you can catch up on past episodes on the BBC website and BBC Sounds app.
The Isolation Pub Sessions - John Spiers hosts monthly sessions on his Facebook page, and you can submit recordings of you playing if you’d like to join in!
This week’s playlist
Head over to this week’s playlist to hear a selection of tracks from some of the artists featured in this issue. It’s a real mix this week, and I’ve definitely discovered a few new favourites (‘Quiet Movie’ by The Jellyman’s Daughter is my top pick).
Album of the week
Old Wow by Sam Lee. This beautifully atmospheric album is inspired by and dedicated to the natural world. Have a listen, and hopefully you’ll be wowed too!
Keep up to date - find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
The Folk Forecast is created for artists, for audiences and for the UK folk scene. All information is correct to the best of our knowledge. If you have queries about the events listed, please contact the artists or promoters. If you have any suggestions for inclusion in future newsletters, please email TheFolkForecast@gmail.com. We may not be able to include absolutely everything, but we’re interested in UK folk events with a broad appeal, and would particularly welcome suggestions from Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The Folk Forecast is compiled by one person, so please bear with me if I can’t get back to you right away.