The Folk Forecast: 12–18 July 2021
Harbottle & Jonas, Show of Hands, Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage and more, plus a songwriting masterclass from folk legend Jon Boden.
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Is it just me, or has time sped up this year? A new week awaits us again, with lots to look forward to, including music from Harbottle & Jonas, Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage, Luke Jackson and more, plus digital festivals including HebCelt, Sesiwn Fawr Digi-Dol and Abbotsbury Online. If you’re something of a songwriter yourself, there’s also the chance to do a songwriting masterclass with Jon Boden on Sunday, with thanks to Hudson Records!
Find all the info below, and have a listen to this week’s playlist to get a flavour of what’s in store. Have a great week!
TUESDAY 13 JULY
The Ciderhouse Rebellion - Genius Loci (Episode 6) — 9pm BST
The Ciderhouse Rebellion on YouTube and Facebook
In this video series from The Ciderhouse Rebellion, Adam Summerhayes (fiddle) and Murray Grainger (accordion) set off on foot until they get musical inspiration. Once they have set up to record, they allow the landscape to inspire them, and the first note of an entirely new piece of music is played. This series has been filmed in the Derbyshire countryside, combining stunning drone and still-camera footage. This is the final episode, and you can catch up on past episodes on Facebook and YouTube.
Free to view
Tuesday Folk People: Pendans and Tony Purdy — 9.30pm BST
Home Stage on YouTube and Facebook
Home Stage have been hosting ‘Tuesday Folk People’ every fortnight, with artists being invited to showcase their music and tell us their story. This week, tune in for music and chat with Cornish duo Pendans and Americana singer and guitarist Tony Purdy.
Free to view
WEDNESDAY 14 JULY
HebCelt Survival Sessions — Various events from 14th to 17th July
HebCelt
Enjoy online concerts from Wednesday right through to Saturday with HebCelt. Artists include Josie Duncan, Elephant Sessions, Fara, Red Hot Chilli Pipers and more.
Event pass for all 4 concerts £40
Harbottle & Jonas* — 8pm BST
Live to your Living Room
Devon duo Harbottle & Jonas have established themselves as one of the most exciting prospects on the folk circuit today, combining a love of the richness of traditional folk with their own original and powerful songwriting. With their signature sound of concertina, harmonium, banjo, stomp box, acoustic guitar and cittern and powerful close vocal harmonies, Dave and Freya will be presenting songs from their latest album The Beacon, along with old favourites.
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
FRIDAY 16 JULY
Reg Meuross — 7pm BST
The Gather, Ennerdale
Described by Mike Harding as “one of the finest singer-songwriters this country has produced”, Reg Meuross writes clever and imaginative songs full of depth and humour. With a rare gift for connecting with people through his music, his songs paint pictures that remain with the listener long after the song is over. For this gig, he’ll be singing songs from his 14 albums, as well as previewing new writing for two projects - Fire & Dust (the story of Woody Guthrie) and Stolen from God (songs about the SW of England’s involvement in the slave trade) for which Reg has just been awarded an ‘Incubator Bursary’ by Halsway Manor.
Tickets £15
Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage Live from The Met — 7.45pm BST
The Met / Roots Live
Singing intimate duets with just mountain dulcimer, dobro and guitar, Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage are an acoustic duo that sound classically timeless, yet unique. This gig will be streamed live from The Met, Bury in HD.
Tickets £9
SATURDAY 17 JULY
Sesiwn Fawr Digi-Dol
Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau
Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau are pleased to announce the line-up for their digital event, ‘Sesiwn Fawr Digi-Dol 2021’. Music, comedy and literary sessions will be streamed for free on Sesiwn Fawr’s AM channel. Presented by Angharad Jenkins of Calan, the broadcast will include some of the Welsh music scene’s most popular artists, including Vrï, Glain Rhys, Huw Dylan, Beca, Derw, and I Fight Lions.
No time has been listed for this, so keep an eye on their website and social channels for it going live.
Free to view
SUNDAY 18 JULY
Songwriting Masterclass: ‘Song Cycles & World-Building’ with Jon Boden — 11am BST
Hudson Records
Hudson Records are running a new series of songwriting masterclasses, beginning on Sunday with none other than Jon Boden. The whole series is a brilliant opportunity to learn from some of the finest songwriters around!
Attendance is on a ‘pay what you can’ basis - email songwriting@hudsonearth.org to sign up.
Will Pound — 11.30am BST
Will Pound on Facebook
Will Pound will be playing some European tunes from his EU27 album on Sunday, in lieu of Warwick Folk Festival which was postponed.
Free to view, with donations to a tip jar encouraged.
An Hour or So with Luke Jackson — 8pm BST
Downend Folk Club
Downend Folk Club is continuing the successful ‘Hour or So’ series, by running online events with artists visiting the club for concerts. This week, Ant will be having a natter and a bag of chips with Luke Jackson, which will be compiled together with a few songs from the gig and streamed on Facebook and YouTube for you to enjoy from home.
Free to view, with donations encouraged via a tip jar. The in-person gig is sold out!
Abbotsbury Online — available to view from 18th to 25th July
Firebrand Music
This full festival line-up livestream includes both afternoon and evening sets, totalling over 5 hours of music. For the afternoon set, Phil Beer and Steve Knightley will perform as a duo and introduce the specially filmed sets from Ranagri, Gerry Colvin, Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage. The evening set sees Show of Hands joined by the remarkable Martyn Joseph, to play the full evening set from Abbotsbury Gardens as they intended to perform on the day. Miranda Sykes & Cormac Byrne join Phil and Steve for the full Show of Hands band sound.
Tickets £25 for the full festival or £20 for just the evening set. If more than one person is watching, more than one ticket is encouraged to support the artists and crew.
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.
Jack Hogsden’s Kitchen Sessions - Concerts are held on Saturdays at 7.30pm on Facebook. All money raised goes to Don’t Stop the Music.
Tim Edey’s Saturday Night Late Date - Concerts are held on Saturdays at 10pm on Facebook.
Social Dancing with Lisa Heywood - Regular chances to get together and learn about folk dances from the UK and further afield.
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!
‘Folk from the Boat’ - a YouTube series exploring traditional songs and tunes with Anna Tam, as she travels through Britain’s waterways on her canal boat.
Free track from Janice Burns & Jon Doran*
Janice Burns & Jon Doran are currently offering a free exclusive track to anyone who signs up to their mailing list before 16th July. As their agent, I’m a bit biased, but they are a truly brilliant duo and it’s well worth a listen!
This week’s playlist
Head over to this week’s playlist to hear a selection of tracks from artists featured in this issue. Listen to something new, and see which gigs you might fancy going to!
Record of the week
Record of the Week is The Best One Yet by Show of Hands with The Firebrand Band. This post-lockdown anthem celebrates the return of live music at last. Steve Knightley, Phil Beer, Miranda Sykes and Cormac Byrne are joined by TrackDogs, Edgelarks and Banter for this uplifting track, which reflects on the experiences we’ve all missed as well as looking forward with hope for the year ahead.
Songwriter and Show of Hands lead singer Steve Knightley says: “This song marks the end of a difficult period for all of us. It doesn’t matter what your taste in music is or what walk of life you’re from. This is about community. Family. Getting back out there and having fun. ’The Best One Yet’ captures the mood of the nation–we’re back and we’re ready to have fun.”
The Best One Yet will be released on 19th July, and you can pre-save it now.
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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.
* Alongside The Folk Forecast, I’m associated with other organisations on the folk scene, including Folk on Foot, Fancourt Music, Live to Your Living Room and English Folk Expo. Events where I have some involvement with the promoter or agency are marked with a star. Although I have other affiliations, I strive to be fair and inclusive and tell you about anything I think you’ll enjoy!
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