The Folk Forecast: 19–25 April 2021
Two chances to enjoy music from Skerryvore, plus more Singing with Nightingales, a Lady Maisery singing day and The Young'Uns!
Hello, and welcome to a slightly later than usual Folk Forecast! Having actually ventured to leave the house a bit at the weekend, I ran behind schedule, but hopefully you were all enjoying the sun and getting a bit more back to normal too!
If you’re a Skerryvore fan, you’re in for a treat this week. As well as Skerryvore’s ‘Onboard’ virtual gig on Saturday, the band’s frontman Alec Dalglish also has a solo gig on Wednesday where he’ll be playing some of your favourite Skerryvore songs in a whole new way. There’s also more Singing with Nightingales this week, as well as The Young’Uns, Fay Hield and a Lady Maisery singing day if you fancy bursting into song yourself. For a taster of what’s coming up, have a listen to this week’s playlist.
WEDNESDAY 21 APRIL
Reg Meuross - Calendar Concerts: April — 7.30pm BST
Fromthewhitehouse / Company of Song
Reg Meuross will be singing a selection of songs from his extensive back catalogue: one set of requests, and a second set of his own choice. Make a donation to get access to the Zoom link, and get the chance to make any requests!
Tickets via a donation of your choice.
Alec Dalglish (Skerryvore)* — 8pm BST
Live to Your Living Room
Alec Dalglish, from West Lothian, Scotland is a singer-songwriter and guitarist known primarily as a founding member and frontman for Scottish folk-rock band, Skerryvore. Join him for a rare and intimate solo gig, where he’ll be playing arrangements of songs he’s written for Skerryvore as well as some of the songs that inspire him as a writer.
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
THURSDAY 22 APRIL
Music Masters: Tilt presents The Unthanks — 6pm BST
Tipping Point / Generator
The Unthanks will lead a masterclass for artists, to discuss how they have successfully and independently diversified into television, theatre, multimedia projects, residential weekends, and interactive online events. Part of the masterclass will involve a Q&A, so if you’ve got questions, submit them in advance when you book your place.
Free to attend
Fay Hield: Wrackline — 7.30pm BST
Sheffield University
Fay Hield teams up once again with Sam Sweeney and Rob Harbron to tour her new album, Wrackline. Exploring ideas of the space between, Wrackline looks to ghosts, fairies, spirits and talking animals to understand what it is about the unknown that entrances us. Working with traditional materials and ideas, Fay explores the feelings they evoke and how they relate to her experience in the contemporary world.
Tickets £5, with options to pay more to support live music.
The Last Inklings: Alchemy Listening Party* — 8pm BST
The Last Inklings on YouTube
Join The Last Inklings live on their Youtube channel for a glimpse behind the scenes of their debut recording, Alchemy. There'll be insights into the recording process, the stories and inspirations behind the songs, and a sneak peek at some exciting future projects.
Free to view, with donations to the tip jar encouraged.
Singing with Nightingales: Earth Day 2021 — 11pm BST
The Nest Collective on YouTube
Hosted by Sam Lee, this audio broadcast will take you on a journey into the woods of Sussex to hear the unforgettable song of the nightingale. Featuring special guest musicians including Karine Polwart, Martin Green, Aidan O’Rourke, Jenny Sturgeon and more!
Free to tune in, but donations encouraged to The Nest Collective.
FRIDAY 23 APRIL
Big Screen TV: Episode 2 — 7pm BST
Generator / Tipping Point
This new online music show will showcase some of the best local bands, artists and venues in the North East. Episode 2 features performances from Me Lost Me, Merle Harbron and Holly Clarke.
Free to view
Anna Tam: Anchoress album launch concert — 7pm BST
Anna Tam on YouTube and Facebook
Join acclaimed singer and multi-instrumentalist Anna Tam for the launch of her debut solo album, Anchoress. Singing with 'a clear voice that so many singers would give their eye teeth for’ (Folking) and shortlisted by Fatea magazine as Instrumentalist of the Year in 2020 for her work with Wilde Roses, Anna performs on an eclectic range of instruments including nyckelharpa, viola da gamba, hurdy gurdy and cello, as well as giving traditional British songs her own personal twist. The concert will be live-streamed from her boat (the home of Folk from the Boat), with songs from the album, some of the stories behind the songs and live audience Q&A.
Free to view, with donations encouraged to the tip jar.
MG Boulter + Dani Larkin + King Cedar — 8pm BST
Green Note website, Facebook page and YouTube channel
Enjoy an evening of song-sharing with MG Boulter, Dani Larkin and King Cedar, as they perform virtually ‘in the round’ for London’s Green Note.
No ticket required, but donations gratefully received on Paypal.
Live to Your Living Room Comedy Night, hosted by David Eagle of The Young’uns and Paul ‘Silky’ White* — 8pm BST
Live to Your Living Room
Live to Your Living Room present their very first Comedy Night, hosted by David Eagle of The Young'Uns and Paul 'Silky' White. This month's guests include Rob Rouse (as seen on 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Friday Night Project and BBC 2's Upstart Crow), Brennan Reece (English Comedian of the Year, with appearances on Live at the Apollo and Comedy Central at the Comedy Store) and Daisy Earl (Scottish Comedian of the Year and Best Newcomer at the Chortle Live Comedy Awards).
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Holy Moly & The Crackers — 8pm BST
Sage Gateshead
Holy Moly & The Crackers are innovative and fiery folk-rockers from Newcastle. With a unique blend of soul, rock, indie and Balkan folk, their live shows are always filled with party atmosphere.
Tickets from £8.80 to £33
Folk at the Maltings online - Pete Nutkins hosts Watford Folk Club New Roots Night — 8pm BST
Folk at the Maltings / Watford Folk Club
Pete Nutkins of Watford Folk Club hosts an online concert featuring four New Roots finalists: Lilian Grace, Robbie Sherratt, Cathy Bennett and Callum McKellar. A great chance to see some up and coming new talent.
Tickets £10 for individuals / £15 for 2 people / £20 for 3 or more
SATURDAY 24 APRIL
Joint Morris Organisations’ Virtual Day of Dance 2021 — from 10am BST
The Morris Federation / The Morris Ring / Open Morris
Enjoy a celebration of morris and traditional dancing with sessions and workshops through the day on Zoom.
Free to attend, but donations encouraged to a charity of your choice.
Skerryvore: Onboard — 7pm BST
Skerryvore
Skerryvore’s latest livestream takes them to the sea as they host a special performance on board Fingal, a luxury floating hotel permanently berthed on Edinburgh’s vibrant waterfront. This historic ship started life as a lighthouse tender, helping to maintain lighthouses including Skerryvore lighthouse itself!
Tickets pay as you feel, with the option to also buy merch or enter a prize draw to win a stay on the ship.
The Young’Uns* — 8pm BST
Live to Your Living Room
Triple BBC Folk Award winners The Young'Uns are known for their heart, humour and harmonies. The trio share an amazing bond which makes every performance something truly special. This one is set to be very popular, so booking in advance is advised, as even Zoom rooms can fill up!
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas: The Golden Age — 8pm BST
Mandolin
The fifth in a series of seven retrospective concerts celebrating 20 years of Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas recording and performing together. This concert celebrates their early recording, Legacy of the Scottish Fiddle, Volume 2.
Tickets $20 (approx £14)
SUNDAY 25 APRIL
Lady Maisery Spring Singing Day — from 10.30am BST
Lady Maisery on Zoom
Lady Maisery present a full day of singing workshops, including vocal and breath work, learning songs in 3-part harmony and an informal ‘hang out’ with songs from Hannah, Hazel and Rowan in the evening.
Tickets £55, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Väsen-Duo in Concert - The World Nyckelharpa Day!
Väsen on Facebook
Väsen-Duo (Olov Johansson and Mikael Marin) celebrate World Nyckelharpa Day by shining the spotlight on the legendary nyckelharpist Ceylon Wallin and his brother Henry Wallin. They’ll present some of the new material they’ve been working on, playing nyckelharpas, violoncello da spalla and low pitched electric viola.
Free to view, with donations encouraged.
Megson's Folk Club Experience Live Stream — 7.30pm BST
Megson on Facebook
On April 25th, Megson were meant to be playing at one of their favourite venues – The Hitchin Folk Club. With restrictions in place, unfortunately this can’t go ahead, so instead they’ll be transforming their living room into a folk club for the night and recreating the atmosphere of this historic establishment in a live stream show!
Free to view, but VIP tickets available, which include a download album of the show and an all-important ticket for the raffle!
Jez Lowe — 8pm GMT
Jez Lowe on Facebook
Jez Lowe will be going live on his Facebook page to share some songs on Sunday, so tune in at 8pm for a listen.
Free to view
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.
Paul McKenna - Paul regularly plays Facebook gigs on Saturday nights at 8pm.
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.
Social Dancing with Lisa Heywood - Regular chances to get together and learn about folk dances from the UK and further afield.
Honey and the Bear - Concerts are held on Sundays at 7pm on Facebook.
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.
Hudson Club
Hudson Records have launched a new club where you can get access to their back catalogue, plus exclusive music, articles, podcasts, events and other perks. It’s £10 a month and it helps to support artists much more fairly than other streaming platforms. Combining great content with support for artists, this seems like a winning idea!
Sea shanties & historic ships
Starting on Sunday 18th April, and running for the next three weeks, historic ship HMS Unicorn will be releasing some specially recorded sea shanties by folk singers Lynne Campbell and Michael J. Warne.
Launched in 1824, and located in Dundee, Scotland, HMS Unicorn is the third oldest ship afloat in the world. You can check out the first recording, Drunken Sailor, now and catch each recording on HMS Unicorn’s YouTube page every Sunday. Thanks to Rough’s Drafts for flagging this one!
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
Our Record of the Week is Tunnellers by Nancy Kerr. It’s always a treat to get a new release from Nancy, and this one popped up as quite a surprise! It’s a song cycle that was commissioned by the British Tunnelling Society for their 50th anniversary year. The result is a tribute to engineering and innovation, as well as courage and hope. Get a digital copy on Nancy’s Bandcamp page.
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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 find that I think you’ll enjoy!