The Folk Forecast: 19–25 July 2021
An evening with songwriting legend Robb Johnson, plus Martin and Eliza Carthy, Benji Kirkpatrick & The Excess, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman and more.
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Hello, and welcome back to The Folk Forecast! Sorry it’s a bit late in the day - as many of you have probably found too, it takes a bit of adjustment to get back into post-lockdown life, and it’s been a very busy few months so I’ve needed a bit of a break.
With festivals and summer holidays in full swing, it’s a bit of a quiet one this week, but the gigs that are in store are absolute belters, from Robb Johnson and Martin and Eliza Carthy to Benji Kirkpatrick & The Excess and Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman.
Whatever you’re up to this summer, I hope there’s sunshine and music where you are. Speaking of which, here’s this week’s playlist!
MONDAY 19 JULY
Robb Johnson* — 8pm BST
Live to your Living Room
Robb Johnson is widely regarded as one of the UK's finest songwriters. Writing about the issues facing us all today, he’s certainly had a lot to write about over the last year and a half, and released Pandemic Songs in September. You might not have heard Robb perform live before, but you will almost certainly have heard his songs, which have been covered by everyone from the late, great Roy Bailey to cabaret diva Barb Jungr. Don't miss the chance to hear him play live, right to your living room.
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
WEDNESDAY 21 JULY
Benji Kirkpatrick & The Excess* — 8pm BST
Live to your Living Room
Benji Kirkpatrick is well known for playing in some of the biggest bands in folk, from Bellowhead and Faustus to Steeleye Span, plus collaborations with Seth Lakeman and lots more. Over the last few years, he has been cooking up plans for his own project, Benji Kirkpatrick & The Excess, giving him the chance to bring his own writings to life. The band is ordinarily a trio, but for this gig Benji will play as a duo with bassist Pete Thomas.
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman* — 8pm BST
English Folk Expo / Exeter Phoenix
Partners in life as well as in music, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman have established an enviable class act of imaginative songwriting and musicianship. Bold and innovative, they mix traditional song arrangements with their wide-ranging self-penned material. This gig will be available to view in person at Exeter Phoenix as well as being livestreamed by the brilliant Northern Cowboy Films, whose beautifully filmed streams almost make you feel like you’re there.
Tickets £12 plus booking fee.
THURSDAY 22 JULY
We Are Muffy — 7.30pm BST
Rosslyn Court
Cornish indie-folk duo We Are Muffy play a live set for Rosslyn Court. The first hour of the performance will be livestreamed, with the second half being exclusively for the in-person audience. If you’re local to Margate, you could also go along in person.
Livestream free to view, with donations encouraged.
Ethan Johns with the Black Eyed Dogs — 8.30pm BST
Green Note
Green Note in London are starting to run some hybrid events, which is great to see. On Thursday, join Black Eyed Dogs for an intimate trio show helmed by one of the fathers of Americana Ethan Johns, with band members Nick Pini on bass and Georgina Leach on fiddle. In-venue tickets are sold out, but you can still catch the livestream from wherever you are.
Tickets £10
FRIDAY 23 JULY
Martin & Eliza Carthy + Bertie Armstrong and Niles Krieger — 8pm BST
The Globe Newcastle
Legendary ballad singer and guitarist Martin Carthy has influenced generations of artists, including Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. For over 50 years, he has been one of folk music’s greatest innovators. Meanwhile, his daughter Eliza is one of the most engaging performers of her generation, twice nominated for the Mercury Prize and winner of innumerable other accolades over a 20-year career.
For this gig, support will be provided by Bertie Armstrong and Niles Krieger, a duo who transport the old-time sound of fiddle and banjo into creative, new dimensions inspired by sources from both sides of the Atlantic.
Tickets £9.50, with the option to pay more to support the artists and venue. Stream is available to view for a week.
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! The next one is set to be the last for the foreseeable.
‘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.
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 Dragon’s Out by Ceitidh Mac. With a dreamy soundscape layered up as a backdrop for lyrics of pure poetry, this track explores the complex relationships we each have with our own minds. Taking the idea that we each have our own inner demons, Dragon’s Out is a song about understanding and accepting our inner workings rather than fighting them - “Dragons in my brain, don’t need the night to slay them, or even try to tame them; I will get to know them till the fire keeps me warm”.
Dragon’s Out will be released on Friday 23rd July, and you can pre-save it now. It is the third single to be released from Ceitidh Mac’s upcoming EP, I Reach for the Pen, which will be out on 27th August.
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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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