The Folk Forecast: 24–30 May 2021
Online festivals from Orkney and Chippenham and Chester, plus gigs from Edgelarks, Kris Drever and John McCusker, Peggy Seeger, Ninebarrow and more.
Hello, and welcome to another busy week of folk! With the bank holiday approaching, it’s about time for a festival, and in fact we’ve got two lined up this week: Orkney Folk Festival and Chippenham and Chester.
As if that wasn’t enough to keep you busy, we’ve also got gigs from Edgelarks, Kris Drever and John McCusker, Peggy Seeger, Ninebarrow and lots more - so without further ado, let’s get started!
MONDAY 24 MAY
Edgelarks - Live in concert with Nettlebed Folk Club — 7.30pm BST
Firebrand Music/Nettlebed Folk Club
BBC Folk Award winning duo Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin blend traditional folk with diverse influences to create something entirely new. Join them as they play live online for Nettlebed Folk Club. There will also be an optional Q&A on Zoom after the gig.
Tickets £15 / £20 pay a bit more, plus booking fee.
TUESDAY 25 MAY
An Evening with Kris Drever and John McCusker — 8pm BST
Live from Glasgow
Join two of Scotland's most acclaimed folk musicians, Kris Drever and John McCusker, as they reunite for an evening of songs and tunes. They’ll be performing live from Glasgow for this livestreamed concert, which you can catch for 5 days after the broadcast if you’ve got a date clash!
Tickets £10 for a single viewer / £15 for a family, plus booking fee.
The Whispering Bobcast Episode 4: Featuring John Smith, Richard Thompson & Kathleen Edwards — 8pm BST
Bob Harris / Roots Live
Bob Harris presents Episode 4 of The Whispering Bobcast, an online TV series and podcast featuring live performances, interviews and deep dives into Bob’s own archive of playlists. This time, his guests include John Smith, Richard Thompson and Kathleen Edwards.
Free to view, with donations encouraged.
WEDNESDAY 26 MAY
Reg Meuross - May Song Bus — 7.30pm BST
Reg Meuross on Zoom
Join Reg Meuross as he sings a selection of songs from his extensive back catalogue - one set of requests and a second set of his own choice.
Get tickets to the Zoom by giving a donation.
THURSDAY 27 MAY
Peggy Seeger — 7.30pm BST
Cecil Sharp House / streamed by Mandolin
Celebrating the release of her new album, ‘First Farewell’, Peggy Seeger will be performing her very first live gig since the pandemic from the iconic Cecil Sharp House, alongside her son Calum MacColl.
Tickets $20 (approx £14)
Virtually Orkney Folk Festival — Various events, Thursday to Sunday
Orkney Folk Festival
Orkney Folk Festival is going online this year! The line-up includes Blazin’ Fiddles, Skerryvore, Talisk, Edwina Hayes, The Chair and lots more.
Weekend tickets £40
Reg Meuross — 8pm BST
Uxbridge Folk Club
Reg Meuross will be joining Uxbridge Folk Club to perform songs from his latest album RAW, favourites from his 12 previous solo records and new compositions.
Free to view, with donations encouraged to the tip jar.
FRIDAY 28 MAY
The Joint Chester and Chippenham Online Folk Festival — Various events, Friday to Monday
Chester Folk Festival / Chippenham Folk Festival
Chester and Chippenham Folk Festivals have teamed up to present a virtual festival this year. There’s a fantastic line-up including Show of Hands, Martin and Eliza Carthy, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman and lots more. There will also be ceilidhs, workshops, sessions and family events, so something for everyone!
Full weekend tickets £39 single viewer / £45 multiple viewers, with day tickets and evening tickets also available.
Saileog Ní Cheannabháin — 7.30pm BST
Irish Music and Dance in London (IMDL)
Saileog Ní Cheannabháin is a musician, sean nós singer and composer who plays piano, fiddle and viola. This specially commissioned concert for Irish Music and Dance in London is supported by Culture Ireland. The concert can be viewed for 7 days after broadcast if you need to catch up later.
Tickets £10
Virtual Zoom Charity Concert with Boo Hewerdine — 8pm BST
Cambridge Folk Club
Cambridge Folk Club is holding a special Zoom concert in aid of East Anglia's Children's Hospices. The line-up includes Sascha Osborn, Honey and the Bear, Kim Richey and Boo Hewerdine.
Free to view, with donations to the charity encouraged.
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 Comedy Night, hosted by David Eagle of The Young'Uns and Paul 'Silky' White. This month's guests include Sindhu Vee, who has appeared on the likes of Live to the Apollo, Have I Got News for You and QI, award-winning impressionist Charlie Hopkinson and writer and comedian Will Duggan.
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Our Man in the Field — 8pm BST
Green Note
Green Note is back open and doing hybrid gigs with audiences in person and online. This week, they’ll be welcoming Our Man in the Field (AKA Alexander Ellis). Taking inspiration from the alt-Americana and Caledonian soul stylings of Van Morrison, Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Wilco, Our Man in the Field has a sound that is indefinable yet familiar - introspective, intimate and deeply soulful.
Tickets £10 plus booking fee
SATURDAY 29 MAY
Ninebarrow — 7pm BST
Ninebarrow
After wowing audiences with the theatre of their pre-recorded concerts, Ninebarrow are taking a different approach this time by doing a live concert from their house to yours. The concert can be viewed for 7 days if you’ve got a busy weekend planned!
Tickets £12.50 for single viewers or concessions / £25 for a family.
Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys* — 8pm BST
Live to Your Living Room
There’s no other band quite like Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys – and they’re coming LIVE to your Living Room all the way from Prince Edward Island in Canada. Led by fiddling wiz Gordie “Crazy Legs” MacKeeman, they play a blend of country, rockabilly and bluegrass, with lots of fun and surprises along the way!
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
The East Pointers — 8pm BST
Mandolin
Enjoy a performance from award-winning Canadian trio The East Pointers, recorded at the Harvest Home Festival on Prince Edward Island. The stream is available to watch for 2 weeks.
Tickets $15 (approx £11) or $20 for a VIP ticket (approx £14)
SUNDAY 30 MAY
Belinda Gillett — 4pm BST
The Barrel Sessions on Facebook
Belinda Gillett is an indie-folk artist from Suffolk who writes about love, life and nature. Inspired by the likes of Nick Drake and The Sundays, her songs are ethereal and full of atmosphere.
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.
National Youth Folk Ensemble Sampler Days
The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) are running National Youth Folk Ensemble sampler days online in May half term. The sessions are open to young people aged 12-18 who live in England and can confidently play an instrument. Sampler days will feature online workshops with folk artists, an online Q&A with staff and the option to audition for the Ensemble. Places are free, but you need to book in advance as numbers are limited.
Jon Boden songwriting retreat
Work on your songwriting skills with none other than Jon Boden as your mentor, at The Knoydart Retreat on Scotland’s beautiful west coast. Whether you’re seeking new inspiration, need to reconnect with your own songwriting, are looking to collaborate or want guidance to help break through a creative block, this retreat will help you immerse back into the art and craft of songwriting. It will take place from 13-17 September 2021.
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 Hunter by Christina Alden and Alex Patterson. Borne from a year of lost work and a determination to bring about something positive during the pandemic, Hunter is Alden and Patterson’s first duo album. It was developed and recorded at home, with lockdown affording the time to explore ideas, pick up old instruments and fine-tune arrangements. The time and care put into it certainly shines through in this finished collection of beautifully crafted songs.
Find us useful?
If you find The Folk Forecast useful and would like to say thanks, we’ve set up a Ko-Fi account where you can get us a virtual coffee (or perhaps a fancy tea) to help keep us going. Thanks very much for your support!
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.
* 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, Ondervinden theatre 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!