The Folk Forecast: 26 July–1 Aug 2021
Sharon Shannon, Anna Massie, Gigspanner, an insight into the life of Eliza Carthy and the Burwell Bash.
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Hello, and welcome back to The Folk Forecast! Lots of exciting things to look forward to this week, from Sharon Shannon, Anna Massie and Eliza Carthy to Gigspanner and an online summer school with the Burwell Bash.
I’m off on a little holiday to Scotland for a few days (hurrah!) so I’m sending this a bit early. I hope you’re all having lovely summers too. Here’s this week’s playlist, for something to listen to whatever you’re up to!
MONDAY 26 JULY
Sharon Shannon Live at DeBarra's Folk Club — 8pm BST (the website says GMT but I think this should be BST!)
Sharon Shannon / Mandolin
Sharon Shannon, Jim Murray and Jack Maher recorded this gig live from DeBarra's Folk Club in Clonakilty, West Cork on February 12th 2020, just a few weeks before the COVID 19 pandemic really started to shut down the world. It’s now being released as a livestream for everyone to enjoy.
Tickets $15 (approx £11)
TUESDAY 27 JULY
Burwell Bash — Workshops from 27th to 29th July
Burwell Bash
Burwell Bash is running online this year, with workshops from Andy Cutting, Brian Finnegan, Jock Tyldesley, Katherine Mann, Ed Boyd and Tola Custy. There will be workshops for tin whistle, flute, fiddle, guitar and melodeon, exploring a variety of tunes, traditions and techniques. There will also be a tutor’s concert, Q&A and opportunities to socialise and share tunes in sessions.
Tickets available by donating to the event - suggested donation of £60-80 for the full 3-day course.
Tuesday Folk People: Sean Dagher and Kim & Phil Biggs — 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 Canadian performer and composer Sean Dagher and folk duo Kim & Phil Biggs, regulars at my home folk club in Spalding!
Free to view
WEDNESDAY 28 JULY
Anna Massie* — 8pm BST
Live to your Living Room
Anna Massie is one of Scotland’s foremost guitarists, as well as excelling on fiddle, mandolin and tenor banjo. Renowned for her work with Blazin’ Fiddles and Mairearad Green, the past few years have also seen Anna perform with her own band, as well as Bella Hardy, Julie Fowlis, Kate Rusby, Karen Matheson, Capercaillie and Eddi Reader. She’s also been nominated three times as Best Instrumentalist at the Scots Trad Music Awards and won the Trad Music in the Media award this year.
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
THURSDAY 29 JULY
Home Stage: Eliza Carthy — 8pm BST
Home Stage
Home Stage present an evening of conversation and exclusive performances with multi-award winning and critically acclaimed folk singer and musician Eliza Carthy. With her CV boasting an MBE, 8 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, 2 Mercury Prize Nominations, the Songlines World Music Award, the Hamlyn Award for Artists, and the Folkling Award, the impact Eliza’s fantastic music has had on the British folk scene in second to none.
Tickets £5
FRIDAY 30 JULY
The Cusp — 7.30pm BST
The Globe Newcastle
The Cusp are a contemporary instrumental trio consisting of fiddle player Imogen Bose Ward (Balter), harpist Ada Francis (LYRAS, Benjamin Fitzgerald) and percussionist Will Hammond (Ceitidh Mac, Martha Hill). They explore the lines between traditional folk music and more alternative perspectives.
Tickets £7.50, with the option to pay more to support the artists and venue. Stream is available to view for a week.
The Gigspanner Big Band Livestream from The Pavilion Teignmouth — 8pm BST
Peter Knight’s Gigspanner
In the wake of his departure from Steeleye Span, legendary fiddle player Peter Knight has turned his full attention to his trio Gigspanner, and in the process established their reputation as one of the most genuinely ground-breaking forces on the British folk scene. Catch them playing live from Teignmouth, wherever you are in the world!
Tickets £15 single, £25 for a couple or £40 for a group watching together.
The Heathen Kings — 8.30pm BST
Folk at the Grove
Folk at the Grove presents The Heathen Kings, an energetic folk trio from Yorkshire. Performing traditional, self-penned and borrowed folk music from the British Isles and further afield, their sound shifts from calm, tender duets to full, high energy pieces, and delicate unaccompanied singing. This gig has been rescheduled a couple of times so that’s why you may have seen it listed before!
Free to view, with donations encouraged to the tip jar.
SATURDAY 31 JULY
Folk, Shanty & Beer Festival with special guest Martin Carthy - Various events all weekend
Home Stage / The Harbour Room
Home Stage and The Harbour Room are celebrating the return of live music events with their Folk, Shanty and Beer Festival, which is being livestreamed as well as available to attend in person. There are a whopping 20 acts taking part across the two days. Martin Carthy will be performing at 8pm BST on Saturday. Other guests include Peter Sanpher and Steve Evans, Maddy Leedham of The Leedham Sisters, The Browns, Tony Purdy, The Fried Pirates, The Old Wild Rovers and more.
Tickets £5 for Martin Carthy’s gig, with the rest being available to view for free.
Tall Shaves — 8pm BST
The Globe Newcastle
The North East’s folk-pop treasure Tall Shaves are back with their signature upbeat and feel-good songs. They’ve been busy writing over lockdown and are ready to share their new music.
Tickets £7.50, with the option to pay more to support the artists and venue. Stream is available to view for a week.
SUNDAY 1 AUGUST
A J Clarke with Julia Porter — 7.30pm BST
Rosslyn Court
A J Clarke will be showcasing new material in this gig for Rosslyn Court, supported by his partner Julia Porter. 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.
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.
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 Live At Cooper Hall by Cara Dillon. Many of you will remember Cara Dillon and Sam Lakeman’s two beautiful concerts at Cooper Hall, which provided a bit of light during the darkness of lockdown. Songs from those concerts have now been selected and compiled into an album, including two previously unreleased songs, The Water Is Wide and Come Flying With Me, and lots of old favourites. The album is out on 6th August and is available to pre-order now.
Find us useful?
If you find The Folk Forecast useful and would like to support us, 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!
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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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