The Folk Forecast: 28 June–4 July 2021
See Väsen-Duo play live from Sweden, plus Holly Clarke, Amelia Coburn, Miranda Sykes and more.
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Hello, and welcome back to The Folk Forecast! This week, we’ve got incredible multi-instrumentalists Väsen-Duo playing live from Sweden, plus performances from Holly Clarke, Amelia Coburn, Miranda Sykes and more. For younger folk fans, there’s also a Young Folk Club Online Takeover from EFDSS featuring Hannah James which sounds fab for those aged 14-21.
Here’s this week’s playlist - hope you all have a fab week and see you again soon!
TUESDAY 29 JUNE
Tuesday Folk People: John “Daddio” Clarke and Highlights from the Past 6 Months — 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 John Daddio Clarke, as well as reflections on highlights over the last six months.
Free to view
WEDNESDAY 30 JUNE
Holly Clarke* — 8pm BST
Live to your Living Room
Cumbrian folk singer Holly Clarke explores old songs in new ways, finding fresh resonance for audiences of today. With storytelling at the heart of her work, she strives to perform in a way that is true to the tradition and to herself. This is the final event in Live to your Living Room’s Pride Month season.
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
FRIDAY 2 JULY
Sean Taylor & Katie Spencer — 7.45pm BST
The Live Room Saltaire / Roots Live
Sean Taylor’s unique songwriting is described as “a late-night cocktail of Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Jack Kerouac”, while his voice is compared to a cross between John Martyn and Van Morrison. Meanwhile, Katie Spencer conjures vivid landscapes through the medium of song, with striking imagery that creates a universe of sound and storytelling. Catch both of them performing on one magical night, from The Live Room at Saltaire.
Tickets £12
Amelia Coburn — 8pm BST
The Globe Newcastle
With beautifully written lyrics and a voice that’ll knock your socks off, BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award nominee Amelia Coburn comes highly recommended. Drawing together a range of influences, from pop and punk to classic jazz, her work has a distinctive sound with a timeless, vintage quality to it that is hard to resist.
Tickets £7.50, with the option to pay more to support the artists and venue. Stream is available to view for a week.
SATURDAY 3 JULY
The Young Folk Club Online Takeover with Hannah James — from 10.30am BST
EFDSS
The EFDSS Young Folk Club is running a day of free online folk activities over Zoom. There will be a workshop and Q&A with Hannah James (of Lady Maisery and The Jigdoll Ensemble), as well as a session, listening club and craft workshop. The event is open to all young people aged 14-21 who are enthusiastic about folk music, song and dance or curious to know more. The day begins at 10.30am and finishes at 4pm, with plenty of breaks through the day.
Free to attend but needs to be booked in advance.
SUNDAY 4 JULY
Knavish Sprite - Oxfordshire Local Folk Takeover — 4pm BST
Folk Weekend Oxford
Join Folk Weekend Oxford for a Sunday afternoon of live music with Knavish Sprite (Robin Shannon), a Didcot-based folk/blues singer and songwriter. Tune in on Folk Weekend Oxford’s Facebook page.
Free to view
Joe Martin — 7.15pm BST
The Live Room Saltaire / Roots Live
Joe Martin writes with a quality of empathy beyond his years. His descriptive lyrics capture the stories of people and encounters picked up on the road, woven into masterfully crafted songs that paint a picture with every verse. He’ll be joined by a full band for this gig, which celebrates the release of his newest EP Bound For Lonesome.
Tickets £12
Miranda Sykes — 7.30pm BST
Miranda Sykes on Facebook
Miranda Sykes will be going live on her Facebook page on Sunday night. Known for her work with the mighty Show of Hands, Miranda’s flawless performances come straight from the heart.
Free to view, with donations encouraged to a tip jar.
Väsen-Duo* — 8pm BST
Live to your Living Room
Väsen-Duo (Mikael Marin and Olov Johansson) have been playing and touring together for an incredible 37 years, resulting in an almost telepathic musical connection between them. They take multi-instrumentalism to the next level, playing everything from silverbasharpa and oktavharpa to three-rowed nyckelharpa and violoncello da spalla. With touring being limited these days, don’t miss the chance to see them play live from Sweden!
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
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.
Heidi Talbot crowdfunder
Heidi Talbot is currently fundraising to produce her 6th solo album with world renowned producer and multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell. She hopes to create an album of songs inspired by where she’s been, right up to where she is now, exploring themes of love, loss, healing and hope. Ordinarily, her income from performances would have helped to fund this new album, so after a year without touring, she’s now looking to fans for help. Click below to find out more and pledge your support.
A Tilston Trail
Peter Dilley has created a fantastic short film called A Tilston Trail, where he chats and shares music with Steve Tilston. Well worth a watch!
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 Soho by Vulpes, the new venture from Maz O’Connor.
After releasing Chosen Daughter in 2019, Maz had decided to spend some time busking around London and Paris to gather inspiration for new material. When lockdown set in, this plan went out the window, and Maz found herself taking long walks across London instead. As it turns out, exploring the city was just as inspiring, not only giving ideas for new material but also bringing about a new alter-ego for Maz: Vulpes, a name that sprang from the foxes that reclaimed the city streets during lockdown.
Soho is a song firmly rooted in the city of its birth, exploring the changes London has seen over the years and considering how consumerism has transformed not just this city, but others right around the world. Written in collaboration with Will Gardner, Soho is the first taste of a forthcoming album, so watch this space for more news in the future!
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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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