The Folk Forecast: 29 March–4 April 2021
Martin Simpson and Andy Cutting play a duo set, plus music from Josie Duncan, The Lasses, Jon Wilks and more.
Hello, and happy Monday! Bank holidays and Easter eggs are beckoning us at the end of this week, with lots of music to enjoy before then, so I hope you have a lovely few days ahead. From the traditional singing of Jon Wilks and Nick Hart to the more contemporary sounds of Project Smok and Me Lost Me, there’s something for everyone coming up.
My own involvement in the folk scene has been growing alongside the newsletter, so I’ve listed organisations I’m involved with in the notes at the end so that it’s transparent. With the folk scene being so tight-knit, it’s all quite interconnected, but I’ll always do my best to be unbiased and tell you about anything I think you’ll enjoy.
Hope you all have a good week, and see you on Sunday when we’ve all eaten too many chocolate eggs…
TUESDAY 30 MARCH
The Lasses — 7.30pm BST
Nijend24
The Lasses are a folk duo from the Netherlands who tour all around the world with their beautiful harmonies, drawing on traditional material from the UK, Ireland and America. Join them for a livestream from Nijend24 in the Netherlands — the video will appear at this link when it goes live.
Free to view but donations encouraged.
WEDNESDAY 31 MARCH
Martin Simpson and Andy Cutting — 8pm BST
Live to Your Living Room
A rare opportunity to see two of the finest musicians on the folk scene performing together as a duo. Martin Simpson is acclaimed as one of the best acoustic and slide guitarists around, whilst Andy Cutting is much in demand for his melodeon wizardry. The combination of the two is sure to be something very special indeed.
Tickets £14, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Zoe Wren + Iona Lane + Ellie Gowers — 8pm BST
Green Note website, Facebook page and YouTube channel
Enjoy an evening of song-sharing with Zoe Wren, Iona Lane and Ellie Gowers, as they perform virtually ‘in the round’ for London’s Green Note.
No ticket required, but donations gratefully received on Paypal.
THURSDAY 1 APRIL
Big Band Ceilidh Tunes Workshop — 6.30pm BST
Live to Your Living Room
A fantastic chance to learn ‘big band’ arrangements of a few of your favourite ceilidh tunes, with Jenny Newman and Andy Glass of The Party Band. Suitable for all instruments and abilities.
Tickets £12, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Project Smok: Tolbooth Shindig — 7pm BST
Tolbooth Stirling
Tolbooth Shindig is back for 2021 with a brand new series of concerts that have been filmed live in Tolbooth Stirling, and will be broadcast weekly on a Thursday from Tolbooth’s Facebook page. Project Smok are known for their ability to effortlessly blend trad music with contemporary new-age pop influences, pushing boundaries and making listeners stop and re-evaluate their musical expectations.
Free to view.
Jim Causley and Phoebe Rees — 8pm BST
Bowes Park Folk Club on Facebook
Bowes Park Folk Club presents a double whammy of outstanding musicianship. Multi award-winning singer-songwriter, musician and proud Devonian Jim Causley was described by Mojo Magazine as “the finest singer of his generation”. Musician and songwriter Phoebe Rees takes inspiration from a range of genres and cultures, weaving these musical influences into a sound that’s all her own.
Free to view, but donations encouraged.
FRIDAY 2 APRIL
Josie Duncan — 7pm BST
FolkSoc UK on Facebook
Josie Duncan has an effortless, modern style of songwriting that has entranced audiences the world over, from festival stages in Australia to basements in Glasgow. Catch her performing this week as part of the FolkSoc UK Spring Streams. There’s also the opportunity for a Q&A after the gig.
Free to view.
An Hour or So With… Jon Wilks — 8pm BST
Downend Folk Club on Facebook
Enjoy an hour or so of song-sharing and conversation with traditional singer and former music journalist Jon Wilks. This event is presented by Downend Folk Club, who have been hosting events regularly on Friday nights through lockdown.
Free to view, but donations gratefully received to the tip jar.
Me Lost Me — 8pm BST
The Globe Newcastle
Me Lost Me is the electronic music project of Newcastle-based Jayne Dent, currently Artist in Residence at Sage Gateshead. Described by Tom Robinson as a “brilliant peculiar noise”, Me Lost Me delights in experimenting with genre, taking influence from folk, electronica, art pop, ambient and noise music to create a beguiling mix of soaring vocals, synth, field recordings and hypnotic rhythms. Her live shows are atmospheric, dark and playful, with a repertoire that explores storytelling through original songs, improvisations and reworkings of traditional ballads.
Livestream 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 APRIL
Hannah James 4-Week Beginner Clog Course — 10am BST each week
Hannah James on Zoom
Hannah James presents a 4-week clog course for beginners, starting this Saturday. Each week will look at the basics of technique, posture and rhythm stepping to music, as well as learning a simple routine. The course will run on Saturday mornings in April (3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th) at 10am UK time for 1 hour. Having done many of Hannah’s classes myself, I can fully recommend her as a brilliant teacher, and you’ll have a lot of fun!
Tickets £40 for the full course.
An Evening with Semibreve & Friends: with special guests The Brothers Gillespie and Harpist, Olivia Jageurs — 7.30pm BST
Semibreve Events on Facebook
Semibreve Events hosts an evening with Northumbrian duo The Brothers Gillespie and classical harpist Olivia Jageurs.
Free to view.
Daisy Chute — 8pm BST
Live to Your Living Room
Folk-Americana songstress and multi-instrumentalist Daisy Chute has a broad range of musical experience, from training in jazz and classical to writing music for films, games, TV and theatre. Her music has been compared to Simon and Garfunkel and Joni Mitchell by BBC Radio Kent and given the thumbs up by Sir Paul McCartney after a performance at the Royal Albert Hall.
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Christina Alden & Alex Patterson - 8pm BST
Christina Alden & Alex Patterson on Facebook
Join Christina Alden and Alex Patterson for an hour or so, as they share music, new songs and album news!
Free to view
Kris Drever & Phil Cunningham — 8.30pm BST
Live from Glasgow
Join Kris Drever and Phil Cunningham for an evening of songs, tunes and chat, as these two incredible musicians play together live over Zoom.
Tickets £10 for a single viewer or £15 for a family.
SUNDAY 4 APRIL
Nick Hart — 8pm BST
Readifolk
Nick Hart is a folk singer deeply rooted in the English tradition. His songs are delivered with a great emphasis on storytelling, with a repertoire drawn largely from his native East Anglia.
Free to view - email colin@readifolk.org.uk to be added to the mailing list.
Hothouse Flowers — 8pm BST
Tradfest Temple Bar
Known for their unique brand of rock that’s influenced by soul, gospel and traditional music, Hothouse Flowers embrace improvisation to create a unique show every time they perform.
Tickets €2.99 (approx £2.50)
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.
McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle at HOME this Spring
This was mentioned last week, but just a reminder that Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle have got a new show for Spring which is being streamed in partnership with venues across the UK and beyond. It’s taking place on various dates until 30 April, so there are plenty of opportunities to catch it!
Songs of Separation Music — All Sing!
The creators of Songs of Separation are running a crowdfunder for a new project called All Sing. Their plan is to run a five-day residential on a remote island for community choir leaders who have been working hard to support their singers during lockdown. Ultimately, the aim is to create new learning resources to share with choirs across the world! There are lots of rewards available to treat yourself to, if you’d like to help them reach their target. If you haven’t come across the Songs of Separation album yet, it’s one of my all-time favourites and I HIGHLY recommend it.
Iona Fyfe crowdfunder
Iona Fyfe is crowdfunding to record a new album of Scots Songs from the James Madison Carpenter collection. If her target is hit, she also hopes to provide well-paid work for over 20 freelancers and businesses based in Scotland whose livelihoods have been impacted by Covid. There are lots of rewards in store if you’d like to support her!
Old Tunes, Fresh Takes podcast
A new series of the Old Tunes, Fresh Takes podcast has begun! If you haven’t come across this podcast before, it’s an exploration of traditional folk songs, with musicians being invited to submit their ‘takes’ of performing them. The first song being explored is The Wife of Usher’s Well - episode 1 is out now, so have a listen, and if you’d like to submit your interpretation of the song, you’ve got until 5th April to send it in! If you aren’t familiar with the song, we’ve also put a version in this week’s playlist.
Clubhouse
New social media platform Clubhouse is a way for like-minded people to come together and share ideas (or songs!). Eliza Carthy has set up a Folk Club on there, which includes a Folk Room on Wednesday evenings (sometimes with special guests) and a Ballad room with Piers Cawley on Thursday evenings. There’s also a Fiddle Club, a Songwriting Academy and more.
Clubhouse currently only appears to be available for iPhone users, and you’ll need an invite to access it (a bit awkward, I know!). I have a handful of invites, so if anyone is keen to give it a go, let me know and I’ll help if I can.
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 Unearthing by Patterson Dipper. Digging into a variety of sources, including poetry and traditional songs set in classical arrangements, James Patterson and John Dipper set about unearthing them and initiating their very own folk revival. As a Thomas Hardy fan, I particularly appreciated the inclusion of two of Hardy’s poems, restored into the folk tradition — something I’d like to think Hardy himself would have approved of. Compiled with thought and care, and polished to perfection, Unearthing is an exploration of the musical possibilities each piece of traditional material holds within.
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, English Folk Expo, Live to Your Living Room and Fancourt Music. 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!