The Folk Forecast: 5–11 July 2021
Online offerings from Priddy, Tiree and Furness Tradition festivals, plus The Heathen Kings, Martin Harley, The Official Folk Albums Chart Show and more.
Hello, and welcome to another week of folk happenings! We’ve got a few virtual events from festivals this week, including Priddy, Tiree and Furness Tradition, as well as gigs from The Heathen Kings, Martin Harley and Maddie Morris.
It’s also time for a brand-new Official Folk Albums Chart, and I’ll be on the Folk on Foot Chart Show to chat about the latest news, including festivals - speaking of which, check out yesterday’s summer festival guide.
This week’s playlist is below - happy listening, and have a great week!
TUESDAY 6 JULY
The Official Folk Albums Chart Show* — 7pm BST
Folk on Foot website, YouTube and podcast feed. Commissioned by English Folk Expo and compiled by the Official Charts Company.
See which albums have made the Official Folk Albums Chart this month, with Folk on Foot. Packed with stories, music and exclusive content, this is always a joy to watch. I’ll also be on the show to talk about the latest folk news.
Free to access, but you can support the podcast by becoming a patron.
Covid Sings Singaround — 8pm BST
Soundpost
If you’re missing your usual folk club or singaround, join Fay Hield and fellow folkies from near and far to swap songs over Zoom. Covid Sings is held on the first Tuesday of every month.
Free to attend.
The Ciderhouse Rebellion - Genius Loci (Episode 5) — 9pm BST
The Ciderhouse Rebellion on YouTube and Facebook
In this video series from The Ciderhouse Rebellion, Adam Summerhayes (fiddle) and Murray Grainger (accordion) set off on foot until they happen upon a spot where the spirit of place pulls upon their musical antennae. Once they have set up to record, they allow the landscape to inspire them, and the first note of an entirely new piece of music is played. This series has been filmed in the Derbyshire countryside, combining stunning drone and still-camera footage. This is Episode 5 of 6, and you can catch up on past episodes on Facebook and YouTube.
Free to view
FRIDAY 9 JULY
Furness Tradition festival* — various events from Friday to Sunday
Furness Tradition
Furness Tradition are holding their online festival this weekend, with events online and in person. Online events include:
FRIDAY
Jon Doran in Concert with Mossy Christian - 7.30pm BST
SATURDAY
Singaround - 1pm BST
Ryan Young & Chris Amer - 7.30pm BST
Tickets for the gigs £12 each, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances. Singaround free to join.
The Heathen Kings — 9pm 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.
Free to view, with donations encouraged to the tip jar.
SATURDAY 10 JULY
Mandolin Workshop with Mike Giverin — 11am BST
True North Music
This 75-minute workshop will look at different ways to accompany fiddle tunes on the mandolin. From cross picking techniques to double stops, there are lots of ways to expand your options when it comes to playing chords to accompany fiddle tunes, and this workshop will hopefully show you a few different ideas you haven’t tried yet. The workshop will be suitable for anyone of an intermediate standard and above, and tabs/music will be made available where appropriate.
Tickets £12, or £9 concession for students/unwaged.
Priddy Folk Festival Wish You Were Here Concert — 7.15pm BST
Priddy Folk Festival
Though Priddy Folk Festival isn’t going ahead this year, they’ll be holding a special livestreamed event on Saturday featuring Baraka, The Drystones and The Dillyboys.
Free to view, with donations encouraged via JustGiving.
Tiree Music Festival: Transmitting Live — 7.30pm BST
Tiree Music Festival
Tiree Music Festival presents a live stream from Tiree Distillery, with full band performances from Skerryvore and Trail West, alongside special acoustic performances from Atlantic Reel and the recently BBC Radio 2 playlisted duo, The Eves. There will also be an exclusive set for Tiree Music Festival from We Banjo 3.
Tickets available by donation - pay as you feel. There are also exclusive add-ons and merchandise available to all attendees of the stream.
Maddie Morris — 7.30pm BST
Rosslyn Court
BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award winner Maddie Morris has been described by Jim Moray as “leading the next generation of socially conscious songwriters.”
Free to attend, with donations encouraged. The first hour of the performance will be livestreamed, with the second half being exclusively for the in-person audience, so if you live near Margate, you could go along in person instead!
Streaming Across the Sea: The Jellyman’s Daughter & Jaywalkers — 8pm BST
True North Music
Tune in for a free concert on Facebook and YouTube, with performances from acclaimed UK bands Jaywalkers and The Jellyman's Daughter.
Free to view, with donations welcome at paypal.me/truenorthmusicuk.
SUNDAY 11 JULY
Martin Harley — 6.15pm BST
The Live Room Saltaire / Roots Live
Martin Harley was ranked #16 in Total Guitar Magazine’s list of the World’s Best Acoustic Guitarists, and nominated Instrumentalist of the Year at the Americana music awards 2019. Catch him playing live from Saltaire to wherever you are.
Tickets £12
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.
New video from Katy Rose Bennett
Sleep by Katy Rose Bennett was Record of the Week a few weeks back, and a video to accompany the new single has now been released. Take a look…
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 Together Again, the new single from Skerryvore. This sweet and summery folk-pop is a departure from my usual taste for minor keys and miserable lyrics, but after the year we’ve had, it feels refreshing to listen to something laid back and carefree. Check out the official video above, and tune in on Saturday to hear it played live for the very first time from Tiree Music Festival!
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!
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 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!