The Folk Forecast: April 2024
Featuring Findlay Napier, Fay Hield, Jon Doran & The Northern Assembly, Singing With Nightingales, upcoming festivals and the latest new music.
Hello, everyone!
After an incredibly busy few weeks, I’m back with your latest folk fix. There’s a huge amount of new music coming out right now, as well as heaps of tours and festivals, so I’ve got through as much as I can before heading off for a much-awaited week away.
Hope you find something new to enjoy here - and see you next time!
Lucy
This month’s playlist
This month’s playlist includes a variety of the artists mentioned in this issue, including some brilliant new releases! If you like what you hear, do support the artists if you can, to help them make more amazing music in the future.
If you enjoy this issue and fancy saying thanks, you can make a small donation on Ko-Fi to help support my freelance work on the folk scene. Thank you!
TOP PICKS: ONLINE
The Official Folk Albums Chart Show* — Tuesday 9 April, 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. This month’s chart features 18 new entries, with music from Joe Solo, Serious Sam Barrett, Martin Carthy, Cara Dillon, Amelia Coburn and John Smith, plus interviews with Grace Petrie and Sam Lee. I’ll also be on the show to talk about some of the news in this very issue!
Free to access, but you can support the podcast by becoming a patron.
Will Finn and Rosie Calvert* — Tuesday 9 April, 8pm BST
Live to Your Living Room
Will Finn and Rosie Calvert first started out with a capella quartet, The Teacups, but these days they’re usually found performing as a duo. The pair perform traditional and contemporary folk music with variety and flair, showcasing their intricate harmonies and playing piano, ukelele and steel pans. They're set to release a new album later this year, so this is a chance for a sneak preview.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Bella Gaffney — Thursday 11 April, 7.30pm BST
Rosslyn Court
Celtic Connections Danny Kyle Award winner Bella Gaffney writes folk inspired songs, as well as performing her own original arrangements of traditional pieces. You might know her as a member of The Magpies, but this is your chance to hear her play solo.
Hybrid gig, so you can also go along in person. The first hour will be livestreamed (donations encouraged). The second half will be exclusively for the in-person audience. Also available to watch on demand afterwards.
Dan Whitehouse - A Night of Glass — Thursday 11 April, 9.45pm BST
From the Whitehouse
Over the past two years, acclaimed singer-songwriter Dan Whitehouse has been in a reflective mood, with three albums all themed around the physical and metaphorical nature of glass. Songs from these projects have now been gathered together for Dan’s new show, A Night Of Glass. Join him live online from Tokyo Bay on 11th April, as he creates a musical backdrop for the sunrise.
Jon Doran & The Northern Assembly* — Tuesday 16 April, 8pm BST
Live to Your Living Room
Jon Doran & The Northern Assembly is a groundbreaking new collaboration that seeks to capture the excitement that lies within traditional song. With striking vocals from Jon Doran (BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award Finalist 2019) combined with the virtuosic playing of instrumentalists Heather Ferrier and Jordan Aikin, Jon Doran & The Northern Assembly take their audience on a journey that explores the full spectrum of human experience.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Fay Hield — Thursday 18 April, 7.30pm BST
Rosslyn Court
Folk artist and academic Fay Hield seemed destined to carve a career in traditional folk music, having grown up at the Bacca Pipes Folk Club in Keighley. Through her music, Fay breathes new life into timeless stories. This is her first full solo tour, taking in some of her favourite intimate venues.
Hybrid gig, so you can also go along in person. The first hour will be livestreamed (donations encouraged). The second half will be exclusively for the in-person audience. Also available to watch on demand afterwards.
Christina Alden & Alex Patterson + The Lost Trades* — Friday 19 April, 7.45pm BST
Live to Your Living Room and Downend Folk & Roots
Christina Alden & Alex Patterson are multi-instrumentalists and songwriters from Norwich. Their music is rich with intertwining harmony, sensitive accomplished musicianship and a creative song-writing style that is both delicate and moving. Deeply inspired by the world around them, they have a keen environmental eye to craft stories with the natural world at their heart, reflecting on the relationship between humans and the wild.
Hybrid gig, so you can also go along in person. Online tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Findlay Napier* — Sunday 21 April, 8pm BST
Live to Your Living Room and Live At Sam’s
Findlay Napier sets off on tour this month to promote Outsider - his latest album, and most ambitious recording project to date. Whether he’s performing on the Main Stage of Cambridge Folk Festival with folk-rock supergroup The Magpie Arc, or playing solo in the back room of a pub, Findlay is a hugely versatile performer. This is your chance to see him play an intimate gig, wherever you are.
Hybrid gig, so you can also go along in person. Online tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Also online
Monday Folk Singers is an online singing group run by the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS). Each term, there’s a different tutor, and this time it’s Jess Arrowsmith, who you might know from Melrose Quartet and various other things! The new term starts on 15th April - find out more here.
Rachael McShane is running five-week fiddle courses for beginners and improvers. Classes start on 15th April - find out more here.
The Young’uns’ fantastic show, The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff, was recorded for BBC Radio 3 - listen on BBC Sounds here.
A new video workshop about folk bass players has been released by Hudson Records, as they mark the release of Ben Nicholls’ fantastic new album, Duets. Alongside Ben, the video features Jon Thorne, Miranda Sykes and Duncan Lyall, playing music together and talking about their love of the double bass and how they came to play it. Watch it here.
There’s a new episode of the Folk on Foot* podcast coming out on Friday 19th March, featuring Jackie Oates and John Spiers. Subscribe on your podcast app so you don’t miss it.
TOP PICKS: IN PERSON
Singing with Nightingales
Sussex and Gloucestershire
Join The Nest Collective for an unforgettable journey through nature and music. Sam Lee will be joined by guest musicians for a concert like no other, featuring duets with the nightingales themselves. Events are running through April and May, but lots of them are sold out, so be quick if you fancy going along.
Festivals
Festival season is almost upon us. Here are a few to look out for in the next couple of months…
Edinburgh FluteFling 10th Anniversary Weekend - 19th-21st April - This traditional flute and whistle festival is the only one of its kind in the UK. This year’s anniversary celebration includes plenty of workshops, sessions and a Friday night concert with Calum Stewart and special guests.
Oxford Folk Festival - 19th-21st April - After Folk Weekend: Oxford came to an end, a new team of organisers has come together to run Oxford Folk Festival. There will be ceilidhs and dance displays, as well as a concert from Eliza Carthy at the North Wall Arts Centre. The festival is just getting on its feet, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops.
Whitchurch Folk Festival - 11th May - This festival was first dreamed up by Jon Wilks and the late Paul Sartin. Sadly, Paul never got to see it happen, but it serves as a wonderful legacy. There’s a fantastic line-up, including the Jackie Oates Trio, Nick Hart & Tom Moore, Magpie Lane, Sam Sweeney & Louis Campbell, Frankie Archer, James Delarre and Saul Rose, Ellie Gowers, Benji Kirkpatrick, The Norfolk Broads, Maddie Morris, Patakas (Paul’s sons), ceilidhs, family activities and lots more.
Magpie’s Nest Festival - 1st June - The Nest Collective’s one-day festival celebrating the finest folk and roots music from around the world. This year’s line-up includes Angeline Morrison, Daudi Matsiko, Katie Spencer, Me Lost Me and many more.
Also coming up soon:
England - Bristol Folk Festival, Raunds Music Festival, Todmorden Folk Festival, Upton-upon-Severn Folk Festival, Holmfirth Festival of Folk, Chester Folk Festival, Chippenham Folk Festival
Scotland - Shetland Folk Festival, Edinburgh Tradfest, Skye Live, Orkney Folk Festival, Arran Folk Festival
Wales - Focus Wales, Tredegar House Folk Festival, Fishguard Folk Festival, Fire in the Mountain, Gower Folk Festival
Ireland: Baltimore Fiddle Fair, Féile Binn Éadair
Plus lots more - far too many to mention! Check out the brilliant UKFolkFestivals.co.uk for further info.
Also on tour soon!
Cara Dillon, Fay Hield, Eddi Reader, Frankie Archer, Granny’s Attic*, Janice Burns & Jon Doran*, Jim Moray, Karine Polwart, Kris Drever, Lady Maisery*, Malin Lewis, Martin Simpson, Olivia Chaney, Sarah McQuaid, Sherburn Bartley Sanders (and undoubtedly many more!)
OTHER NEWS
New Ninebarrow walking book
In Ninebarrow’s Dorset: Volume 3, Jon and Jay continue the journey they began in Volumes 1 & 2, taking readers on a magical journey through the landscape that has played such a huge part in the success of their music. The book contains ten beautiful and distinctive walks for all abilities, each accompanied with detailed instructions, stories, photography and hand-drawn maps.
Sid Kipper
I was sorry to hear of the loss of Chris Sugden (Sid Kipper), who brought a lot of laughter to the folk scene and will be much missed. My thoughts are with all who knew him.
NEW RELEASES
There have loads of fantastic new releases lately - here are just a few to look out for…
8 March - Miranda Sykes, Out of the Woods
15 March - John Smith, The Living Kind
22 March - Iona Lane, Bring the Tide In (EP)
30 March - Seb Stone, Young Tamlyn’s Away
5 April - Paul McKenna Band, Setting Sun (EP)
5 April - Louise Bichan, The Lost Summer
12 April - Martin Simpson, Skydancers
12 April - Phil Odgers and John Kettle, Far Rockaway: The Songs of Phil Ochs
26 April - Good Habits, Quarter-Life
26 April - Kathryn Williams & Withered Hand, Willson Williams
1 May - Goblin Band, Come Slack Your Horse
3 May - Malin Lewis, Halocline
3 May - Ross Couper Band, The Homeroad
RECORD OF THE MONTH
Record of the Month is Duets by Ben Nicholls, which was released on 5th April. If you haven’t come across Ben before, he’s one of the bassists of choice for the folk scene, and the chances are he’s played on lots of your favourite albums. Now, it’s Ben’s turn to take the spotlight, and many of the artists he’s played for have returned the favour by collaborating with him on this very special project. Speaking of artists, there are quite a few of them - including Cara Dillon, Sam Lakeman, Seth Lakeman, Tim Eriksen, Kris Drever, Fay Hield, John Smith, Martin Simpson, Sam Sweeney, Jon Boden, Patsy Reid and more. This makes for a varied album where each track has its own unique character, and I felt like a kid in a sweet shop exploring it all.
The double bass might not be the first instrument that you think of when it comes to folk music, but this album places it front and centre, demonstrating the beauty and versatility it presents. The project has also been brought to life with beautiful films of each track, created wherever Ben and his collaborators could meet up - from dressing rooms to church halls, Glasgow to New York City. You can see all the films shared so far on the Hudson Records YouTube page.
This is an album full of heart and soul, and it’s jam-packed with artists you’ll know and love - highly recommended.
Top track: Cuckoo, featuring Nadine Shah.
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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 work with other organisations including Live to Your Living Room, Folk on Foot, Fancourt Music (Granny’s Attic, Janice Burns & Jon Doran and The Wilderness Yet), Calstock Arts, Saltburn Folk Festival and individual artists, currently including Lady Maisery. Events where I have some involvement with the promoter or artist are marked with a star for transparency. Although I have various affiliations, I strive to be inclusive and tell you about anything I find which I think you’ll enjoy!