The Folk Forecast: August 2024
Featuring Ashley Hutchings & Blair Dunlop, Janice Burns & Jon Doran and The Brothers Gillespie, plus festival highlights and the latest new music.
Hello, and welcome back to The Folk Forecast! I hope you’re having a good summer. I’m just about to head off to a couple of festivals myself (fingers crossed for good camping weather!), but before I go, here a few highlights for you to look out for this month, as well as a round-up of new music. Happy listening!
Lucy
This month’s playlist
This month’s playlist includes a variety of the artists mentioned in this issue, including some brilliant new releases! There’s a good mix of music this month, from the traditional to the experimental. If you like what you hear, do support the artists if you can, to help them make more amazing music in the future.
Support The Folk Forecast
As some of you might have noticed, I have turned on the paid option for this newsletter on Substack, after a couple of people said they wanted to support me. As you can imagine, it takes many hours to pull the newsletter together, so for anyone who is able to subscribe, this will help me to dedicate time to it and keep it going. However, I am very aware of the financial challenges everyone is facing right now, so it will still be available for everyone to access freely too. The paid version is optional for those who would like to support the newsletter. You can also make a small one-off donation on Ko-Fi. Thank you very much to everyone who has supported me - the newsletter has been going for almost 4 years now, and your support means a lot!
TOP PICKS: ONLINE
The Celtic Social Club — Sunday 11 August, 7.30pm BST
Folkscape Live
Hailing from Brittany, The Celtic Social Club is a band that embraces the whole breadth of Celtic culture - from France to Ireland, Scotland, Austria and beyond. This gig is being livestreamed from The Victoria Hall in Settle.
Tickets from £10
Janice Burns & Jon Doran* — Friday 30 August
Folkscape Live
Janice Burns & Jon Doran* are an award-winning Anglo-Scottish duo who came together after discovering a shared love of traditional music. Their songs tell vivid stories about the nature of life and our place in the world. Expect tight vocal harmonies and sensitive interplay between mandolin, bouzouki, and guitar. If you’re into your harmony singing, they’ll be right up your street (I may be slightly biased as their agent, but can say in all honesty that they’re absolutely brilliant!). This gig will be coming to you from near Hadrian’s Wall.
Tickets via Folkscape Live - not on sale yet, but keep an eye on their website.
The Brothers Gillespie — Sunday 1 September
Folkscape Live
Described by Folk Radio UK as ‘weaving an especially compelling magic’, and 'showing off British acoustic music in its best possible light', Northumbrian duo The Brothers Gillespie sing songs of great lyrical power, animated by the sound of soaring sibling harmony, inspired guitar playing and a rich array of acoustic instruments. Their songs and performances have a rare, intimate energy that is both earthy and ethereal, romantic and radical.
Tickets via Folkscape Live - not on sale yet, but keep an eye on their website.
Ashley Hutchings with special guest Blair Dunlop* — Tuesday 3 September, 8pm BST
Live to Your Living Room
Ashley Hutchings – The Guv’nor – presents 100 Not Out, with very special guest (and son) Blair Dunlop. For one night only on Live to Your Living Room, Ashley and Blair talk about their careers in music, their father and son relationship in the folk world and, of course, share some of their favourite songs. Ashley famously formed Fairport Convention in 1967, before going on to form Steeleye Span and The Albion Band. Blair has also “determinedly taken the traditions of folk in his own direction” (The Independent). Together, they also record a monthly podcast called The Guv’nor.
Tickets £12 / £18 / £30 - one ticket per household; pay as you can afford.
The Official Folk Albums Chart Show* — Tuesday 3 September, 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.
Songs of the Folk* — Thursday 5 September, 7.30pm BST
Rosslyn Court
Songs of the Folk are seasoned performers who perform original American folk blues songs that harken back to roots music from the American South, as well as folk revival artists of the Northeastern US. Formed by husband and wife A.T. and Lauren Cason, they aim to preserve the genre, as well as add to it.
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.
Also online
A new term of Monday Folk Singers Online is set to begin on 16th September, with guest tutor Jackie Oates. This online singing group is run by the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS). The term runs for 10 weeks, and costs £108 for all 10 sessions, or £87 for concessions. Find details here.
This month’s Folk on Foot Official Folk Albums Chart Show* is available to watch now, featuring Rachel Sermanni, Naomi Bedford and Paul Simmonds, Sam Lee, Kingfishr, Linda Thompson and Fink. Watch the show on YouTube here.
Speaking of Folk on Foot*, look out for the new episode with Ranagri which is out on Friday 16th August. Subscribe here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
If you missed the BBC Prom celebrating the music of Nick Drake, fear not, as you can catch up on BBC Sounds here. You can also catch rising star Frankie Archer in the special Proms edition of BBC Radio 3’s Night Tracks here.
Mel Biggs has shared a new edition of her Chatterbox podcast featuring special guest Hazel Askew (of The Askew Sisters and Lady Maisery, among other things!). Watch it on YouTube here, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaking of podcasts, there are now several episodes of the ‘In the Roud’ podcast available. The aim of this podcast is to work through the Roud Index in order, with guests joining along the way to give their thoughts about each song. If you’ve enjoyed the Sing Yonder series of books, this podcast is the perfect accompaniment. Listen on YouTube here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
TOP PICKS: IN PERSON
Festivals
There are lots more festivals coming up in the next few weeks, including Cropredy, Saltburn, FolkEast, Green Man, Between the Trees, Towersey, Whitby, Shrewsbury and heaps more.
Looking a bit further ahead, I’ve picked out a few highlights…
Moseley Folk Festival takes place from 30th August-1st September, just outside Birmingham. On this year’s line-up, you can find Belle & Sebastian, Levellers, Flogging Molly, Kate Rusby, The Staves, Katherine Priddy and more.
Folk Off Festival Alnwick is a new one for this year, running from 30th August-1st September in Northumberland. The line-up includes Jez Lowe, Alistair Anderson, Andy May & Rachael McShane, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne and more, including lots of workshops and sessions.
Bromyard Folk Festival is coming up from 5th-8th September, featuring Oysterband, Martin Simpson, Spiers & Boden, Fay Hield Trio, O’Hooley & Tidow, Gnoss and lots more.
Swanage Folk Festival takes place from 6th-8th September, with a line-up including Track Dogs, Merry Hell, Granny’s Attic* and more.
Kelso Folk Festival takes place from 6th-8th September up in the Scottish borders. This year’s line-up includes Will Pound & Jenn Butterworth, Tim Edey, Ross Ainslie, Jez Lowe, Graeme Armstrong of Talisk, Amy Laurenson & more.
Tees Folk is coming up on 7th September, with a strong Scottish focus including music from Lau, Siobhan Miller, Gnoss and Hannah Rarity.
Deepdale Festival takes place in Norfolk from 26th-29th September, featuring Skinny Lister, Track Dogs, Bonfire Radicals, Granny’s Attic*, Lady Nade, The Shackleton Trio and lots more.
Find even more festivals at ukfolkfestivals.co.uk.
Kings Place
There’s lots of great stuff coming up at Kings Place in London, including a free gig with Kinnaris Quintet at Coal Drops Yard near Kings Cross on 26th August. Other highlights coming up soon include Mànran, Tarren, and a special project featuring Aidan O’Rourke, Brighde Chaimbeul, Bashir Saade, Graeme Stephen and Rachel Sermanni. I’m also hoping to get to the venue for the first time myself in the autumn, after admiring their work from afar for quite a while!
The Nest Collective
The Nest Collective are running Campfire Clubs in London on 30th August and Brighton on the 31st. These events are a lovely opportunity to discover new music in an intimate outdoor setting, gathered around the campfire. London’s event features Dani Larkin, Archie Churchill-Moss, Alice Boyd, Paddi Benson and Grace Lemon. Then in Brighton, it’s a similar line-up, but with Long Hill Ramblers instead of Archie. Even if you’re not familiar with the line-up, it’s always well worth going along to these beautifully curated events, and there’s something extra special about enjoying music around the campfire. The Nest Collective are also running some Halloween ceilidhs in London in October, which tend to be popular so get booked up early!
Le Vent du Nord
Le Vent du Nord are heading over from Canada, and they’ve got a few tour dates alongside festivals. They’ll be heading to Shoreham-by-Sea, Settle, Diss, Emsworth and Liverpool, as well as playing at festivals including Broadstairs, Beautiful Days, Purbeck Valley and Shrewsbury. There aren’t many chances to see them in the UK, so catch them while you can!
Miranda Sykes, Jim Causley and John Palmer – The Sabine Baring-Gould Project
This new collaboration celebrates Sabine Baring-Gould, who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula among other things, and was also a pioneering collector of folk songs in Devon and Cornwall. Starting a decade before Cecil Sharp and Vaughan Williams, he amassed more than 2000 songs. This new live show weaves together his songs and stories to really bring his legacy to life.
You can catch the show across the South West and beyond - see the list of dates above. It was also featured on BBC Radio 2 this week - listen for a taster here from 28 minutes and 30 seconds into the show.
Stevens & Pound
BBC Radio 3’s award-winning Delia Stevens and three time BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician of the Year nominee, Will Pound, deliver an unprecedented collaboration, following the creative evolution of the classical composers inspired by folk. Driven by a maverick curiosity, having stumbled upon a completely new world of sound, they combine the traditional instruments of Pound’s melodeon and harmonica with the dizzying array of Stevens’ percussion, and then let their imaginations run riot whilst paying homage to their respective musical roots. Find all dates at the link below.
NEW RELEASES
Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne must be one of the busiest people on the folk scene, and somehow he’s managed to squeeze in this third solo album in amongst all his other projects! The album explores Caribbean and Black American versions of English Folk Songs, showing how these timeless human stories can transcend across different cultures.
26 July - John Martyn, Live at Rockpalast 1978
A must for all John Martyn fans, this newly released recording is from a gig in Hamburg back in 1978. It gives a rare glimpse of the energy of John’s live performances, providing an opportunity to reminisce for those who remember it the first time around, as well as a chance for new generations to discover his music.
16 Aug - Sam Carter, Silver Horizon
This new release from the wonderful singer-songwriter and guitarist, Sam Carter, sees him treading new ground and exploring new collaborations. It was recorded in Wales with Ben Nicholls on bass and Evan Jenkins on drums. Stuart McCallum from The Breath also worked his magic on the soundscaping to bring each track to life. There are also guest vocals from Rowan Rheingans and harmonium from Ian Stephenson, so it’s an album jam-packed with familiar faces!
2 Sep - Jenny Sturgeon, paths.made.walking
This is not music exactly, but a sound journey through Scotland. In summer 2023, Jenny Sturgeon set off on an 864km walk from Kirk Yetholm near the border with England, to Cape Wrath Lighthouse, at the far north west of the Scottish mainland. She recorded a sound diary every day en route, capturing snippets of her journey, so the recordings are like snapshots in time. Each track is named for the what3words location where it was recorded. Listeners can also read a daily postcard that Jenny wrote and sent as a memory of the trip.
RECORD OF THE MONTH
Record of the Month is Westlin Winds by The Wilderness Yet*. The trio are well known for their stunning harmonies, and for this album, they’ve set their instruments aside to create a collection of acapella folk songs. Focusing solely on vocals could be a brave move, but in the hands of such a talented trio, it pays off in spades, placing a spotlight on the beauty of their arrangements and putting the songs and stories front and centre.
The album is largely made up of traditional tracks, including fresh takes on well-known favourites including Byker Hill and The Goose & The Common. Alongside this is Chanticleer, a new protest song written by Rosie and Rowan which fits seamlessly into the tradition as though it’s been in our collective repertoire for years.
The album’s title track, Westlin Winds, is a poem by Robert Burns, described by the band as “a masterclass in nature writing”. Those who have followed them for a while will know that nature themes are prominent in The Wilderness Yet’s work, not only in their lyrics but also in their beautiful album covers, and it’s wonderful to see more artwork from Adam Oehlers to continue that theme.
As if a new album wasn’t enough, the band have also released a harmony songbook with arrangements of 18 of their songs, if the album inspires you to get singing yourself!
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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, currently 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 Sidmouth Folk Festival. 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!