The Folk Forecast: December 2023
Featuring Karine Polwart, The Lock In Christmas Carol, Martin Green, Miranda Sykes, Jim Causley and lots more festive goodies to make the season merry and bright.
Hello, everyone!
Sorry this Forecast is reaching you a bit later than planned. I’m heading into my busiest time of the year, and it’s been quite a juggling act this week, but here I am with some thoughts on what to look out for in the next few weeks.
Thanks for reading, and have a lovely Christmas!
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 also a track from The Pogues, in memory of Shane MacGowan. The track I’ve chosen is Thousands Are Sailing, which feels very strongly tied to my childhood as my mum often played it when I was growing up.
If you like what you hear, please do support the artists if you can. As many of you may have heard, Spotify are going to stop paying anything for tracks that get fewer than 1,000 streams per year. I’ve continued to create playlists on there for now, as I find it the easiest way to share new music with you, but it’s now more important than ever to support artists in ways that they get paid.
As well as the playlist of new music, I’ve also got a GIANT folky Christmas playlist that’s been going for a couple of years, and I’ve added in some new tracks. It’s about 9 hours long, so should keep you going… It also ends with a few tracks for New Year!
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
Miranda Sykes — Sunday 10 December, 7.30pm GMT
Miranda Sykes on Facebook
Join Miranda Sykes as she goes live on Facebook on 10th December. You might know Miranda from her work with Show of Hands, and her solo gigs are always a real joy too. She had to cancel some of her plans due to having an operation, so this is a chance to tune in and support her.
Free to watch (donations on the night)
The Demon Barbers - The Lock In Christmas Carol* — Sunday 10 December, 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room, with thanks to The Glasshouse International Centre for Music
Half gig, half dance show and half panto - join The Demon Barbers for 150% of the best festive music, song and dance in The Lock In Christmas Carol. Featuring ‘folk powerhouse’ The Demon Barbers, along with the Breaking Tradition Dance Company, this festive whirlwind of a show combines traditional dance, hip-hop and all manner of Christmas surprises. The show is being livestreamed from The Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead, and I’ll be there behind the scenes helping to make it all work.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Martin Carthy in Song and Conversation with Jon Wilks + Holly Clarke* — Tuesday 12 December, 7.30pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room, with thanks to Live At Sam’s
Live at Sam’s and Live to Your Living Room present 'Remember Me to One Who Lives There' – a chance to hear master craftsman Martin Carthy perform and reminisce on his illustrious career in folk song to date, with musical interludes and conversation with his talented friend, musician and journalist, Jon Wilks.
The gig will start with support from Holly Clarke at 7.30pm, before Martin and Jon take to the stage at 8pm. This gig is being livestreamed from St Andrew’s Church in Sheffield, so if you live nearby, you can also go along in person.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
The Wilderness Yet + support from Heartwood Chorus* — Friday 15 December, 7.45pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room, with thanks to Downend Folk & Roots
Nationally acclaimed folk trio The Wilderness Yet are known for their detailed arrangements and flawless close-knit harmony singing. Lockdown saw them record Turn The Year Round, a seasonal album featuring winter songs, wassails, and secular rewrites of classic carols. The album has quickly become a favourite, with the band playing live on BBC Radio 3 last Christmas Day.
The Wilderness Yet will be joining us live from Downend Folk & Roots near Bristol, so you can also go along in person (although it’s nearly sold out!). Support will be provided by the wonderful Heartwood Chorus folk choir, who will kick things off at 7.45pm, before The Wilderness Yet take to the stage around half an hour later.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Karine Polwart* — Sunday 17 December, 3pm GMT & on catch-up
Live to Your Living Room
Karine Polwart is a multi-award-winning songwriter, folk singer, and storyteller. Her songs evoke a richness of place, hidden histories, scientific curiosity and folklore. Her live performances hold a special kind of magic.
This matinee performance will begin at 3pm GMT. The gig will also be recorded and available on catch-up for 72 hours after the live event. To access the recording, just book a ticket as normal, and after the live show has finished, all ticket holders will receive information on how to access the recording.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
A Winter Union — Monday 18 December, 8pm GMT & on catch-up
Folkscape Live
A Winter Union is a seasonal band made up of five leading lights of the UK folk scene - Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts, Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage and Jade Rhiannon of The Willows. The band recently released a new seasonal record, Sooner After Solstice: A Transatlantic Folk Christmas. This is a chance to hear it played live, on the last date of their tour at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.
Tickets £10
Janice Burns & Jon Doran* — Tuesday 19 December, 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room
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. The duo’s winter gigs have become something of a tradition over the last few years, and this year they’re heading out on their first festive tour. Expect seasonal favourites and little-known gems to warm the soul through the colder months.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Martin Green: Lighting the Dark* — Wednesday 20 December, 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room
Join Lau’s Martin Green for a journey through the challenges and joys of the festive season. From ancient pagan rituals to a flashing lit-up Santa, Lighting The Dark takes a musical look at how we have got through the winter over the last thousand years. Joining Martin on this voyage are Laura Jurd of Mercury Prize-shortlisted Dinosaur on the trumpet, and the leading storyteller of the new wave of Irish traditional musicians, Ultan O’Brien on the fiddle. Together they venture through folk and jazz, offering original takes on familiar Christmas songs — all woven with Martin and Ultan’s engaging storytelling.
This hybrid gig is taking place at Bristol Beacon, so you can also go along in person.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Jim Causley + support from The Bristol Folk Singers* — Friday 22 December, 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room
Join Jim Causley in celebrating the Christmas season with West Country carols, medieval and secular carols from around the British Isles, his own settings of Christmas poems by the late Cornish poet Charles Causley, and lots of festive fun along the way.
This hybrid gig will be hosted by Nailsea Folk Club, so you can also go along in person.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Also online
The latest Folk on Foot Official Folk Albums Chart Show* is out now, with a countdown of the top 40, musical highlights and an interview with Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane. I’m also on the show to talk about some of the gigs and new music featured in this issue. Watch it here.
Speaking of Folk on Foot*, there’s a new seasonal episode of the podcast coming out on Friday 15th December, featuring the Welsh plygain carols. These carols were originally sung to greet the dawn on Christmas Day, and have seen been passed down through the generations. The episode features Gwilym Bowen Rhys and Owen Shiers of Cynefin, who join Matthew at the plygain service at St Tydecho’s Church. Details will be available on Friday here.
Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones recently had their gig in Newcastle livestreamed by Folkscape Live. I was there in person, and it was a great night. You can still watch it again here.
Monday Folk Singers is an online singing group run by the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS). Each term, a different tutor is invited along to run the group and this time it’s the turn of George Sansome of Granny’s Attic*. The term starts on 8th January, and runs for 10 weeks. Find out more here.
BBC Radio 2 have put together a special edition of the Folk Show called Festive Fireside Folk. Listen here.
TOP PICKS: IN PERSON
Festive tours
Festive tours are in full swing, and there are still chances to catch some of them, including Kate Rusby, The Lock In Christmas Carol, Eliza Carthy & Jon Boden’s Wassail, Phil Cunningham’s Christmas Songbook, Tim Edey’s Celtic Christmas, The Albion Christmas Band, Jackie Oates & John Spiers, Martin Green’s Lighting the Dark, A Winter Union, Janice Burns & Jon Doran*, The Wilderness Yet*, Bryony Griffith & Alice Jones and The Unthanks (supported by Katherine Priddy).
Celtic Connections - Glasgow
18th January - 4th February
Celtic Connections, one of the highlights of the folk calendar, is just around the corner. Events are sure to sell out, so it’s a good idea to get ahead with booking your tickets now - or getting them as a gift for the folk fan in your life.
Highlights I’d recommend include:
18 January - Opening Night: Chris Thile with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Rachel Sermanni
19 January - Project Smok and Katie MacFarlane (Katie’s debut album was recently Record of the Month)
23 January - Dougie MacLean: Songmaker 2024 - Celebrating 50 Year of Music
25 January - Paul McKenna Band with Erlend Viken and Frankie Archer
27 January - This Is The Kit and Dominie Hooper
29 January - Thea Gilmore and Janice Burns & Jon Doran*
30 January - The Magpie Arc and Katherine Priddy
3 February - Lankum
Scotland Unwrapped - Kings Place, London
Various events throughout 2024
If you can’t get to Glasgow for Celtic Connections, Kings Place in London is running a series of gigs called Scotland Unwrapped, starting from 11th January and running throughout 2024. Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan will be playing on 12th January, joined by poet Courtney Stoddart. Karine is also doing a couple of workshops the next day, including one for families, so everyone can get involved.
The Nest Collective Burns Night Ceilidhs - Grand Junction, London
26th & 27th January
The Nest Collective is a leading force in contemporary and cross-cultural folk music, founded by Sam Lee. The organisation is running a Burns Night Ceilidh at the very beautiful Grand Junction on 26th January, followed by an afternoon ceilidh for families on the 27th. Music will be provided by The Ceilidh Liberation Front, billed as London’s most radical and colourful live band.
OTHER NEWS
Tradfolk Christmas gift guide
If you’re still finishing your Christmas shopping (I certainly am), Tradfolk have published a great Christmas gift guide for folkies which might help to spark some ideas!
Tradfolk Wassail Directory
Those hardworking people at Tradfolk have also put together a handy directory of wassailing events happening across England, and even in the USA. See what’s coming up near you!
New children’s book by Jenna Reid
Renowned Scottish fiddle player, Jenna Reid, has written a new children’s book called Telescope, Telescope, What Can You See? The book is inspired by Jenna’s own upbringing. It beautifully captures memories of childhood, and a close knit community, in the stunning backdrop of Shetland. The book is out on 18th December, with pre-orders open now.
Petition to reinstate TRAC Cymru funding
TRAC Cymru is an organisation that was formed to promote Welsh folk music and dance traditions. The organisation has made great strides to promote Welsh culture on an international level. However, Arts Council Wales have decided to remove TRAC's core funding, rendering them unable to carry on their vital work. Sign the petition if you’d like to see this funding reinstated.
Save The Royal Hotel
The Royal Hotel in Dungworth is central to the Sheffield Carols tradition, but the pub is now set to be sold. Jon Boden is spearheading a campaign to buy the pub and set up a Community Interest Company to keep it at the heart of the community. You can read more about the campaign and how to support it here:
Support the Matchstick Piehouse
There is also a campaign running to support the Matchstick Piehouse, a vibrant hub at the heart of London’s budding young folk scene. The venue faces significant financial difficulties due to Covid-related rent arrears. Find out more about how to help, over on Tradfolk.
NEW RELEASES
I covered a lot of new releases in the last issue, including some lovely seasonal albums. Here’s what I’ve spotted since then…
ØXN is a new quartet featuring Lankum's Radie Peat along with singer/songwriter and composer Katie Kim, Eleanor Myler of Percolator, and producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist John 'Spud' Murphy, who has worked with Lankum, Ye Vagabonds and more. Together, they create a sound which “exists somewhere between the traditional, the future and the eternal”. Their highly anticipated debut album is Claddagh Records’ first new signing in 18 years. As you might expect from members of Lankum, it branches into the darker side of traditional music.
17 November - Thea Gilmore, Thea Gilmore
20 albums and 25 years into her recording career, Thea Gilmore presents her first self-titled album. It was entirely written, played and produced by Thea, giving her full creative control. Interestingly, the album includes She Speaks In Colours, a track which was written as part of BBC Radio 2’s 21st Century Folk project. The project saw five real-life stories of people living in the North East of England being made into contemporary folk songs. Thea wrote She Speaks in Colours about Ellen Raffell, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 16, after suffering an allergic reaction. The family launched a charity, Ellen’s Gift of Hope, which helps other children in the local area. Here’s a video of when Thea shared the song with Ellen’s family for the first time.
24 November - Mànran, Wild Mountain Thyme
Mànran have released their version of Wild Mountain Thyme as a charity single, with all proceeds being donated to various homeless charities across Scotland. It’s a lovely version of the song, and for a very good cause - particularly at this time of year.
28 November - Jackie Oates Trio, Jackie Oates Trio Live Christmas Album
The Jackie Oates Trio have treated us to an early Christmas gift, with a live album filled with festive favourites, as well as some little-known gems.
1 December - Fisherman’s Friends, I Saw Three Ships
The Fisherman’s Friends have released their version of I Saw Three Ships as a Christmas single. Perhaps now sea shanties have gained popularity, we could get them to Christmas #1 - you never know. You might also have spotted them recently on Strictly Come Dancing - catch up on BBC iPlayer here (from 52 minutes)
1 December - Harbottle & Jonas, Live @ The Great Hall with The Cleaves
Much-loved duo, Harbottle & Jonas, present a new live album recorded at The Great Hall in Dartington, where they ran a folk course in summer 2019. It gives a great flavour of what they’re like live - and the digital album is only £5.
1 December - Steeleye Span, The Green Man Collection
The Green Man Collection brings together tracks from Steeleye Span’s recent albums, as well as new versions of some Steeleye classics, including a reworking of Hard Times Of Old England featuring Status Quo’s Francis Rossi. The title track, Green Man was previously lost for 40 years and has never been recorded before - the song addressed the issue of climate change long before it became a more widespread concern.
1 December - Johnny Campbell*, Here’s the Tender Coming / The Keel Row
Johnny Campbell is set to release his new album, True North, on 26th January, and the first single - featuring The Brothers Gillespie - is out now. The album gathers together field recordings of traditional songs from the north, each recorded at the highest point of its given county. From Northumberland and Durham to Lancashire and Merseyside, Campbell has travelled the length and breadth of the north to collect these recordings on or close to the summit of each spot. The track with The Brothers Gillespie was recorded in my home county of Tyne and Wear - check out the video below.
RECORD OF THE MONTH
Record of the Month is Three Galleys by Holly & The Reivers. This Newcastle-based trio is made up of Holly Clarke, Bertie Armstrong and Merle Harbron. They’ve been performing together for quite some time, but this is their first album together. As someone who’s been following them for a while, it’s been fantastic to see things fall into place with this album, including rave reviews and airplay on BBC Radio 2.
If you’ve ever seen Holly play live, you’ll know just what an incredible voice she’s got, but it’s with the fuller sound of the trio that these outstanding vocals reach new heights. Filled to the brim with the kind of bittersweet melodies I love best, and with superb arrangements that stretch each track to its full potential, this is an accomplished debut.
Top track: Either The Three Danish Galleys or Bleary Winter - I can’t choose, so they’re both in the playlist!
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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), Stage4Beverley and individual artists, currently including Johnny Campbell. 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!