The Folk Forecast: January 2023
The Folk Forecast: January 2023
Featuring Saltlines, Edgelarks, Celtic Connections, a spot of wassailing and a vote for the 2022 Record of the Year.
Hello, and a very happy New Year to you all!
As we edge our way into 2023, it’s time to look back on the last 12 months and vote for the Record of the Year 2022. In each issue last year, I picked out a Record of the Month, and now it’s your turn to choose your favourite. Check out all the options and cast your vote by Sunday 15th January.
Looking ahead to this month, there’s lots to look forward to. If you haven’t caught Gigspanner Big Band and Raynor Winn’s show Saltlines yet, you can stream it online on 6th January, plus there’s lots more coming up later in the month including Edgelarks and Scalene (a rare trio gig with Sandra Kerr, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan). There’s also plenty of wassailing, both in person and online, and Celtic Connections where you’ll be spoilt for choice for gigs to go to.
Whatever you get up to, I hope your year gets off to a great start, and I look forward to seeing which record you all choose as your winner…
This month’s playlist
This month’s playlist includes tracks from each of the candidates for Record of the Year 2022 (apart from Both in a Tune by Knight & Spiers, which isn’t on Spotify but is available to buy here). Hopefully, this might help you to make your mind up… As always, do support artists by buying music or booking gigs if you can.
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
Saltlines — Friday 6 January, 7.30pm GMT
The Gigspanner Big Band with Raynor Winn
Photo by Elly Lucas
Saltlines is an inspiring collaboration between bestselling author Raynor Winn (The Salt Path) and folk-roots supergroup The Gigspanner Big Band. Together they celebrate the beauty, stories and traditions of the South West Coast Path in a seamless performance of old songs with their origins in the South-West, and brand new compositions written by Raynor Winn especially for this production.
This full 90-minute film was recorded at The Lighthouse Theatre, Poole. It’s available to watch for 24 hours, so you have a little while to catch up if you aren’t free to watch it straight away.
Tickets £15 for a single viewer / £22 for a couple / £30 for a group, plus booking fee.
Jim Causley’s New Year Wassail* — Saturday 7 January, 7.30pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room and Folk Arts Oxford
The tradition of wassailing goes way back for Jim Causley, who grew up in a wassailing village not far from Sidmouth Folk Festival. The songs (and the cider!) are part of the identity of Jim’s native county of Devon, where wassailing has marked the New Year for centuries. With these traditions being in Jim’s roots, it seems only natural that wassailing songs have formed part of his repertoire, and Jim’s seasonal concerts have become an annual tradition of their own.
This is a hybrid gig, so you can go along in person to the Quaker Meeting House in Oxford or watch online from wherever you are.
Online tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household. In person tickets £11 / £13 / £16. For both options, choose the price that’s affordable for you.
The Official Folk Albums Chart Show* — Tuesday 10 January, 7pm GMT
Folk on Foot website, YouTube and podcast feed. Chart 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.
Edgelarks — Thursday 12 January, 8pm GMT
Edgelarks
Edgelarks (Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin) will be singing in the New Year with a very special concert, designed to thank their fans for their support throughout the last twelve months. Expect old favourites, brand new songs, and more instruments than they can comfortably fit in their living room!
Tickets £15 standard / £10 pay a little less / £20 group ticket - Bandcamp subscribers will receive free tickets.
The Drystones* — Thursday 12 January, 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room
Blending traditional folk with electronic influences, The Drystones are bringing fresh energy to timeless traditions. With a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nomination under their belts, and previous performances at the likes of Glastonbury Festival, they're certainly ones to watch.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Open Water — Thursday 12 January, 7.30pm GMT
Rosslyn Court
Based in the South East of England, Open Water are bringing a fresh approach to acoustic music. Their traditional British folk roots are augmented with a variety of other influences, from celtic music to American bluegrass.
Hybrid gig. The first hour of the performance will be livestreamed free of charge (donations encouraged). The second half will be exclusively for the in-person audience.
Good Habits — Thursday 19 January, 7.30pm GMT
Rosslyn Court
Good Habits are a UK alt-folk duo, telling stories and turning heads across the globe. Together, singer-cellist Bonnie Schwarz and accordionist Pete Shaw create folk-ish musical tales, with captivating lyrics married with their unique brand of brisk instrumental virtuosity.
Hybrid gig. The first hour of the performance will be livestreamed free of charge (donations encouraged). The second half will be exclusively for the in-person audience.
Scalene (Sandra Kerr, Nancy Kerr & James Fagan)* — Saturday 21 January, 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room and Live At Sam’s
In 1998, legendary British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sandra Kerr teamed up with her daughter Nancy Kerr and Nancy’s Australian partner James Fagan to form a trio, which they named Scalene. Combining luscious family harmonies, traditional songs mainly from Nancy’s ancestral county of Northumberland, and dashing instrumentals both old and newly composed, Scalene played many festivals and recorded an album together. In 2022, to celebrate Sandra’s 80th birthday, the trio got back together to play concerts at Sidmouth and Whitby Folk Festivals, and the response was so good, they decided to put on this very special night, hosted by Live at Sam’s in Sheffield and livestreamed via Live to Your Living Room.
Online tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best. In person tickets are sold out!
The Official Folk Albums Chart of the Year 2022 Show* — Tuesday 24 January, 7pm GMT
Folk on Foot website, YouTube and podcast feed. Chart commissioned by English Folk Expo and compiled by the Official Charts Company.
Join Folk on Foot a second time this month, as they count down the biggest selling folk albums of 2022 and hear from some of the artists who made them.
Free to access, but you can support the podcast by becoming a patron.
Windborne* — Wednesday 25 January, 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room
US-based vocal group Windborne are known for their innovative arrangements and bold harmonies. With a 20-year background studying polyphonic music around the world, Lauren Breunig, Jeremy Carter-Gordon, Lynn Rowan and Will Rowan share a vibrant energy onstage. This hybrid gig will be livestreamed from a house concert in Sheffield as part of their UK tour.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Online courses
A new term of Monday Folk Singers is starting on 9th January. This online folk singing group is run by the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) with different tutors each term, and this time it’s the turn of Emily Portman. The term runs for 10 weeks, and costs £100 (£80 concessions).
For those who’ve made a New Year’s resolution to practice their fiddle more (as I myself should do…), Rachael McShane is running more online fiddle courses. The improvers course starts on 9th January and runs on Mondays from 6.30-8pm, and the beginners course starts from 11th January and runs on Wednesdays from 10-11.30am. Both courses will run for 6 weeks, and it’s £62 for the full course.
Lauren MacColl is teaching two online fiddle courses in January. The classes will be on 10th, 17th and 24th January, with ‘3 Favourite Slow Airs’ running at 7pm each week and ‘3 Contrasting Strathspeys’ running at 8.15pm. Both classes are aimed at intermediate players and above. The courses are £50 each (for 3 x 55min classes) or £95 for both.
Sam Sweeney provides fiddle tips and group online workshops via Patreon. Membership is £10 a month.
TOP PICKS: IN PERSON
The Great British Folk Festival
Skegness, Lincolnshire, 6-9 January
With the winter being a bit cold for camping, the Great British Folk Festival is held each year at Butlin’s in Skegness. This year’s headliners include Steeleye Span, Oysterband, Kris Drever, Heidi Talbot, Billy Mitchell & Bob Fox, The Pitmen Poets and more. You also get access to facilities like the swimming pool (and I can confirm that water slides are a definite plus at a folk festival!)
Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival
Whittlesea, Cambridgeshire, 13-14 January
In Whittlesea, there’s a longstanding tradition of dressing someone up entirely in straw (known as a ‘Straw Bear’) and then parading them through the town. This tradition continues to this day, accompanied by music and dancing. This year, there’s a concert with Lizzy Hardingham and Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer on the Friday night, before the procession and storytelling take place on the Saturday.
Celtic Connections
Glasgow, 19 January - 5 February
Celtic Connections is always a highlight at this time of year! There are far too many events to list them all, but here are my top picks:
Friday 27 Jan - Song Circle: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Karine Polwart, Julie Fowlis & Robert Vincent
Saturday 28 Jan - Le Vent du Nord & Special Guests and Dallahan
Monday 30 Jan - Eliza Carthy & The Restitution and Angeline Morrison
Friday 3 Feb - The Unthanks and Lady Maisery
Saturday 4 Feb - Dreamers’ Circus, Frigg and Kinnaris Quintet: Celtic Runes
Other artists include Talisk, Project Smok, Treacherous Orchestra, Penguin Cafe, Judy Collins, Anna Massie, Tim Edey, Ian Carr, Fara, Siobhan Miller, Gnoss, Dervish, Breabach, Cara Dillon, Blazin’ Fiddles, Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys, Kate Rusby, Blue Rose Code, Duncan Chisholm and Kim Carnie, Anna Meredith and LOTS more.
Tradfest Temple Bar
Dublin, 25-29 January
TradFest Temple Bar is billed as Ireland’s largest trad and folk music festival, taking place in historic locations across Dublin. Highlights this year include ‘Dervish Present the Great Irish Song Book’ (with special guests including Ralph McTell, Eddi Reader, Cara Dillon and more), Kíla, The Dublin Legends, Judy Collins, Martin and Eliza Carthy, Kate Rusby and lots more.
Wassailing
Various locations across the UK and beyond!
Wassailing has been a tradition in Britain for centuries, and generally involves plenty of drinking, wassailing songs, dancing and perhaps flinging some cider and toast at the apple trees to encourage a good harvest in the coming year (why not, eh). There are lots of events coming up, and Tradfolk have put together a handy Wassail Directory to make it easier to find one near you.
Courses at Halsway Manor
Taunton, Somerset, various courses throughout the year
There are lots of great courses coming up at Halsway Manor over the next couple of months, including the Leveret Young Musicians’ Weekend, Two Sisters Song Weekend, Halsway Winter Warmer and lots more. If you haven’t come across Halsway before, it’s a beautiful manor house where you can go for residential courses with some of the finest folk musicians around. It’s one of my favourite places, and well worth a visit if there are any courses that take your fancy! I’m looking forward to the singing weekend with Lady Maisery, which I’ve been planning to return to since 2020 (touch wood that this is finally the year!)
On tour in the next couple of months
Eliza Carthy & The Restitution, Fern Maddie, Frank Turner, Fisherman’s Friends, Gigspanner Big Band, Janice Burns & Jon Doran, Jim Causley, Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings, Phil Beer, Rachel Newton, Sam Sweeney, Seth Lakeman, Shovel Dance Collective, Steve Knightley, Suzanne Vega with Sam Lee, The Unthanks, Windborne.
This is by no means exhaustive, so do keep an eye out for what your favourite artists are up to!
OTHER NEWS
New Mastadon community
With Twitter a bit uncertain, the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) have set up a new server on Mastodon. Join the community to get chatting with likeminded people over there.
NEW RELEASES
13 January - Archie Churchill-Moss, PH(R)ASE
Archie Churchill-Moss is one of the best young squeezebox players around, known for his work with Moore Moss Rutter and his duo with Tom Moore. This playful debut solo album is a chance for him to explore his creative potential and really showcase what he can do.
13 January - Juni Habel, Carvings
Hailing from Norway, Juni Habel combines finger-picked guitar with lyrics filled with poetry. If you’re a fan of Katherine Priddy, you might like this!
20 January - John McCusker, The Best Of
This double album features 30 standout tracks from across John McCusker’s 30-year career, including four new tracks. It is a celebration not only of John's solo work but also of the many notable collaborations he has been part of over the years. Artists featured include Billy Connolly, Michael McGoldrick, Capercaillie's Ewen Vernal and Donald Shaw, Andy Cutting, Phil Cunningham, Kris Drever, Boo Hewerdine, Duncan Chisholm, Blur's Graham Coxon and more.
20 January - David Carroll and Friends, Bold Reynold
After starting out with folk band Spinning Wheel in the late 70s, David Carroll embarked on a career making and repairing instruments, as well as playing as a session musician, but now he’s put his first solo album together with a few friends… Friends, that is, including two members of Fairport Convention (Chris Leslie and Dave Pegg), three members of Gryphon (Brian Gulland, Dave Oberle and Graeme Taylor), Tom Spencer (from The Men They Couldn’t Hang and The Professionals) and vocalist Lucy Cooper. Not a bad line-up!
RECORD OF THE MONTH
Record of the Month is In the Quiet of the Waiting by Elly Lucas. In keeping with the title, it’s been quite a wait since Elly last released new music, and this stunning new EP was quietly released at the beginning of this month. From the birdsong opening the first track, How Can I Keep From Singing?, to the beautiful harmonies and star-speckled lyrics of The Moth, it takes you on a journey from dawn till dusk and is quite simply gorgeous from start to finish.
It’s hard to believe when listening to it, but the EP was recorded solo from home in the early lockdowns of 2020. The quality of sound, and the layering of the different elements, is just beautiful, and even more astounding when it’s been brought together flawlessly by one person. Given that Elly is also the most incredible photographer, you have to wonder if there is any end to her talents.
The EP is only available from Bandcamp, and if you download a copy, you get a bonus track. Elly is also donating 15% of proceeds to support the life-saving work of the Samaritans.
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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, Soundpost, Folk on Foot, Fancourt Music (Granny’s Attic, Janice Burns & Jon Doran and The Wilderness Yet), and individual artists including Jo Freya. Events where I have some involvement with the promoter, agency or artist are marked with a star for transparency. Although I have various affiliations, I strive to be fair and inclusive and tell you about anything I think you’ll enjoy!