The Folk Forecast: June 2023
Featuring a round-up of upcoming festivals, the Nest Collective Campfire Club, Folk Tunes from the Women, the latest album releases and more news from across the folk scene.
Hello everyone, and welcome back to The Folk Forecast!
Things are looking quieter on the online gig front this month, but with festival season gearing up, there’s still lots to look forward to. I’m off to Folk by the Oak for the first time in July, as well as some others later in the summer, so maybe I’ll see some of you in a field somewhere! Next week, I’m also off to (another) Lady Maisery singing weekend, which is always a wonderful way to spend a few days. This one is sold out, but they have another one coming up in September if you fancy it (info here).
There’s also been lots of fantastic new music coming out lately, so without further ado, here’s the playlist!
This month’s playlist
This month’s playlist features 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
As mentioned above, things look a bit quieter on the online front over the next few weeks, but here are a few bits to look out for…
Check out the Folk on Foot* Official Folk Albums Chart Show to see which albums have reached the top 40 (hint - the show includes interviews with Jon Wilks and Gnoss, so that’s two of them!). The show is available to watch on YouTube, or you can listen to the podcast. Find out more here.
Speaking of Folk on Foot*, a new episode of the podcast with Angeline Morrison will be released on Friday 16th June, as she and Matthew head out for a walk in beautiful Cornwall. Find out more about the podcast and listen to past episodes here.
Rosslyn Court are continuing to livestream lots of their gigs. In the next month, they’ve got music from Sally Ironmonger, Brian Carter and Tony and Lesley Petty, Na Mara, Charlie Hannah and Snottledogs. Find details of all gigs here.
Fabian Holland regularly does livestreams on YouTube to share songs, as well as guitar and songwriting tips. You can catch him on Saturdays at 8pm UK time, or watch again later. Past videos are available to watch here.
Ninebarrow have an online gig coming up on 15th July. More on that next month, but if you fancy a look now, the details are here.
Live to Your Living Room* are taking a break for the summer, but will be back in September. Artists already announced for the autumn include Maclaine Colston & Saul Rose, The Black Feathers, Melrose Quartet, The Askew Sisters, Ward Knutur Townes, The Grace Smith Trio, Heidi Talbot & Boo Hewerdine, The Carrivick Sisters, Source by James Kerry and The Wilderness Yet. Find more info here.
The Longest Johns recently did their last livestream with Dave in the band - catch up here.
TOP PICKS: IN PERSON
Festival highlights
The Reeling - 10-11 June - A new traditional music festival in Glasgow. The line-up includes Skerryvore, Breabach, Rura, Talisk, Blazin Fiddles, Iona Fyfe, Siobhan Miller and more.
Gower Folk Festival - 9-11 June (SOLD OUT) - A fantastic festival in south Wales. This year’s line-up includes Janice Burns & Jon Doran*, Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell, Bryony Griffith & Alice Jones, Melrose Quartet, Suthering, Cerys Hafana, The Wilderness Yet* and more.
Beardy Folk Festival - 15-18 June - Held near Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire, this year’s festival features Skerryvore, Seth Lakeman, The Longest Johns, John Smith, Martin Carthy, Track Dogs and more.
Black Deer Festival of Americana - 16-18 June - Based in Kent, this year’s line-up includes Bonny Light Horseman, This Is The Kit, Grace Petrie, Katherine Priddy, Angeline Morrison, Elephant Sessions, Maz O’Connor and more.
Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival - 16-18 June - A celebration of all things shanty-based, with groups from far and wide coming to perform in venues across the town.
Jim Moray Festival - 17 June - A one-day festival at Cecil Sharp House. Jim is marking 30 years in the music business, and will be joined by guests including Kitty Macfarlane, Nick Hart and Frankie Archer. There will also be a live recording of The Old Songs Podcast with Jon Wilks.
Gate to Southwell Festival - 29 June-2 July - Based in Nottinghamshire, this year’s festival features Seth Lakeman, Kris Drever, John Smith, Martyn Joseph, Track Dogs, Jake Blount, Bonfire Radicals, Tarren, The Brothers Gillespie, Jon Doran* & The Northern Assembly and more.
New Forest Folk Festival - 5-9 July - This year’s line-up includes Gigspanner Big Band, The Longest Johns, Reg Meuross, Harbottle & Jonas and more.
Priddy Folk Festival - 7-9 July - Set in a beautiful location in the Mendip Hills, this year’s festival features Nick Hart, Tarren, Kris Drever, Dervish, Bryony Griffith & Alice Jones, Fara, Medicine Creek and more.
Ely Folk Festival - 7-9 July - Ely is always a lovely festival, and this year’s line-up includes Edward II, the Eliza Carthy Trio, The Magpies, Blackbeard’s Tea Party, Katie Spencer and more.
Tiree Music Festival - 7-9 July - Based on the Isle of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides, this year’s festival features Skerryvore, Skipinnish, Newton Faulkner, Talisk, Elephant Sessions and more.
Hebcelt - 12-15 July - Over in the Outer Hebrides, Hebcelt has a line-up including Fara, Skerryvore, Siobhan Miller, Talisk, Kinnaris Quintet, The Paul McKenna Band, The Trials of Cato and more.
Folk on the Farm Festival - 13-16 July - Based in Anglesey, North Wales. This year’s line-up includes Merry Hell, Edwina Hayes, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, Tapestri and more.
Folk by the Oak - 16 July - I’m looking forward to my first trip to this lovely festival, which is based at Hatfield Park in Hertfordshire. The line-up this year includes The Longest Johns, Lady Maisery, This Is The Kit, The Waterboys, Nick Mulvey, Nick Hart and The Wilderness Yet*.
The Nest Collective Campfire Club
The Nest Collective will be running their Campfire Club events again throughout the summer. This is a great opportunity to see incredible talent in a really magical outdoor setting. In June, there are events in Sheffield, Brighton, Dartington and London, with artists including Stornoway, Joshua Burnside, Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell, Bird in the Belly and Fyfe Dangerfield.
Patakas
Joe and Will Sartin, sons of the late great Paul Sartin, have formed a new duo and have a few dates coming up soon, including Swindon Folk Club on 16th June, Folk at the Froize on 23rd July and festivals including Warwick, Sidmouth, Broadstairs and Folk East. I’m really looking forward to seeing what this new duo brings, and hope to catch them somewhere soon.
Also on tour in the next few weeks
Gigspanner Big Band, Gnoss, Iona Lane, Karine Polwart, Kris Drever Band (I caught them recently in Gateshead and they were fab!), Spiers & Boden, and undoubtedly lots more, so keep an eye on your favourite artists to see what they’re up to.
OTHER NEWS
Folk Tunes from the Women
Folk Tunes from the Women is a new book of over 150 contemporary tunes collected from 100 composers across Britain and Ireland, which has been curated by the Northumbrian piper and fiddle player Kathryn Tickell.
The book includes tunes by Rachel Newton, Inge Thomson, Rowan Rheingans, Bryony Griffith, Jo Freya, Anna Massie, Rachael McShane, Karen Tweed and Kathryn Tickell herself, among many others!
Les Barker books on sale
Following on from the sad loss of much-loved poet Les Barker, there are probably lots of people who’d like to get copies of his books. They are now available to buy from the Fake Thackray website.
The Gallows Pole
This brings together two of my favourite things - folk music and period dramas! The Gallows Pole is a new drama on BBC 2, directed by Shane Meadows. The series features lots of traditional songs and tunes, with musicians including Jennifer Reid and Tom Kitching. The series is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, and Tradfolk have published an article all about the series and its music, which is well worth a read.
NEW RELEASES
26 May - Natalie and Brittany Haas, Haas
Sisters Natalie (cello) and Brittany (fiddle) began their musical lives together, before heading off on different paths. This album sees them reconvene to record together as a duo for the first time - it’s a collaboration that’s been a lifetime in the making!
29 May - Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, Come Make My Bed
This new Bandcamp-exclusive EP from squeezebox virtuoso Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne explores some little-known traditional gems. Read more about it over on Tradfolk here.
30 May - The Longest Johns, C-Sides
This cleverly named digital release brings together demos and tracks the band haven’t previously released. There’s a bit of a theme of saying goodbye running through it, and it finishes with The Parting Glass, as a nod to the fact that Dave is leaving the band.
2 June - The Ciderhouse Rebellion & Kirsty Merryn, The Devil’s on the Mast
One winter week in the heart of the Yorkshire Moors, Adam, Kirsty and Murray got together to devise and record an album of brand-new music. These are songs that tell the stories of hidden lives through history, from wreckers and smugglers to nightmen and snake-catchers. The Ciderhouse Rebellion work by improvising in the moment, and many of the songs you hear on this album are first takes - not only the first time they’ve been recorded, but the first time they’ve been played - resulting in something very organic.
2 June - Lauren MacColl, Haar
Haar is the fifth solo album from Highland fiddler and composer Lauren MacColl, who you may know from Rant, Salt House and Heal & Harrow. This is a self-penned and produced collection of music, drawn from coastal tales and happenings around the eastern firths of the Scottish Highlands.
2 June - Rufus Wainwright, Folkocracy
This new release from Rufus Wainwright features classic songs and lots of familiar faces, including collaborations with John Legend, Brandi Carlile, David Byrne, Sheryl Crow, Nicole Scherzinger and more.
2 June - Liz Hanks, Land
Based on the local and natural history of Liz’s local area in Sheffield, Land explores forgotten natural worlds and the loss of nature in the urban environment, whilst also celebrating the green spaces that remain. The album is accompanied by an app, which maps out a guided walk of the areas that inspired the album, with commentary by Sheffield writer Sally Goldsmith.
2 June - Hugh Sheehan, Shapes that are Different
This debut album from Hugh Sheehan is a deep-dive into his experience of growing up as a queer person in 90s Birmingham. It sees him exploring many aspects of queerness and identity, in a project that feels both deeply personal and more broadly significant.
16 June - Dallahan, Speak of the Devil
This new release from Dallahan marks a number of ‘firsts’ – their first album recorded solely as a four piece without any guest musicians, their first with new member Benedict Morris on fiddle, their first working with a producer (Euan Burton) and their first comprising all original music.
RECORD OF THE MONTH
Record of the Month is Riverwoods by Salt House, which was released on 10th March on Hudson Records. The album is a musical response to a documentary made by the rewilding charity, ‘SCOTLAND: The Big Picture’. It’s inspired by the journey of the atlantic salmon and the importance of biodiversity in our rivers.
At a time when modern life can often feel overwhelming, this is an album that reminds you of the power of the natural world, immerses you and takes you on a journey. This is music that whisks you off to another world, as well as inspiring you to make the world we’ve got a better place.
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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 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!
Just wondering if you knew about Folk Camps. www.folkcamps.co.uk There are still a few spaces available for the second two weeks of the camps in Suffolk this year and plenty for the August Bank Holiday camp in Hampshire.
Thanks for this great round up Lucy, as always!
I’ll look out for you at Folk by the Oak. We’ve been to nearly every one, it is a great day. The sun shines brightly, so you’ll need your sunscreen and sun hat. I’m sure you’ll really enjoy the fabulous day! 🥳🎶