The Folk Forecast: March 2024
Featuring Angeline Morrison, Hannah James & Toby Kuhn, Reg Meuross, James Delarre & Saul Rose, the latest album releases and more news from across the folk scene.
Hello, and welcome back to The Folk Forecast!
There’s lots to look forward to wherever you’re based this month, with online gigs from the likes of Hannah James & Toby Kuhn, Angeline Morrison, James Delarre & Saul Rose and lots more coming up in the next few weeks. This month also sees the return of the Sheffield Folk Sessions Festival, as well as lots of artists heading out on spring tours, lots of whom have got new albums in tow.
Speaking of new music, we’re spoilt for choice at the moment, with releases from Katherine Priddy, Amelia Coburn, Sam Lee, Grace Petrie, Cara Dillon and more. Read on for all the details.
In the run-up to her album release on 8th March, I also had a chance to catch up with Amelia Coburn about her new album, Between the Moon and the Milkman - read what she had to say here.
That’s all for now - happy reading and I’ll see you next month!
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 Ashen Keys — Thursday 7 March, 7.30pm GMT
Rosslyn Court
The Ashen Keys is a multi-instrumental, multi-voiced celebration of heartfelt storytelling from Kent. The group brings together three musicians - Hannah Ellerby (vocals, violin, oboe and ukulele), Rachel Lowrie (vocals, guitar, ukulele and clarinet), and Vicky Price (vocals, French horn, accordion) - and their sound tells of influences from folk, blues, pop, classical and even early music. Expect to be taken on a journey through dark folk tales, bittersweet love stories and reveries on nature, all with exquisite vocal harmonies and unique instrumentation.
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.
Maddie Morris* — Sunday 10 March, 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room and Live At Sam’s
Maddie Morris is an artist who strives to make a difference in the world. Bold, insightful and refreshingly unique, they take traditional song in new directions to shine a light on contemporary issues, offering new perspectives about the world we live in today. Maddie’s debut studio album, Skin, has just come out (and was last issue’s Record of the Month). This gig is coming to you from Live At Sam’s in Sheffield.
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.
James Delarre & Saul Rose — Thursday 14 March, 7.30pm GMT
Rosslyn Court
With the timeless combination of fiddle and box, James and Saul have been making music together for quite some time now. The duo intertwine seamlessly; dancing around the tunes between the notes, finding space and air, and breathing fresh life and energy into the music.
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.
Hannah James & Toby Kuhn + Seb Stone* — Friday 15 March, 7.45pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room and Downend Folk & Roots
Hannah James is an award-winning musician, dancer and composer known for her work with Lady Maisery, Sam Sweeney, Songs of Separation and more, whilst Toby Kuhn is a virtuoso cellist with a taste for improvisation and folk music of all persuasions. Together, their music is diverse, playful and hugely original. Their debut album, Sleeping Spirals, was released to considerable acclaim.
This gig is coming to you live from Downend Folk & Roots near Bristol. Support will be provided by Seb Stone, a traditional singer, whistler and uilleann piper.
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.
Reg Meuross + Katie Grace Harris* — Saturday 16 March, 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room and ACE Space, Newbury
Reg Meuross is something of a modern troubadour, whose songs tell important stories about humanity, social justice and the world around us. With his strong tenor voice, accompanied by six-string guitar, harmonica, tenor guitar, banjo and dulcimer, Reg leaves audiences spellbound wherever he goes.
This gig is coming to you live from ACE Space in Newbury. Support will be provided by Katie Grace Harris, a singer and piano, dulcimer and accordion player with a growing reputation on the UK folk scene.
Hybrid gig, so you can also go along in person. Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Alex Cumming* — Monday 18 March, 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room
Alex Cumming is a traditional singer, accordionist and pianist from Somerset, now living in Vermont, USA. He’s known for his work with various bands, including The Teacups, and he’s also a regular MC at Live to Your Living Room so his face might be familiar! Alex has just released his first solo album, Homecoming, and he’ll be joined by singer and fiddle player, Audrey Jaber, for this online launch gig.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Carry On: An Evening with Mark and Lard* — Sunday 24 March, 7pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room
Now, this one isn’t a folk gig, but it does involve Mark Radcliffe, the presenter of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show. Twenty years ago, the much-loved Mark and Lard show on BBC Radio 1 came to an end, and now Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley are joining forces once again for a trip down memory lane, live from The Bowdon Rooms in Altrincham.
Hybrid gig (sold out in person). Online tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Lewis Wood — Thursday 28 March, 7.30pm GMT
Rosslyn Court
Lewis Wood is a folk violinist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and record producer from Worcester, currently based in South Oxfordshire. Known for his work with the much-loved trio, Granny’s Attic* (for whom I am Agent), Lewis also has a thriving solo career, drawing material from the English fiddle tradition, as well as influences from European and North American folk, jazz and contemporary music. While being respectful to these traditions, Lewis is also keen to push their boundaries, both through his interpretations of traditional music and his tune writing.
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.
Johnny Campbell* — Thursday 28 March, 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room
Johnny Campbell is passionate about the songs and stories of northern England. His latest album, True North, is a collection of traditional northern folk songs, each of which was recorded at the highest point of the county it was sourced from. Through these songs, Campbell explores the symbiotic connections between the land, the music, the stories and the history that has shaped northern identity.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Angeline Morrison* — Saturday 6 April, 8pm BST
Live to Your Living Room
Angeline Morrison is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who explores traditional song with a deep love, respect and curiosity. Angeline’s latest album, The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience, is a work of re-storying, filling in some important gaps and telling the stories of our black ancestors in the style of UK traditional folk songs. The album is highly acclaimed, and it’s even better played live.
Tickets £10 / £16.50 / £25 - one ticket per household; choose the price that suits you best.
Also online
This month’s Folk on Foot Official Folk Albums Chart Show* features an interview with Katherine Priddy, who is celebrating the success of her second album, The Pendulum Swing. There’s also music from The Breath, Rachel Sermanni, The Longest Johns, Tapir! and Sir Bryn Terfel, plus I’m on the show to tell you more about this issue’s news. Watch it here.
Speaking of Folk on Foot*, there’s a new episode of the podcast coming out on Friday 15th March, featuring Scottish piper Malin Lewis. Subscribe on your podcast app so you don’t miss it.
Dr Kathryn Roberts and Ben Edge have just launched a new podcast called Folk This, which is all about sustainability and traditional cultures. Listen to the first episode here.
TOP PICKS: IN PERSON
Sheffield Folk Sessions Festival
29-31 March, various venues in Sheffield
This annual festival involves a whole weekend of free folk sessions in the pubs around the Kelham Island area of Sheffield. Whether you’re a singer or an instrumentalist, there’s plenty to get stuck into!
Bella Hardy - Dark Peak Arts
If singing is your thing, Bella Hardy is running lots of singing workshops this year through her new organisation, Dark Peak Arts. As well as offering regular events for those local to Edale, there are also a couple of residential weekends with plenty of singing, walking and delicious food - I’m definitely getting booked up!
Also on tour soon!
Amelia Coburn, Angeline Morrison, Blair Dunlop, Cara Dillon, Chris Wood, Eddi Reader, Fay Hield, Findlay Napier, Fisherman’s Friends, Grace Petrie, Granny’s Attic*, Janice Burns & Jon Doran*, Johnny Campbell, Katherine Priddy, Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman, Maddie Morris, Martin Simpson, McGoldrick, McCusker and Doyle, Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell, Sam Lee, Sam Sweeney, Show of Hands, The Rheingans Sisters, The Wilderness Yet*, Tom McConville & Michael Biggins.
OTHER NEWS
New course for young musicians
Cambridge Folk Festival has partnered with Cambridgeshire Music Education Hub to launch a 4-day folk music course for musicians aged 11-18, running from 22nd-25th July. The course is open to all instruments and abilities. Participants will build skills across a variety of areas, including playing in an ensemble, developing performance skills and writing music. Spread the word to any young folkies you know!
Drop the Hammer
Rural touring company Artsreach commissioned The Longest Johns to put together Drop the Hammer, a song about the quarrying traditions around the Jurassic coast. Now, they’ve released a video of the band performing the song with choirs across Dorset, and they’ve released the scores so that other vocal groups can learn and share the song.
NEW RELEASES
21 February - Old Spot, Jeri Foreman & Ruth Eliza, One Night Stringband Vol. 1
Old Spot and Jeri Foreman & Ruth Eliza are both old time fiddle and banjo duos, who recently embarked on a joint tour across the north of England. During rehearsals, they sat down with some microphones and a bottle of whisky, and unexpectedly ended up with an album. The result is a carefree record that captures the spontaneous joy of making music with good friends.
23 February - Cara Dillon, Coming Home
Coming Home is Cara’s eighth solo album, but it’s her first featuring entirely original material. It blurs the lines between spoken word and song, as Cara reflects on how her family, home and culture have shaped her life. The album is also accompanied by a book of the same name, filled with personal memories, stories, and reflections on what made her the artist, and the woman, she is today.
6 March - Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell, 102 Metres East (EP)
This new release from the incredibly talented duo, Owen Spafford and Louis Campbell, is all about taking tradition and shifting it into the present day. 102 Metres East is a reference to when the global meridian line had to be shifted slightly eastwards, serving as a metaphor for the changes also at play in the music.
8 March - Marry Waterson & Adrian Crowley, Cuckoo Storm
This collaboration came together when Adrian Crowley wrote a social media post about Marry’s previous album, Death Had Quicker Wings Than Love. Marry was drawn to Adrian’s voice and poetic lyrics and asked if he’d be interested in working together. He said yes, and the result is this album, which draws together their two distinctive voices.
8 March - Amelia Coburn, Between the Moon and the Milkman
Amelia Coburn has been making music for many years, but this is her first studio album and marks a real milestone in her career. Based in Middlesbrough, Amelia is a wonderful songwriter with a timeless sound that crosses the boundaries between folk and jazz. Ahead of the release, I caught up with her for a quick chat, which you can read here.
8 March - Grace Petrie, Build Something Better
Following on from the success of Connectivity a couple of years ago, Grace Petrie is back on top form, with plenty to say - after all, there’s lots to keep protest singers busy these days! As the album title suggests, it’s also a record filled with hope for a brighter tomorrow. Interestingly, it was produced by Frank Turner.
15 March - Sam Lee, Songdreaming
This new release from Sam Lee is the follow-up to Old Wow, and sees Sam continuing his work with producer Bernard Butler and long-term collaborator, James Keay. Songdreaming represents the latest stage in the development of Sam Lee’s music, from its roots in traditional folk song to new ways of imagining and performing these old songs, making them relevant for a modern audience.
15 March - Anna Massie, Two Down
Following on from her debut solo album over 20 years ago, Anna Massie is set to release Two Down, which is the culmination of two decades of musical exploration. It features Anna on vocals, guitar and fiddle, with a mix of self-composed pieces and old favourites.
15 March - Living with Machines, Living with Machines
Living with Machines is a vibrant new collaborative project which breathes fresh life into 19th century strike and industrial songs of the North of England. Commissioned by Leeds Museums & Galleries and The British Library, the project involves a group of Yorkshire-based artists including Alice Jones, Simon Robinson, Katy Ryder and Pete Dilley. Together, they worked with archive material to reinterpret these songs for a modern-day audience. The project hopes to forge a link between today's technologically dependent population, and those who were adjusting to 'living with machines' 150 years ago.
21 March - Alexander Chapman Campbell, Where Now a Dark Wood Stands (single)
Celebrated Scottish composer and pianist Alexander Chapman Campbell has joined forces with esteemed singer Julie Fowlis on a new single and music video to mark the UN International Day of Forests. The track is aimed at raising awareness of concerns about the lack of biodiversity in UK conifer plantations.
22 March - Urban Folk Quartet, True Story
Urban Folk Quartet draws together Dan Walsh, Joe Broughton, Tom Chapman and Paloma Trigas. Together, their music weaves together a myriad of influences, from Celtic reels and bluegrass to Indian folk music, African rhythms and hip-hop. The album opens with Solsbury Hill, featuring Fairport Convention's Dave Pegg on bass.
29 March - From the Ground, From the Ground
Laura-Beth Salter (Kinnaris Quintet, The Shee) and Ali Hutton (Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton, Treacherous Orchestra) have come together to create a Scottish soundscaping masterpiece with a powerful message at its core. Cinematic, contemporary and captivating, From the Ground is an ode to nature and its infinite power to heal. It carries an urgent message for its listeners – we must cherish our planet – and celebrates how connecting with our natural environment can benefit our mental health.
RECORD OF THE MONTH
Record of the Month is The Pendulum Swing by Katherine Priddy, which has just shot straight to #1 in the Official Folk Albums Chart. Having first seen Katherine perform at a tiny deli in Durham, it’s been remarkable to track the growth of her career in recent years. Following the huge popularity of her first album, this second release had big shoes to fill, and it not only meets but exceeds all expectations, cementing Katherine as one of our brightest rising stars.
Whilst her career is going from strength to strength, Katherine has got her feet firmly planted on the ground, with the album being closely tied to her roots, family and childhood home. In fact, the album title makes reference to this, with The Pendulum Swing referring to the fact that no matter where you go in life, the pull of home still draws you back. First House on the Left explores the meaning of home, whilst Walnut Shell is dedicated to Katherine’s twin brother and Father of Two to her dad. The latter also includes a recording of Katherine singing to her family as a child, adding a very personal and intimate touch to the track.
Alongside Katherine’s poetic lyrics, this second album is also rich in additional detail, with field recordings expanding on the sound world and drawing you into the storytelling. It’s certainly an album that demands repeat listening to take all those details in, and I’m sure it’s going to be on repeat in homes far and wide for a long while to come.
Top track: Father of Two - I just love the personal touches in this one.
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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 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!