The folking.com music archive for album reviews and news

This is a list of everything we have on folking.com in date and month order. So if you like trawling the depths of the site for amazing content that you may have missed then this is the place to “net” an article, feature or review or two.

The archive is a work in progress as we still have gaps to fill from 2009 back to 2001. Most of the missing content are older album reviews which require reformatting with each article having to be submitted back on to the site with album covers and links to where they can be obtained from (where available).

All recent review and features posts below (where available) can be ordered below through our UK or US Storefront 

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Physical link for the UK Store is: https://folking.com/folking-store/

Physical link to the US Store: https://folking.com/folking-us-storefront/

SINGLES BAR 54 – A round-up of recent EPs and singles

Fronted by singer Deidre Murphy and acoustic guitarist Les Ray, Cambridge folk-rock quintet RED VELVET return with the If Hawks Were Doves EP, a self-released ...
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VIRGINIA KETTLE – No Place Like Tomorrow (Merry Hell MHMCD00220)

Two years on from her eponymous EP, No Place Like Tomorrow is finally with us and it is well worth the wait. Virginia is supported ...
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DAN PENN – Living On Mercy (The Last Music Company LMCD219PUK)

If you're unfamiliar with the name Dan Penn – as I was – it's probable that you are familiar with some of the hits he's ...
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Emily Barker announces her new album

Following the release of the blissful and poignant single ‘Return Me’, acclaimed UK based singer-songwriter Emily Barker has announced that her forthcoming album, A Dark ...
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DAVE COUSINS – The Boy In The Sailor Suit   (Esoteric ECLEC2723)

Originally released in 2007 The Boy In The Sailor Suit has now been reissued with three bonus live tracks featuring the core of the backing ...
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Derby Folk Festival will be at home

Just before lockdown began, Derby LIVE announced that the Derby Folk Festival would be back for October 2020 with many artists playing in multiple venues ...
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Green Note goes on-line

On the small stage of this unassuming Camden venue, artists such as Amy Winehouse, Michael Kiwanuka, Anais Mitchell, Ed Sheeran and Jacob Collier began their ...
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Fèisean nan Gàidheal champions new online resource

To celebrate the Year of Coasts & Waters, Gaelic arts organisation, Fèisean nan Gàidheal, is championing the rich collection of Gaelic songs connected to coasts ...
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Kate Rusby announces new covers album

Kate Rusby’s forthcoming new album, Hand Me Down, started life a few years ago whilst she was rehearsing for the Jo Whiley Show on BBC ...
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Virginia Kettle’s new album will be with us soon

Virginia Kettle is at the heart of the creative force within Merry Hell and the energies that have driven the band ever upwards, whether this be ...
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Veteran songwriter Dan Penn announces new album

He has a fantastic story - if James Brown is Soul Brother number one, you can make a very credible case for Dan Penn being ...
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MICHAEL CHAPMAN – Growing Pains Volume 1 & 2 (Mooncrest CRESTCD105)

It would appear that this set was released as two separate albums some twenty years ago. I missed them then so they come as a ...
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SKERRYVORE – Live Across Scotland (Tyree Records TYREE10CD)

Skerryvore’s Live Across Scotland exemplifies the Ian Hunter album title, You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic. This record captures the Skerryvore ethos: sizzling big group ...
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MATT HILL – Savage Pilgrims (Quiet Loner QLRCD001)

Originally trading as Quiet Loner, now the name of his label, the politically-driven Nottingham-born singer-songwriter made his album debut in 2004 with Secret Rulers of ...
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ANDY & JUDY – This Road (own label)

Andy and Judy Daigle are from Bridgewater, Massachusetts. I actually missed the MA in their letterhead at first and I was expecting a duo from ...
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Wickham Festival postponed

Wickham Festival organisers have hit out at the government after being forced to postpone next month’s event. The hugely popular showpiece – scheduled for August ...
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Cambridge Folk Festival announces At Home

The Cambridge Folk Festival is excited to announce Cambridge Folk Festival At Home 2020, a unique event to mark the Festival weekend by inviting the ...
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Highlands Youth Arts Hub launches new fund

The current Covid19 situation has put a huge strain on the arts world across the globe and fearing that there would be a talent drain ...
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OLD-TIME PHARMACEUTICALS – Roots & Honey (own label)

Old-Time Pharmaceuticals’ Roots & Honey is a really hip audio textbook of folk songwriting. The band cite Pete Seeger, Carter Family, The Clancy Brothers (more ...
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Marc Block announces new EP

Faerie Fire is the new EP by Marc Block ahead of the release of his next album, Faerie Fire Dances, with five stunning songs, including ...
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JOHNNY STEINBERG – Shadowland (own label JS032020)

It may stem from the Highland Clearances but there is an affinity, an empathy between Scotland and the USA. They don’t make a huge fuss ...
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Skerryvore announce live album

Multi-award-winning Scottish band Skerryvore will release their blistering new album, Live Across Scotland on Friday, 10 July 2020 to celebrate their 15th anniversary. Capturing the ...
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Video Wall 15

As lockdown drags on and the summer heat is debilitating it's good to know that musicians are still doing interesting things to keep us entertained ...
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WILL HOGE – Tiny Little Movies (Edlo/Thirty Tigers)

Will Hoge’s Tiny Little Movies spins on an asphalt bumped Americana road that still hopes for brand new concrete. That’s the gist of America: We ...
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Fraser Fifield announces new digital album

Fraser Fifield ~ In Mumbai  Scottish multi-instrumentalist Fraser Fifield travelled to the Bollywood district of Mumbai to record his new album, on general release from ...
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Ray Cooper unleashes The Beast

  The Beast is a new 3 track EP download release from Ray Cooper. The title song ‘The Beast’ takes Ray Cooper into new territory, ...
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KEVIN HENDERSON & NEIL PEARLMAN – Burden Lake (own label KEVHENCD02)

Kevin Henderson is a Shetland fiddler player. At age fourteen he was a founder member of Fiddlers’ Bid and he released an impressive solo album ...
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Charley Crockett announces new album

Charley Crockett's aptly-named Welcome To Hard Times, produced by Mark Neil, features songwriting collaborations with Pat McLaughlin and Dan Auerbach and is set to establish ...
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Music Venue Trust calls for £50m cash injection

Music Venue Trust (MVT), which represents hundreds of grassroots music venues, has issued an urgent warning to the UK government that an immediate cash injection ...
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MARIE FIELDING – The Spectrum Project (Rumford Records RUMCD04)

I’m sure it wasn’t Marie Fielding’s intention to give us an album to cheer us up in these dark times but reading her notes it ...
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SINGLES BAR 53 – A round-up of recent EPs and singles

CORRIE SHELLEY has released a digital only EP, Ghost Light.  It begins with the unaccompanied ‘Mother Earth’ sung live in an otherwise empty church to ...
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Finnian announces his debut album

After three extremely successful single launches, Finnian is now announcing his debut album Under The Influence will be released everywhere July 24th. In a musical ...
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BLUEBYRD – Find Your Way (own label)

An unsigned indie folk duo based in Stoke/Wolverhampton, Chris Rowley provides vocals and guitar while Gareth Pask handles keyboards. Find Your Way, their second album, ...
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SWAMPMEAT FAMILY BAND – Muck (PNKSLM Recordings)

There seems to be a swell of Americana coming out of Birmingham (UK, not Alabama) at present, what with My Darling Clementine (though, admittedly they’ve ...
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Mark Harrison’s online concerts

In his own words: I hope that everyone is OK as we stumble on through this still rather weird period. As things stand, nobody knows ...
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MHAIRI HALL – Airs (Strath Records, STRATH003CD)

2020 Hands Up For Trad Ignition Award for Innovation In Music winner, Scottish pianist Mhairi Hall has released her third album, Airs. Interweaving contemporary classical, ...
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MOLLY MAHER – Follow (Real Phonic Records)

Molly Maher’s Follow is a folk album that, to quote the great Vin Garbutt, is “Tossin’ a Wobbler”. Now, Louie Perez of Los Lobos said ...
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INDIGO GIRLS – Look Long (Rounder)

Indigo Girls are Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. I was surprised to find that the new album, Look Long, is their sixteenth studio album and ...
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THE LONGEST JOHNS – Cures What Ails Ya (own label)

Aware that shanties and other maritime songs can often be earnest fare, the Bristol-based four piece have opted to take an often irreverent and playful ...
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Mary Chapin Carpenter announces her new album

Mary Chapin Carpenter’s anticipated new album, The Dirt And The Stars, will be released on August 7 and is now available for pre-order (Lambent Light ...
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THE HUERS – Welcome On Board (own label)

Now, here’s a bit of fun. A duo from the North West comprising Ian Cleverdon and Phil Caffrey whose instrumentation includes cello-mandolin and cuatro, for ...
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Oxfolk Ceilidhs go on-line

At a time when lockdown and isolation has been getting us all down, Oxfolk Ceilidhs decided to move its events online.  It's been a much ...
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MINNIE BIRCH – You’re Not Singing Anymore Volume 1 (own label)

Sometime member of Said The Maiden and The Company Of Players as well an an established solo artist, the Herefordshire- based folk singer-songwriter also happens ...
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Ms AMY BIRKS – All That I Am And & All That I Was (own label)

I first encountered Stoke-On-Trent born and currently Staffordshire-based Amy in 2016 as part of prog-folk ensemble The Beatrix Players, since which time they’ve gone their ...
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Will Hoge announces new album

For two decades, Will Hoge has carried the torch for American rock & roll, carving out his own blue-collar sound rooted in amplified guitars, melodic ...
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GEORGE SANSOME  – George Sansome (Grimdon Records GRICD002)

Every so often someone decides to go back to basics and it’s so good to hear. So it is with George Sansome, no novice after ...
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Copperplate Podcast 248 – Presented by Alan O’Leary

folking.com brings you the latest podcast from that aficionado of Irish music, yes you guessed it, the one and only Mr. Alan O'Leary with his ...
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THE VILLAGE – Escape From The Witchwood (own label)

The Village is the pseudonym of Phil Matthews; singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Derbyshire native. Actually he doesn’t hide his real identity that well; surely he ...
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Dàimh get creative for lockdown

Gaelic supergroup Dàimh have been turning heads on social media with the launch of a fun, quarantine-inspired campaign. The tongue in cheek campaign titled the ...
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KEVIN HUNT – Devil’s Daughter (own label KHCD101)

Despite writing songs for over twenty years and a lengthy career on the folk circuit, it’s only now that the Irish-born singer-songwriter is releasing his ...
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The Folking Awards 2020 – The Results

The polls have closed, the votes have been scrutinised and the numbers crunched so herewith:  the results of the 'Public Vote' for the 2020 Folking ...
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ELIZA CARTHY

If there is one musician who embodies the dynamism and vitality of the current English folk revival, it’s Eliza Carthy. Beloved of staunch traditionalists and ...
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KATHRYN ROBERTS & SEAN LAKEMAN

Duos come and duos go... And some nurture and fine tune their art and watch it grow into something totally original, captivating and award-winning. Bonded ...
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MERRY HELL

“Tansads really was a crusade. We were trying to be all things to all men in many respects: musically we were trying to be a ...
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MARTIN SIMPSON

With thanks to Alan Bearman Music The remarkable intimate solo performances Martin gives go from strength to strength – every gig is a masterclass. He ...
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JOSHUA BURNELL

In one phrase? Folk-fused baroque ‘n’ roll for the modern world. ​Born and bred in (well, he’s not sure where) Joshua learned at an early ...
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THE SLAMBOVIAN CIRCUS OF DREAMS

The Slambovian Circus Of Dreams, (The Grand Slambovians, or Gandalf Murphy And The Slambovian Circus Of Dreams) is a Hudson Valley, New York based band, ...
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PADDY DENNEHY – Little Light (Paddy Dennehy)

Bless me father: Paddy Dennehy’s Little Light is a melodic cold shave of a folk record that is riddled with religion and nervy doubt. He’s ...
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English Folk Expo (EFEx) opens applications for its third mentoring programme

Applications are now open for the third edition of the English Folk Expo (EFEx) Artist Mentoring Programme, aimed at equipping emerging artists with the skills, ...
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THE MAGPIES – Tidings (own label)

A female folk supergroup of musicians, originating as a duo in 2017 with singer-songwriter Bella Gaffney and mandolin wizard Polly Bolton, they expanded to include ...
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LUNATRAKTORS – This Is Broken Folk (own label BKNFLK 1 CD)

They call it post-apocalyptic folk. Imagine that all technology is gone and all that is left is the human voice and the ability to bang ...
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TEDDY THOMPSON – Heartbreaker Please (Chalky Sounds)

Heartbreaker Please, released on May 29th, is Teddy Thompson’s sixth album. As you might expect from the title, it’s an album about relationship break up ...
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Marie Fielding announces new album

The Spectrum Project is the impassioned fourth album by award-winning fiddler, tutor and composer Marie Fielding. The Spectrum Project celebrates being ‘in the moment’, with ...
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David Berkeley Releases New Album: Oh Quiet World,  Songs From The Quarantine

Santa Fe-based songwriter and author David Berkeley was living in Madrid for the year with his wife and two boys when Corona swept through Spain ...
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Manchester Folk Festival and English Folk Expo postponed

Due to be held between 15th and 18th October 2020, the public festival Manchester Folk Festival and its associated industry showcase event English Folk Expo ...
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THE HAAR – The Haar (Nimbus Alliance NI6404)

Very rarely does an album appear unheralded and threaten to make a major impact. The Haar is one of those rarities. It appears that Cormac ...
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ELLE OSBORNE – If You See A Rook On Its Own, It’s A Crow (9th House)

Since I first heard Elle Osborne she’s fallen in with a good crowd – friends like Alasdair Roberts and Trembling Bells – moved from interpreting ...
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ROLY WITHEROW – Ballads And Yarns (own label)

Roly Witherow is a well known and successful composer for film and television but he is now making his mark with the critics in quite ...
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MARTIN HARLEY – Roll With The Punches (Del Mundo DM007)

Martin Harley’s Roll With The Punches  plays a good game of Chess, the Chicago blues record label that is, not the game with pawns, kings, ...
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Shrewsbury plans virtual folk festival to fill the void

Shrewsbury Folk Festival has revealed plans to host a two-day online event for its fans after being forced to postpone this year due to coronavirus ...
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AVOCET – Lend Your Garden (Mink Records)

The Scottish trio’s name taken from Bert Jansch’s 1979 album, the music crafted by Iona Zajac on Celtic harp (clarsach), guitarist Sam Grassie and double ...
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Minnie Birch releases new album

Minnie Birch … Huw Stephen’s Introducing Artist of the week and Buzzfeed’s “one to watch” is back with a new record – but it’s perhaps ...
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Caroline Keane announces debut solo album

Caroline Keane was exposed to a wealth of traditional music from a very young age. Growing up in Limerick, she was surrounded by the musical ...
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Indigo Girls announce new album

“We’re still a bar band at heart,” says Emily Saliers, ahead of Indigo Girls’ 16th album, Look Long. “Today, we joke about being old, but ...
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Mhairi Hall announces her first solo album

Scottish musician Mhairi Hall releases her first solo album, Airs, a contemporary piano album of timeless melodies: slow airs that gently wrap the Steinway piano ...
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HANNAH WHITE AND THE NORDIC CONNECTIONS – Hannah White & The Nordic Connections (Paper Blue Records)

Hannah White And The Nordic Connections self-titled album follows up her excellent 2018 album Elephant Eye. If you’re wondering about the name, this is an ...
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LIZZY HARDINGHAM – Seven (own label)

A Merseyside background and her family’s strong support of the RNLI, both served to afford shanties and sea songs extra resonance to Hardingham in her ...
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Video Wall 14

With lockdown in full force there is so much digital music out there so we thought it about time to collect some more of it ...
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DUIR – The Stout Guardian Of The Door 2020 Remaster (DUIR-OAK-CD-004)

Duir are unique. I’m torn between Ralph Waldo Emerson unique, “Insist on yourself; never imitate.” and Henry David Thoreau unique, “I was not born to ...
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Teddy Thompson announces new album – released this month

Teddy Thompson and Thirty Tigers announce the release of new album Heartbreaker Please. Reckoning with the breakdown of love with a wistful levity, Heartbreaker Please ...
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FIONA ROSS & SHANE O’MARA – Sunwise Turn (own label FRSOM164)

In these strange times it took this album six weeks to arrive from Australia. I’d almost forgotten about it and I’m sure that Fiona Ross ...
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CHARLIE DORE – Like Animals (Black Ink Records Catalogue BICD10)

Like Animals is Charlie Dore’s tenth album and I was chuffed to bits when it dropped through the letterbox this morning, though somewhat daunted by ...
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TERES AOUTES STRING BAND – Courenta & Cadillac (WMMusic Italia)

The Italian band Teres Aoutes String Band released Lo Rock’n Roll De La Mountagna in 2018, essentially stringed instruments reinterpreting the music of the Italian ...
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BETH WIMMER – Chemical Reaction (Bookmark Music)

C8H11NO2 + C10H12N2O + C43H66N12O12S2; it may not sound romantic, but that, according to scientists, is the chemical formula for love, a combination of dopamine, ...
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ROOTDOGS – Live (Circle Of Sound)

Rootdogs got together in 1997 under the auspices of Roger Watson’s TAPS project. The original line-up was Mark T. on guitars and vocals; vocalist Fran ...
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LUCINDA WILLIAMS – Good Souls Better Angels (Thirsty Tigers Records)

Lucinda Williams’ Good Souls Better Angels rocks all the really decent souls out of their Sleepy Hollow graves and lets them all dance one more ...
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STEVE CRAWFORD & SPIDER MACKENZIE – Celticana (own label)

Imagine a sound entirely its own (there’s a brilliant track about a ceilidh) but reminding you of early 70’s Laurel Canyon but additionally with some ...
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Fèisean nan Gàidheal offers Gaelic music tuition free during lockdown

In a bid to support people, of all ages, with their learning and practicing of traditional music and Gaelic skills at home during lockdown, leading ...
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SINGLES BAR 52 – A round-up of recent EPs and singles

Fiddle player RACHEL BAIMAN returns in company with Vermont singer-songwriter MIKE WHEELER, put together while he was renting a room from them near their Nashville ...
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DAVID GRUBB – Nano (Shake’Um’Dud)

David Grubb is a musician who doesn’t play by anybody else’s rules; a fiddle player with roots in traditional music and a composer with a ...
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Repertoire Records release new compilation of rare Keith Relf recordings

KEITH RELF: All The Falling Angels   SOLO RECORDINGS & COLLABORATIONS 1965-1976 REPERTOIRE RECORDS: REPUK 1385 – CD and DELUXE DOUBLE VINYL SET RELEASED FRIDAY, ...
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Donations roll in to help secure FolkEast

FOLKEAST CROWDFUNDER TOPS £21K What a difference a day (or so) makes. Just five days after making the sadly inevitable decision to postpone England’s most ...
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World Shanty Project – A Folking Great Shanty Community

John Tams endorses the start of the charitable ‘World Shanty Project’. A collection of singers and musicians from around the world get together to celebrate ...
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THE MAMMALS – Nonet (Humble Abode Music HAM 018)

The Mammals’ Nonet is a warm (with a big organic vibe and nine-piece ensemble) folk album that touches a bit of rock and gospel and ...
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REELY JIGGERED – Tricky Terrain (own label RJ32020)

Although Tricky Terrain is their third album, this is the first time that Reely Jiggered have come to my attention. The Clydeside trio are sisters ...
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Folk On Foot Front Room Festival 2 – all the details

Stellar line-up for second 'Folk On Foot Front Room Festival' to support musicians hit by the lockdown.  folkonfoot.com/festival The award-winning podcast Folk on Foot has announced the ...
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Cecil Sharp House marks 90 years in June 2020

For ninety years, English folk music and dance have had an official home in a quiet corner of central London. Located behind a (usually) very ...
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Bob Fox & Billy Mitchell – Folking Live Video Archive 2006

Welcome to the second in the series of our 'Folking Video Archive' events. This section features hand-picked mini concerts from the folking video archive and ...
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ELIZABETH & JAMESON – Northern Shores & Stories (own label 0793618108441)

Most of our readership will recognise the view that illustrates Northern Shores & Stories; indeed many will have climbed those steps. The first sound we ...
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Swarbs Lazarus Folking Video Archive – Folking Live 2006

Welcome to the first in the series of our 'Folking Video Archive' events. This section features hand picked mini concerts from the folking video archive ...
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The Lockdown Stream 6 – Our Pick for This Week

Welcome to The Lockdown Stream 6. We have picked some more of our favourites 'watch again' gigs from the last week which we have been ...
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SINGLES BAR 51 – A round-up of recent EPs and singles

Making waves on the Suffolk acoustic scene, HOLLY D JOHNSTON bids for a wider audience with her self-released new EP, Illusive Harmony. Hattie Bennett on ...
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LISA MARINI – Born In Tribes (own label)

Lisa Marini’s Born In Tribes is filled with music that has been “summoned by a foolish magpie”. And what a wonderful sound that is to ...
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LOUISE JORDAN – Florence (Azania AZA06CD)

May 12 marks the bicentennial anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, the legendary Lady of the Lamp renowned for her service among the troops during the ...
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PAUL J BOLGER – Paul J Bolger (WIR 018-2)

Paul J Bolger last released an album twenty-five years ago. In the interim he has been working in visual arts and film rather than music ...
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Maverick Festival announces 2020 cancellation

It is with great sadness that we have decided to cancel this year‘s festival, the unlucky thirteenth. We can no longer guarantee the health and welfare ...
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The Magpies announce their debut album

It has only been a year since The Magpies burst onto the UK folk scene in the summer of 2019, but in that short space ...
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ANDREW HIBBARD – Andrew Hibbard (Sofaburn)

Born in Hamilton, Ohio, Andrew Hibbard clearly sports a Dylan influence, perhaps rather too obviously so at times on numbers such as ‘Sweet Song’ and ...
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SALLY IRONMONGER & BRIAN CARTER – Sketches (own label)

The first song of this album, ‘Just A Song’, is such a perfect opener for a live set that I was almost surprised not to ...
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DOUGIE BURNS – Martha (own label DBCD-001)

An Inverness-based music journalist, author and singer-songwriter who also front seven piece outfit Dougie Burns & The Cadillacs, Burns is a familiar figure on the ...
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KIRSTY MERRYN – Our Bright Night (own label)

Against my expectations, One Bright Night drew me in and proceeded to seduce me. Kirsty Merryn is a singer/songwriter originally from the New Forest who ...
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The Lockdown Stream 5 – Our Pick for This Week

Welcome to The Lockdown Stream 5. We have picked some more of our favourites 'watch again' gigs from the last week which we have been ...
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PAUL COWLEY – Brandéha (Lou B Music LBM 006 2020)

I really liked Paul Cowley's 2018 album Just What I Know: it showed him to be a very competent singer and guitarist with an unusually ...
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Rootdogs release download album of live recordings

Mark T says: Due to the Covid outbreak my next full release in all formats Blues @ Zero has been postponed until 2021. As performing ...
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ELEANOR DATTANI – Darkness Into Light (Naplew Productions)

A Birmingham singer-songwriter, pianist and music teacher, Darkness Into Light is Eleanor's second album, the first since her debut (as Eleanor Williams) ten years ago ...
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TOM FAIRNIE – Lightning In The Dark (own label ESK010)

Based in Edinburgh, but the album recorded in Austin with session players who’ve worked with the likes of Dylan, Cash, Willie and Jackson, Lightning In ...
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The 2020 Folking Awards – The nominations

Welcome to the 2020 Folking Awards and thank you again to everyone who participated this year. The nominations were in eight categories and came from ...
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THE DANBERRYS – Shine (Singular Recordings)

The Danberrys’ Shine is filled with spooky Americana old time medicine show stuff. This record carves a deep wagon wheel groove, like (the world famous!) ...
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PHARIS AND JASON ROMERO – Bet On Love (Lula Records Lula-CD-2006)

Pharis and Jason Romero have released six albums but Bet On Love is only their second collection of all original songs. Their previous albums have ...
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SAM SLATCHER – Chaos & Solitude (own label)

When other artists are postponing their album releases, Sam Slatcher has brought his forward. It’s not a bad idea – he has a clear playing ...
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My Darling Clementine announce Country Darkness Vol 2

UK country-soul duo My Darling Clementine present the second instalment of their Country Darkness collection, the four-track EP continuing where Vol 1 left off, featuring ...
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JUNE TABOR & OYSTERBAND – Fire & Fleet (A Tour Momento) (Running Man)

As the title would suggest,  Fire & Fleet is a (limited edition) record of last year’s tour, although, not strictly a live document since four ...
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DYLAN McCARTHY – Lost & Found (own label)

Dylan McCarthy’s Lost & Found has deep bluegrass roots. But, ultimately, the album is a wonderful slice of instrumental music. You know, America’s a weird ...
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Larkin Poe announce new album and on-line and live events

GRAMMY® Award-nominated sister duo Larkin Poe have released their brand new single ‘Keep Diggin'’, the latest track from their new album, Self Made Man. “Some ...
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Watkins Family Hour announce new album and (with luck) August tour

Watkins Family Hour - the acclaimed musical collective featuring Grammy Award-winning siblings Sara and Sean Watkins - will release their highly anticipated new album Brother ...
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The Lockdown Stream 4 – Our Pick for This Week

Welcome to The Lockdown Stream 4. We have picked some more of our favourites 'watch again' gigs from the last week which we have been ...
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Memory Afternoons – The Warm and Toasty Club live stream

Founded by Johnno Casson, The Warm and Toasty Club is a non profit community music, arts & history group based in Colchester, Essex. Usually, when ...
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SLAP GURU – Umashi’s Odyssey (Sixteentimes Music)

This isn’t folk music, but Pete Seeger still wouldn’t want to cut the power cables from Slap Guru’s new album, Umashi’s Odyssey. In truth, at ...
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INDIA ELECTRIC CO. – The Gap (Shoelay Music SHMU34)

The problem is that I think I’ve said everything I really need to say about India Electric Co. at least twice. Joseph O’Keefe and Cole ...
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GORDON THOMAS WARD – Eiderdown Vols 1 & 2 (own label)

While this 2-CD set is his third studio album, I have to admit it’s the first time I’ve come across the Maine-based singer-songwriter who, aside ...
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Food Roof Family – brand new video form the Levellers

Food Roof Family is the brand-new video form the Levellers, which is the first track to be taken from their forthcoming new studio album Peace ...
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Artist of the Day Project – Demi Marriner & Robbie Cavanagh

The Artist of the Day Project was setup by Demi Marriner & Robbie Cavanagh 36 days ago after losing the majority of their work due ...
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TERENCE BLACKER – Playing For Time (Talking Cat TCCD 1901)

They do say that nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. Alternatively, I’ve heard that the older we get, the better we were. Somewhere between ...
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DAPHNE’S FLIGHT – On Arrival (Fat Cat Records FATCD043)

There’s an earthiness about Daphne’s Flight’s third studio album, On Arrival, that I really like. All the songs are written or co-written by the five ...
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Trad2Mad is back at Islington Folk Club

Get your competition entries in! With its origins in the folk, trad and blues scenes of the early 1960’s, Islington Folk Club is one of ...
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Singing With Nightingales: Live at Home

EARTHDAY Wednesday 22nd April 2020 - 10pm-1am The Nest Collective in partnership with Music Declares Emergency and Culture Declares Emergency Sam Lee with Musicians (including) Cosmo ...
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MOONRAKERS – Ebb & Flow (own label)

There has been a line-up change since the previous Moonrakers’ album with Jacqui Johnson’s cello and harmonium replacing Liz van Santen. This change gives Ebb ...
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The Lockdown Stream 3 – Our Pick for This Week

Welcome to The Lockdown Stream 3. We have picked some more of our favourites 'watch again' gigs from the last week which we have been ...
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TOM KITCHING – Seasons Of Change (Talking Cat TCCD 2001)

If you want to know more about Tom Kitching’s Busk England project please follow the links below but for now we’ll concentrate on the Seasons ...
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Fairport’s Cropredy Convention 2020 postponed until 2021

Festival ensures continuity by extending ticket validity, retaining line-up and choosing the same weekend next year Fairport Convention today announced that their annual music festival, ...
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SHAYLER & BROOKE – Come The Turn Of The Season (own label SB001CD)

Come The Turn Of The Season is the debut full-length album by Kate Shayler and Chris Brooke following an EP, Colouring Outside The Lines. Kate ...
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Merry Hell share – and we mean share – digital single Beyond The Call

The night that the UK entered lockdown due to COVID-19, John wrote Beyond The Call as he reflected on the situation. A demo version was ...
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BLAKELEY & SON – Nuts & Bolts (Little-e Records)

Blakeley & Son’s Nuts & Bolts is (with the help of a feast of friends1) a colourful web of a folk record. Not only that, ...
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Larmer Tree Festival announces cancellation

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Larmer Tree Festival has announced this year’s event will be cancelled. It is with a heavy heart that we have ...
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Elizabeth & Jameson announce debut album

Elizabeth & Jameson is an award-winning collaboration comprising two rising stars of the UK acoustic music scene. Hannah Elizabeth and Griff Jameson have joined forces ...
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BEAU – The Magic Of Public Relations (Cherry Red BEAUTMOPR1)

Back in the day, when he was signed to John Peel’s Dandelion label, Trevor Midgley was very much part of the 60s protest folk troubadour ...
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TOM KITCHING – Seasons Of Change (Scratching Shed Publishing)

Tom Kitching is, if you need reminding, a fiddle player, a former musical partner of Gren Bartley and a founder member of Pilgrim’s Way. In ...
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Folk On Foot raises £89,000

“What a triumph and wonder of a day!” tweeted the author Robert Macfarlane, summing up the feelings of the many who joined in the Folk ...
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CHRIS RICKETTS – Songs In The Key Of Sea (Acoustic Fusion AF04)

Chris Ricketts: singer, songwriter, shantyman, cruise ship entertainer – don’t knock it as a way of honing your trade – is back from far oceans ...
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The Lockdown Stream 2 – Our Pick for This Week

Welcome to The Lockdown Stream 2. We have picked some more of our favourites 'watch again' gigs from the last week which we have been ...
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THE LOWEST PAIR – The Perfect Plan (Delicata Records DEL001)

I'm not averse to the occasional joke about banjos and banjoists, but when it comes to The Lowest Pair, I start to feel guilty. Kendl ...
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FINDLAY NAPIER & GILLIAN FRAME WITH MIKE VASS – The Ledger (Cheery 008)

Sometimes something crosses your desk which is just classy. The Ledger is one of those things. The album is due to be released on May ...
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MOONSHINE REBELS – Moonshine Rebels (1052355 Records DK)

Well, Moonshine Rebels are from Manchester, but they manage a pretty great Celtic tune. By the way, apparently Jenny had some chickens, which caught the ...
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BEN MORGAN-BROWN – Live In Lancashire (own label)

With physically going out and earning a living by playing to audiences currently not an option, many artists are making downloads of live recordings available, ...
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JACK SHARP – Good Times Older (From Here Records SITW015CD)

Any album from the From Here stable is worth a hearing and Good Times Older is no exception. Jack Sharp has spent thirteen years as ...
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HARBOTTLE & JONAS – Live At Acoustic Roots (own label)

While their planned tour fell victim to CoVid 19, Live At Acoustic Roots, recorded in Wigan on March 7 this year and available for download ...
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Towersey Festival postponed

A message from festival director Joe Heap We’ve been working tirelessly over the last few weeks to try and find a way to run Towersey ...
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Shrewsbury festival postponed until 2021

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we have decided to postpone this year’s Shrewsbury Folk Festival. It will now take place from August ...
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Dan Whitehouse announces new double-CD

Dan Whitehouse releases a new double album Dreamland Tomorrow produced by Tom Rose and Boo Hewerdine. Released by Reveal Records on May 1st 2020. Monthly ...
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Fèis Rois announces on-line events

One of Scotland’s leading traditional arts organisations, Fèis Rois, has lined up some of Scotland’s top musicians and singers for an online traditional music festival, ...
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BORIS McCUTCHEON – As Old As Española (FVR-091)

You can’t help but have a good feeling about an album which is accompanied by a note that says “Note from the artist: For the ...
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SINGLES BAR 50 – A round-up of recent EPs and singles

LA-based British musician LUKE SITAL-SINGH joins forces with a clutch of fellow singer-songwriters for his new EP, New Haze (Raygun), the opening track being the ...
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ELIZA CARTHY & BEN SEAL – Through That Sound (My Secret Was Made Known) (Hem Hem HHR202001)

A collaboration with the Fife-based composer, musician, songwriter and producer, and who would have been part of the Restitute tour before the cancellations, Through That ...
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The Lockdown Stream 1 – New Folking Feature

Welcome to The Lockdown Stream 1 We have picked some our favourites 'watch again' gigs from the last week or so which we have been ...
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ADAM AMOS & NOEL ROCKS – Back Up To Zero (own label ARBR001)

Amos and Rocks recorded two well-received albums in the 1980s but little has been heard from them as a duo since Adam moved abroad, apart ...
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JOHN CEE STANNARD – Folk Roots Revisited (Cast Iron Records)

John Cee Stannard’s Folk Roots Revisited is a wonderful flashback to the land of British singer-songwriter, circa 1970. But, oddly enough, it also nests nicely ...
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NAVARO – Diamond Skies & Desert Roads (Leading Horses Records LHREC05)

With their debut album, Under Diamond Skies, no longer obtainable Navaro have decided to make a selection from it available on-line and I must admit ...
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Folk On Foot plans virtual Bank Holiday Monday festival

Folk On Foot podcast organises “Front Room Festival” to raise funds for musicians hit by the coronavirus lockdown. The UK’s finest folk musicians offer to ...
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THE PINE HEARTS – Back To Sustain (own label)

The Pine Hearts are a string-band trio from Washington state: Joey Capoccia, who plays guitar and writes the band’s original material, Derek McSwain playing mandolin ...
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PETE MORTON – A Golden Thread (Further003)

Five years on from The Land of Time, the Leicester-born folkie returns with his fourteenth studio album, A Golden Thread: eight new self-penned songs, a ...
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ROBERT SEVERIN – Postcard From Budapest (RSM001)

Robert Severin is a British-Hungarian, Glasgow-based, singer songwriter who has just released his debut album, Postcard From Budapest. The album is a very personal response ...
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KUSH K – Lotophagi (blaublaurecords)

Kush K’s Lotophagi (aka Lotus Eaters) is a wonderful folk-rock-psych album filled with simpatico playing from Catia, Pascal, Nicola, and Paul. E. Cummings once wrote, ...
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PAVEY ARK – Close Your Eyes And Think Of Nothing (own label)

Pavey Ark are a seven-piece band from Hull although their name is taken from a Cumbrian Fell.. Close Your Eyes And Think Of Nothing is ...
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JUDY DYBLE – Weavings Of A Silver Magic (Cromerzone CZ00022)

The original female voice of Fairport Convention and subsequently part of Giles, Giles and Fripp and Trader Horne, Dyble retired from the music business in ...
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KIT HAWES & AARON CATLOW – Pill Pilots (BBCRD007)

Pill Pilots was released at the end of February. “This is good”, I was told. Kit Hawes and Aaron Catlow are new to me (I’m ...
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PETER KNIGHT’S GIGSPANNER BIG BAND – Natural Invention (Gigspanner GSCD007)

It is, let’s be honest, something of a mouthful as names go, but, the line-up now comprising of Knight and core band members Roger Flack ...
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Lavinia Blackwall announces her first solo album

Lavinia Blackwall is already a well-known name in many circles. Her work with prolific Glaswegian psych-folk outfit Trembling Bells having earned her a reputation as ...
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Ben Reel releases his new album

Ben Reel is a native of Silverbridge, South Armagh, Ireland.  Soon after high school at the age of 17 he started his musical career in ...
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SIOBHAN MILLER – All Is Not Forgotten (Songprint Recordings SPR004CD)

I have to say, and with a heavy heart, that I really didn’t like Siobhan Miller’s previous album and I’m pleased to say that to ...
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Folk performers urged to apply for grant funding

Alan Surtees Trust opens 2020 funding round A trust that aims to support and help develop the careers of young folk performers is inviting applications ...
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Derby Folk Festival is back for October 2020

The much-loved Derby Folk Festival is back in full this year, with weekend tickets on sale from today giving access to ALL the events ALL ...
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REVEREND SHAWN AMOS & THE BROTHERHOOD – Blue Sky (Put Together)

Reverend Shawn Amos & the Brotherhood with their new album, Blue Sky, tell us all to “Keep the faith. Have some fun. Spread a little ...
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Here’s news of a freebie from Jo Beth Young aka Rise

NEWS AND A LOCKDOWN GIFT TOMORROW  Hi and Greetings from my new mailing list! If you've been following any of my social media posts you ...
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CORMAC O CAOIMH – Swim Crawl Walk Run (own label)

Cormac O Caoimh is a singer/songwriter from Cork and Swim Crawl Walk Run is his fifth album, although the first to come our way. He’s ...
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The Ciderhouse Rebellion get together in isolation

Those daily press conferences keep reminding us, we are in ‘unprecedented’ times. As the country and economy grinds to a halt, musicians across the world ...
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CARUS THOMPSON – Shakespeare Avenue (Mind’s Eye Records 8687)

Forming Carus and the True Believers in Perth back in 1995, after three albums Thompson went solo in 2008 and has since himself released three ...
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JEZ LOWE – The Fellside Collection (Fellside FECD286)

This is 40 years’ worth of Jez Lowe from his first album The Old Durham Road, through the Bad Penny group days and down to ...
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Jerry Leger releases digital only album for Bandcamp Day

To coincide with "Bandcamp Day," Toronto singer-songwriter Jerry Leger has released a special new album, Songs From The Apartment, which will be available to download ...
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PHIL ‘SWILL’ ODGERS – Uke Town (own label)

For reasons you can discover by following the link below Phil ‘Swill’ Odgers has been obliged to release Uke Town, a double album of demos ...
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A message from Eliza Carthy

Dear friends, It has become imperative, in light of the current governmental advice regarding the dreaded C-word, for us to reschedule where we can our ...
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ANNA RENAE – Skin (own label)

At the risk of vilification from all sides I have to say that there are very few female singer/songwriters that really float my boat: a ...
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HENDERSON:HOOPER – Pete’s Trees (own label)

Sometimes you just need a little breathing space to indulge yourself in the enchanting continuum between musical genres. Having played with Judith Henderson in the ...
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2020 Gate To Southwell Festival cancellation

The Gate to Southwell Festival, one of the highlights of the Midlands’ music calendar, has been cancelled following the government’s introduction of stricter social distancing ...
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Terence Blacker announces new album

Songwriter Terence Blacker has taken a new direction with music, recording twelve new songs with a group of European musicians in a studio in southern ...
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ALDEN PATTERSON AND DASHWOOD – Waterbound (own label)

One of the most delightful and breezily refreshing acts current treading the folk circuit, the Norwich trio, guitarist Christina Alden, fiddler Alex Patterson and dobro ...
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SALT HOUSE – Live at the West End Centre, Aldershot

Very nobly, I refrained from swapping my ticket for Salt House for one for the burlesque show taking place in the main venue. I’m glad ...
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CHRIS TITCHNER – Already Gone (Bridgefolk Records BFR 3002)

Raised in Vermont and now living in Raleigh, North Carolina, having released his debut, Moving Day, in 2005, it’s taken 15 years to get round ...
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ELIS MACFADYEN – Dreamers And Journeys (own label EM2019CD)

A familiar figure on the folk scene around Inverness, there is, to say the least, very little info on Macfadyen out there in internet land, ...
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SIAN – Sian (Sian Music SIAN001)

Sian’s self-titled debut album gives credence to Shakespeare’s words, “If music be the food of love, play on”. This is gossamer Gaelic music spun by ...
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Carus Thompson announces new album

Australian folk songwriter and storyteller Carus Thompson returns to the UK in 2020 to launch his seventh studio album Shakespeare Avenue, along with a UK ...
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