LATEST HEADLINES
REVIEWS
Both In A Tune – Knight & Spiers.
That’s as in Peter and John, as in Steeleye Span and Bellowhead respectively. They’ve struck up quite a working relationship since 2016 when some enterprising cove at FolkEast decided they’d do a decent duo set as a one off. Some one off! Since then Spiers has gone on to join the larger version of Gigspanner and they’ve run with the idea of the...
View All reviews
Postcard Songs – Anna Hester.
Around every corner there waits a girl with a guitar and a bunch of songs which talk about love and life in meaningful, melodic way. At least that’s how I’d like to think of it, in truth all too often many of those singers disappoint or turn out to be nothing more...
Countin’ The Blues – Elli De Mon.
Maybe you’ve never heard of her, but that doesn’t matter because you have now and you and me both have been missing out. This one-woman blues explosion has gigged around most parts of Europe spreading the gospel through her acoustic delta punk for a decade or so....
A Dark Carnival – Kate Green.
The musicians credited on the back of ‘A Dark Carnival,’ alone should indicate that Kate Green is moving in the right circles to bring her more attention. You don’t mix with the likes of Jed Grimes and Michael Doonan ( both ex Hedgehog Pie,) without having merit and...
NEWS
Belinda O’Hooley – Inversions Tour
Belinda O’Hooley began playing the piano at the age of seven. She is an exceptionally gifted pianist, singer, songwriter and composer and has become renowned for her highly individual, emotional, yet sensitive musicality. She is half of four time BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Best Duo nominees O’Hooley & Tidow alongside her wife Heidi Tidow;...
Knight & Spiers ‘Both in a Tune’ Album Release Tour
In the summer of 2016, the organisers of the UK’s most easterly festival FolkEast had the inspired idea of pairing legendary musician Peter Knight and melodeon player extraordinaire, John Spiers for a special 'one off' concert at that year's festival. It ended up...
Spell Songs II: Let The Light In UK Tour
SPELL SONGS, the ensemble created in 2018, are to tour the UK in early 2022 in support of their critically acclaimed new album Spell Songs II: Let The Light In. The tour will commence at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall on Thursday, January 27th and will include two...
Police Dog Hogan announce UK tour to support release of new Album
The long wait is over! The enforced silence of the last twenty months is about to be broken when Police Dog Hogan get back on the road in 2022. The seven piece band (the seven-piece band whose name comes from a case of mistaken identity on a police report ) return...
All News
Valtos Remix ‘Marx Terrace’ by Legendary Peatbog Faeries
Only one year in and already loved across the Trad and Electronic music scenes, Valtos are seeing in the New Year with a new remix, this time working on ‘Marx Terrace’ by the legendary Peatbog Faeries. Last year Skye Natives Daniel Docherty and Martyn MacDonald...
Le Vent du Nord Celebrate 20 Years with Album Release at Celtic Connections
The multi award-winning band, Le Vent du Nord (the Wind of the North) have toured the world, playing over 2,000 concerts and are about to release their 11th album, 20 Printemps (20 Springtime's), to mark their 20th anniversary in 2022. The five-piece band hail from...
Christmas At The Cathedral.
London/West Sussex based singer songwriter Ed Blunt has released the first single from his upcoming debut album - a heart-warming Christmas song inspired by the last big blizzard in the City of London. The Dome of St Paul’s, written during lockdown, recounts a night...
FEATURES
Brighter Days Ahead?
The history of British musicians finding their own voice and reflecting their own back yard in a contemporary manner is a fraught one. Few have done it with any success, Ray Davies, Alan Hull, Richard Thompson, Bob Pegg, Billy Bragg, Squeeze, Runrig, The Tansads/Merry Hell, Chumbawamba, all notable achievers. (Fill in your favourites.) Punk at...
All Features
All Our Back Pages.
Merry Hell. Lost Songs. The Brindley Theatre. Runcorn. Once they had another life entirely. Merry Hell, Wigan’s Chosen Few, were altogether different, they were a raucous, rough round the edges, cavorting troop of innocence, wonder and indie thinking, producing...
Family Credit.
Occasionally an album comes along which makes more of an impact than was realised at the time of release, somehow it’s more than the sum of its parts. Simply re-releasing it is not enough and it has to be reassessed because with hindsight its true importance is...
The Show Will Go On.
As the folk world slowly opens to a musical landscape constantly shifting and coming to terms with the limitations of a continuing pandemic, amidst festival cancellations galore, Simon Jones ventures to one of the few, brave survivors, Shrewsbury. “The weather’s been...
Greg Hancock – His Sure Fingers
Comparisons with Al Stewart, John Martyn and a whole host of other acoustic troubadours along with a rave review for his latest recording, something's brewing in the far corners of Devon. Phil Thomas was dispatched to locate and question Greg Hancock. I recently had...
FESTIVALS
Speyfest to Return Next Year for 25th Anniversary
Speyfest – the much-loved Moray folk festival – Bringing the best in traditional and contemporary Celtic music to Moray each July, has announced it will return in 2022 as it gets set to celebrate 25 years at the heart of the Speyside community and the Scottish events calendar. Hosted in the event’s pop-up Tented Village by the picturesque banks...
All Festivals
Ticket’s On Sale For Sidmouth Folk Festival
Announcing Britain’s finest folk-fuelled seaside summer holiday The Sidmouth Folk Festival is proud to return in grand style in summer 2022, bringing a joyful feast of music, song and dance back to the beautiful Devon seaside town for the 68th consecutive year.A top...
Celtic Connections Returns For 2022
Celtic Connections, the UK’s premiere celebration of roots music, will return in full force for 2022 with an exciting and eclectic programme of events taking place in Glasgow from Thursday 20 January to Sunday 6 February 2022. Breathing life and soul into much-loved...
Summer of Glamping Festivals Comes to a Spectacular Close in Cannich
A fun-filled summer of glamping festivals in Cannich came to a close in spectacular style this weekend as headliners Mànran and Scooty and the Skyhooks brought the curtain down on the series of ground-breaking events. Capers in Cannich made history earlier this year...
Triumphant Return for Reimagined FolkEast 2021
Back on track after a two-year wait, England’s most easterly folk festival, FOLKEAST, pulled off a spectacular and emotional reunion last weekend (August 20-22). The delayed ninth FolkEast returned to Suffolk’s glorious Constable-esque grounds of Elizabethan Glemham...
Merry Hell and Lady Nade to join the FolkEast Party!
LAST CHANCE FOR WEEKEND & DAY TICKETS -Free admission for children aged 11 and under- Hugely popular North-West folk rockers Merry Hell have been announced as Sunday headliners at England’s most easterly folk festival, FOLKEAST (August 20-22). The 8-piece...
Full Programme for Piping Live! Unveiled
The full suite of programmed activity for Glasgow’s Piping Live! festival has been unveiled, with a number of exciting in-person shows confirmed to go ahead as part of the nine-day event. The world’s biggest piping festival will take a hybrid approach for 2021,...
EXPLORE
REVIEWS
Latest albums
NEWS
Music – Books – Film
FESTIVAL DIRECTORY
SIGN UP
Get the newsletter