LATEST HEADLINES
Gigs, Fests, Pubs?
So the Government announcement on 22 Feb has given us a loose timetable for the reopening of indoor venues, outdoor events and the pub. Not that we’re counting the days or anything.
When does indoor entertainment open?*
Day(s)
:
Hour(s)
:
Minute(s)
:
Second(s)
and the pub!
NEWS
Top Scottish and International Folk Talent to Feature at new Online Folk Festival
Some of the most renowned names in Scottish folk music will return to the stage this weekend, February 26-28, as part of CCM Live - a brand new,...
View All News
Folk on Foot Festival of LOVE Raises Over £81,000
The latest online festival from the award-winning Folk on Foot podcast has raised £81,519.84 from its crowdfunding appeal and sales of merchandise. Half will go to the charity Help Musicians and the other half will be divided between the 28 artists who took part. The...
What do the four steps to lockdown lifting mean for gigs and festivals?
On the 22nd February the government announced its roadmap to lifting lockdown, with a potential complete lifting of restrictions for theatres, venues and large outside events by late June - so we seem to be on course to be enjoying gigs and festivals across the summer...
Spanning Lockdown
So there you are wondering if some of those promised early 2021 gigs will take place. Matters may be on a knife edge and we may have to wait until later in the summer or autumn, meanwhile you don’t want to wish the year away but at the same time need a fix of your...
REVIEWS
Also/Abbey Cottage – Eddie Baird
From the archives of Lincolnshire guitarist Eddie Baird comes a two fer reissue on Manchester's worthy Epona label. You may know his name from The Amazing Blondel, if you've the original Island LPs where they dressed as dandies, revealing a music rooted in centuries long since past with appropriately florid lyrics. Eddie was one third of that...
View All reviews
Still Time – Karen Matheson
Begun a decade ago ‘Still Time,’ sat on the shelf as Matheson’s life unfolded personal loss, brought back during the difficult days of lock down, reflection meant focus updated the tracks and completion. Over seen by husband Donald Shaw who handles multiple...
Todd Rundgren’s Clearly Human Virtual Concert
So, Todd Rundgren, the Nutty Professor of rock’n’roll returns, but this time to your living room via his 2021 Clearly Human virtual tour, featuring 25 performances, each tailored to a different US city but all emanating each night from Chicago. The 8pm start time may...
Songs Of Old Govan – Norrie MacIver & The Glasgow Barons
So there I was the other night flicking lazily through the channels in a frustrating search for something worth viewing, when I chanced upon the BBC’s Scots Gaelic channel Alba. What this worthy station was broadcasting meant I stopped channel hopping and viewed with ...
FEATURES
When You Can’t See The Wood For The Trees
Mysterious and enigmatic the music of Trees has historically been hard to find and expensive, yet has become the stuff of legend. A new 50th Anniversary box set from Earth Records, creatively titled ‘Trees,’ collects everything worth hearing by this iconic band. Folk rock might have taken a different path if they’d endured thinks Simon Jones as...
Shiny Things, The Magpie Arc bring back sunnier times
Just when you were thinking these strange times had wiped out all the decent things about music, along come a band to flip your wig. The Magpie Arc are exactly what’s needed to bring back sunnier days. Simon Jones checks out their fine feathers. “Alex is the biggest...
Robert Jon: Wreckless!
With a terrific new album ‘Last Light on the Highway’ ROBERT JON & THE WRECK have realised their potential and left rivals to the Southern Roots Rock crown in their slipstream. On the line from California ROBERT JON BURRISON talks to Lyndon Noon about his latest...
Rory Block Interview
What did a young girl find in the blues which makes it a lifelong passion? The music was filled with intense passion and spoke directly to what was in my heart. Your guitar style is pretty unique how has that been shaped and changed over time? I started out with folk...
All Features
Kirsty Merryn Interview – One Bright Star
Kirsty Merryn arrives with a woozily gorgeous second album tucked under her arm, a steadily growing reputation for creating atmospheric and meaningful songs as well as totally refitting traditional material with contemporary relevance. She’s earning plaudits from...
Jonathan Kelly: 8th July 1948 – May 2nd 2020
It’s 2008 and the clock’s ticking, Jonathan Kelly has been on stage for well over three and a half hours and he shows no sign of stopping. In the end just shy of four hours, with midnight close at hand he finally waves his acoustic guitar to acknowledge a full house...
Pete Mortons Top Protest Songs Of All Time!
Here troubadour/singer and commentator Pete Morton takes us through his list of the most effective ‘finger pointing songs’ as a certain Robert Zimmerman used to call material of social commentary. “Most of them are folk - the list could have been a hundred or more. I...
THIS WEEKS CHARTS
FOLK
In The Furrows debuts at Number 27 for Jim Ghedi
Americana
Still Time by Karen Matheson debuts at Number 11
Jazz & Blues
Chick Corea has no less than four of his classic albums in the top 30
FESTIVALS
Top Scottish and International Folk Talent to Feature at new Online Folk Festival
Some of the most renowned names in Scottish folk music will return to the stage this weekend, February 26-28, as part of CCM Live - a brand new, three-day event being broadcast live from Glasgow. The festival’s bumper line-up features Blazin’ Fiddles, Talisk, Siobhan Miller, Rura, Ímar, Jenna Reid and Gnoss - all of whom will stream live, full...
All Festivals
What do the four steps to lockdown lifting mean for gigs and festivals?
On the 22nd February the government announced its roadmap to lifting lockdown, with a potential complete lifting of restrictions for theatres, venues and large outside events by late June - so we seem to be on course to be enjoying gigs and festivals across the summer...
Folk on Foot Signs Top Artists for Valentines ‘Festival of LOVE’
In these dark and challenging times, we all need love. And the award-winning podcast Folk on Foot has signed up over twenty of the UK and Ireland’s leading folk artists to provide it on Valentine’s Day (Sunday February 14th 2021). For the Folk on Foot Festival of...
Celtic Connections 2021, the digital one…
Celtic Connections 2021 has drawn to a close, and the organisers have issued this press release: With audiences from over 60 countries and over 27,000 tickets and passes sold, the first ever digital Celtic Connections has been a huge success. Over 10.5 million minutes...
The AFO virtual conference 2021
The Association of Festival Orgnisers annual conference generally takes place over a weekend in November. Obviously that kind of face to face social interaction is a thing of the past, so it is now coming to you on Saturday 20 February 2021 from 10am to 10pm as an...
New Festival Launched by Costa del Folk Team
A new music festival has been launched this month by the team who operate the highly successful Costa Del Folk. The Aviemore Festival will take place between 6 – 10 December 2021 in the Cairngorms in Scotland. ‘We knew that there was a lot of pent-up demand from our...
Celtic Connections Programme Announcement
The Celtic Connections online festival will begin next week, across 19 days, the festival will present over 30 online performances between Friday 15th January and Tuesday 2nd February 2021. World class concerts will be available to view online with some of the...
EXPLORE
REVIEWS
Latest albums
NEWS
Music – Books – Film
FESTIVAL DIRECTORY
SIGN UP
Get the newsletter