As many of you will know we were asked by BBC 6 Music to contribute a track to Tom Robinson’s Ultimate Folk Playlist which was aired yesterday evening on Now Playing @6Music, a weekly show during which the public get hands on and contribute to the final playlist.
We were asked to focus on the alternative folk side of things so we selected 6 artists and opened it to the vote asking Folk Radio UK readers to pick one and tell us why they should be played (see our original post here).
The winner, taking 57% of the total votes was Cocos Lovers, the Kent based 7-piece band who recently released Gold and Dust. There were some great supporting comments alongside the votes including:
Musically they’re ace, tight as hell and great to watch live. Just as importantly: they ignite a sense of community, which I feel is one of the most attractive features of folk music. Bands like Cocos Lovers are to be cherished. (Tim OT)
Cocos lovers because they made me dance like there were ants in my pants. And because their music is immediately accessible but rewards you the more you listen. Their arrangements are clever but uncomplicated and they somehow manage to carry off all that energy and subtlety in a live mix… (Johnny2Hands)
The track we introduced on the evening was Under the Hawthorn Tree, Tom Robinson also plugged the interview Simon recently had with the band which you can read here.
As you can imagine, trying to create a playlist of 21 tracks for a whole genre was never going to be easy. The whole object of the playlist besides the inclusion of guest contributions like ourselves was to get the public involved, which they did using twitter and facebook throughout the programme. It wasn’t the most eclectic of playlists and inevitably lacked coverage in a few places but it was great fun getting involved, listening and reading the discussions.
Fay Hield also did a grand job on twitter engaging with everyone and stirring up with a few challenging questions along the way. The highlight for many was a heated public vote on whether to include Mumford and Sons…there was a resounding NO! So Woody Guthrie took their place…a fitting finale.
It was all good fun…this was the final playlist
The Full English – Stand By Your Guns
Fleet Foxes – Mykonos
Beth Orton – She Cries Your Name
Noah and the Whale – 5 Years Time
Nick Drake – River Man
Seth Lakeman – Kitty Jay
The Full English – Portrait Of My Wife
Fairport Convention – Matty Groves
Joni Mitchell – Chelsea Morning
Cocos Lovers – Under the Hawthorn Tree
Bob Dylan The Times – They Are A-Changin’
Billy Bragg – Levi Stubbs’ Tears
Show of Hands – Country Life
Bellowhead – New York Girls
Steeleye Span – Lovely On The Water
Kate Rusby – The Village Green Preservation Society
Johnny Flynn & Sussex Wit – The Box
The Unthanks – Shipbuilding (6Music Session)
Sophie Jamieson – Waterloo
The Pogues – And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda
Woody Guthrie – Pretty Boy Floyd