Being a touring musician can be an exhausting experience, leaving you little time to do much else. Award-winning Scottish singer Ewan McLennan became a father late last year and soon after announced that his February and March 2019 gigs would be his last for the foreseeable future, allowing him to focus on “Fatherhood, politics & studying”.
Not surprisingly, many fans were upset by the news as Ewan is not only one of our finest folk singers who can breath new life into old ballads. He’s also a very talented songwriter with a social conscience that not only brings a strong focus to the injustices in society today but also acts as a conduit for change. “Breaking the Spell of Loneliness”, his 2016 album with the author and journalist George Monbiot (we interviewed both of them here), was a strong case in point, an album that left a long-lasting impression.
The eloquence of both George Monbiot and Ewan McLennan in raising these issues says far more than any music critic can. Breaking the Spell of Loneliness doesn’t merely tackle the issues raised, it offers solutions; it offers hope. It’s a moving, thought-provoking work that has relevance for all of us. Neil McFadyen, Folk Radio UK (full review here)
Then in March, he announced: “I’ve been made to think again about bowing out altogether from performing by the kind comments from people at gigs and online in recent weeks. I’ve decided I’m going to play a handful of gigs this Autumn and the following Spring.” That was cause for celebration, and to prove he’s back, here’s the latest video from Ewan McLennan singing the traditional Young Edwin In the Lowlands which was recorded at the Nest Collective’s Campfire Club in London.
To top it, he has also announced that he is working on a new album with songs that touch on issues from Windrush to the loss of our natural world, as well as traditional shanties, lullabies and ballads. He told fans in via his newsletter:
“It’ll be a mixture of traditional songs I’ve been working on over the last year or so and some of my own self-penned work over that same period. I’ve held off recording a solo album for a long time now, wanting to distill down what I’ve got and let the years and the live performances sift out final tracks for me. I’m now happy with what has emerged and want to put it out there.”
Ewan will be playing a handful of gigs this Autumn/Winter including Sheffield, Bristol, Winchester, London and Birmingham. See dates below:
25 October 2019
Folk House, Bristol
8 November 2019
Hyde Tavern, Winchester
9 November 2019
Kings Place, London