Colin Irwin on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2019

The BBC folk awards, God bless ‘em, have provided some memorable moments over the last 20 years.

Numerous luvvies tripping over their own egos attempting to convince us of their folk credentials with endless screeds of waffle when called on to present an award; rambling acceptance speeches from winners (who mentioned Donovan?); a bit of politics (Tony Benn and Roy Bailey getting the best live act award, a standing ovation for Robin Cook as he rose to present an award shortly after resigning from the government over the war in Iraq).

Naturally, there’s been the occasional over-emotional winner (particularly in the decadent days of the London Brewery when the BBC furnished guests with dinner and booze); and some amazing performances from the stage along the way (the Unthanks, Anais Mitchell, Demon Barbers, Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker spring immediately to mind), plus a smattering of dodgy ones too (hello Don McLean).

It’s also an occasion ripe for emotional overload and there’s been plenty of that, especially when the attention turns to embattled heroes like Bob Copper, Nic Jones, Dave Swarbrick, Shirley Collins and John Martyn.

After a pretty dull ceremony in Belfast in 2018, this year’s awards at Manchester’s grand Bridgewater Hall provided plenty of talking points, a bit of glitz and one particular moment that falls into the ‘not a dry eye in the sparkling water’ category.

Apart from a dodgy sound – in the hall at least, if not on the radio broadcast – which robbed several performers of serious clout, the thing been running smoothly enough for a good hour, with compere Mark Radcliffe guiding events with his usual laconic, unruffled air, despite the absence of his regular partner at the mic Julie Fowlis (doing something or other in America apparently).

And then Radcliffe introduces the perennially personable duo Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar to present this year’s Young Folk Award. Up they get, and suddenly they go off-piste… “There is a certain man on stage who has been broadcasting in this industry broadcasting for 40 years…and it’s neither of us.”

Alongside them on stage, Radcliffe begins to look very nervous. Ralph McTell then gets up to present an increasingly bemused Radcliffe – who clearly has no idea about the plot that’s been cooked up behind his back – with a special gong to mark Mark’s 40-year radio career. For a moment it teeters on the cringingly self-congratulatory, but there’s a genuine swell of goodwill in the hall and for the only time during the ceremony, the audience rises to give a spontaneous standing ovation for Radcliffe, an admirable broadcaster who’s had his trials with cancer in the last year.

Cynical old hacks that we are, it’s still impossible not to be moved as Radcliffe, the master of the bon mot, is for once lost for words. “I had a tough year last year, but I’m here!” he exclaims, later observing the wry testimonial written on his gone read “talking between records award”.

Mark Radcliffe receives a special award for recognition of his 40-year radio career (photo by Phil Carter).

Russell and Algar subsequently do get to present the Young Folk Award to Bedfordshire singer and writer Maddy Morris, who’d come out on top at finalists concert the previous evening. She’s a singer with a passionate voice and an impressive attitude and if you want to know more about her, check out her Youtube video when she shaves off her hair. Meanwhile, the chain of events patented by Russell and Algar by winning the Young Folk Award one year, and the Horizon Award the next was continued by Isle of Skye piper Brìghide Chaimbeul.

Young Folk Award winner Maddy Morris (photo by Phil Carter)

Brìghide Chaimbeul – Horizon Award winner (photo by Phil Carter)

Every year we bang on about the lack of diversity in folk music, so it was refreshing to see the splendid Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita with such a high profile, winning two awards – one for best musician, and one with Catrin Finch, for best group/duo. He and Finch also provided the single most mesmerising musical moment with their live demonstration of the magic they conjure with kora and harp.

Seckou Keita being presented Musician of the Year by Blue Peter’s Lindsey Russell (photo by Phil Carter)

Indeed, there had been diversity from the outset as Edward 11 kicked things off in fine style, neatly blending the Jamaican folk song Linstead Market with the English dance tune Shepherds Hey, Kitty Macfarlane exquisitely singing the quiet opening before Glen Latouche comes sashaying on to kick-start the reggae, the whole thing climaxing with an all-star backing choir that included Macfarlane, Jack Rutter, Jim Moray, Sam Kelly, Greg Russell, Bella Hardy, Blair Dunlop, Ellie Lucas and Ciaran Algar (main image).

Manchester band Edward II (photo by Phil Carter)

Biggest disappointment of the night was the illness that prevents a performance by the amazing Rioghnach Connolly, who was due to perform with Stuart McCallum as The Breath. Kate Rusby was prevailed upon to perform as an eleventh-hour replacement, with Mike McGoldrick and Damien O’Kane. Already en route to Manchester when the call came, they turned the car round to go home to collect instruments.

Kate Rusby with Damien O’Kane and Mike McGoldrick (photo by Phil Carter)

The Breath were beaten to best group/duo by Seckou Keita and Catrin Finch but, listening from her sick bed, Rioghnach would have been lifted to hear Miranda Richardson – yep, Queenie in Blackadder, no less! – announce her as singer of the year. McCallum was there, though, to read a text she had sent, including a bit of Irish which might have meant anything from “awfully kind of you, ta very much” to “bog off the lot of youse” for all we know.

It was preceded by a nice speech from La Richardson… “Wizz Jones is proof that if you use it, you don’t lose it” and a lovely tribute to the “wonderful, magical Roy Bailey, who is missed every day.”

Miranda Richardson (photo by Phil Carter)

Lifetime achievement awards are always emotional – that’s what they’re there for, so there was lots of approval for Wizz Jones, who was in good voice, too, playing with his son Simeon on flute and grandson Alfie on guitar. Eighty years old but still boasting a fine head of hair which, albeit white, might qualify him for membership of The Trials Of Cato, who won the Best Album award for Hide & Hair. Wizz was wonderfully downbeat in the bar later. “Load of nonsense really, isn’t it?” he laughed.

Wizz Jones being presented a Lifetime Achievment Award by Allan Clarke (founding member of The Hollies). Photo by Phil Carter.

Wizz Jones with his son Simeon Jones and grandson Alfie Jones.

Wizz Jones with his son Simeon Jones (flute) and grandson Alfie Jones (guitar). Photo by Phil Carter.

Album of the year is the only one voted for by the public, who can never be trusted (don’t mention Brexit! I did once, but think I got away with it). The public voting for best album seems more a test of who’s best at motivating their fan base than a real popularity contest…but maybe I’m just grumpy because it meant the fantastic Irish singer and writer Lisa O’Neill’s Heard A Long Gone Song album missed out.

Four nominations and no awards for Lisa…a poor show that and it is especially bewildering that her stunning collaborative stop-the-show blow-your-head-off unaccompanied version of Factory Girl with Lankum’s Radie Peat was beaten to best traditional track by Ye Vagabonds’ Foggy Dew. How did that happen? The endearingly shy Vagabond boys at least had the temerity to look a bit embarrassed and taken aback themselves after receiving the award from author Joanne Harris, whose lyrical preamble sounded like she was trying out the opening chapter to her next novel.

At least Lisa got on the list, unlike Grace Petrie, who deserved a nomination and would have been a rousing presence but didn’t make the cut. Slightly ironic, too, that O’Hooley & Tidow, who have consistently failed to win an award despite several nominations, finally got to make an appearance on stage this year despite not being nominated for anything – playing Gentleman Jack on the back of the recent TV series.

O’Hooley & Tidow (photo by Phil Carter)

A rather touching tribute to Leonard Cohen from the underrated Thea Gilmore, a closing burst from lifetime achievement award winners Dervish that included Cathy Jordan and Kate Rusby duetting on Down By The Sally Gardens, and it was off to the bar for tea and crumpets and an intense de-briefing on the events of the night, followed by bearhugs, wistful farewells and the fond hope that we will re-group at this splendid occasion next year.