This week’s Folk Show is an extended one, to take in all the new and forthcoming music we’ve included alongside some older favourites. If you just want to jump right in then scroll on down otherwise hold steady and learn some more about the music and artists featured. The show kicks off with the title track from Lisa O’Neill‘s new EP The Wren, The Wren which we announced earlier today here. It’s this track that inspires the choice of photo of one of our loveliest birds, the Wren.
From our current Artist of the Month, we have a track from Jon Boden‘s new album Rose in June which we recently reviewed here. We also recently spoke to Jon about the making of the album which you can read here. Keep an eye on Folk Radio UK tomorrow as we have a special video premiere to share with you.
We also have music from two of our Featured Albums of the Month:
Toby Hay‘s New Music for the 12 String Guitar – “It is only two years since his debut and he is already one of the finest guitarists of his generation.” Read Thomas’s review here.
and
Rant‘s new album The Portage – “At points haunting, at others carefree and light, this is powerful and evocative music that is invigorating, bewitching and beautiful.” Read Glenn’s review of the album here.
A new name to many will be Fintan McHugh, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who was born in Dublin into a musical household. Son of Derry uilleann piper Joe McHugh he has inherited a love and passion for Irish songs and music. His Swiss mother Lizzie plays fiddle and viola. In the spirit of the travelling troubadour, he sings and accompanies himself on guitar, the Irish 10-string cittern and harmonica. A name to watch out for and after you hear him, you’ll understand why.
We also have music from Sam Lee’s forthcoming third album Old Yow which was produced by Bernard Butler and is devoted to the natural world, something which should come as no surprise to those that know Sam and the causes he champions.
Another possible new name to most is Mishra who release their debut album ‘The Loft Tapes’ on December 7th via Hudson Records. Based in Sheffield they are led by Ford Collier and Kate Griffin, both of whom were separately shortlisted for the 2018 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards in different projects. This is a very highly accomplished debut and we hope to be bringing you more on them soon.
Benji Kirkpatrick should need no introduction, along with his band The Excess, the ex-Bellowhead player and current member of Faustus and Steeleye Span has a new album on the way titled Gold Has Worn Away (out on December 6th). As with Human Cost, the song we’ve chosen to include here, he does not shy away from social and political issues.
Hailing from New Orleans, yet rooted in the Balkan traditions, we recently premiered a video from Blato Zlato (watch it here), a band that breathes life into contemporary arrangements of traditional elements of Balkan music. There is so much going on within their music we couldn’t resist providing you with a further taster from their album In The Wake which is out on November 22nd.
Another relatively new release is from Nettlebone, a musical collaboration between two brothers (Dominic and Justin Forrest) with significant additions from two wonderful musicians, Jude Rees and Jon Loomes. Their album Revel and Rhyme deals with historical themes and is described as a journey through England’s largely neglected social and political history using a wide range of traditional instrumentation, evocative lyrics and atmospheric musical soundscapes.
Those of you well-steeped in traditional music should need no introduction to Andy Irvine’s superband Mozaik who, having formed in 2002, return with their third album The Long and Short of It featuring Andy alongside, Dónal Lunny, Bruce Molsky, Rens van der Zalm and Nikola Parov.
We’ve a couple of forthcoming new singles: London-based alt-folk trio Thickets are to release ‘A Winter Warning’ in December; what began as a Christmas carol soon took a macabre turn to become instead a winter murder ballad – that’s folk music for you.
Another new single out in December is Stardust (Doina iii), Fran & Flora’s interpretation of a magical traditional doina (a lamenting arhythmic musical prelude) from Romania. It captured their imagination when they first heard it played by mentor and friend Tcha Limberger (Belgium). It’s Romanian name ‘Pe deal pe la Teleormănel’, which translates as ‘On the hill to Teleormănel’ (a region in Southern Romania), conjures up the spirit of the outdoors – it evokes birdsong, and calls out to all across the hills and valleys. Fran & Flora’s version unintentionally evolved into something more cosmic, with added layers of improvisation and processing, to create depth to the composition.
Exeter-based singer songwriter and finger-style guitarist Ben Morgan-Brown returns with a “live in the studio, no edits, no overdubs, one guitar and one voice” EP titled ‘Nameless Gold’ which demonstrates his growing mastery of guitar and voice. Ben is yet another name to watch for, as is Dear Brother featuring Anthony Hurley who used to be part of the folk duo Our Feathered Embers who we used to regularly play on Folk Radio UK. If you enjoy the mellow textures of Nick Drake then you will love this new EP called Waterland which is available on Bandcamp here.
There are also some older personal favourites in the show including Bonnie Susie Clelland, sung by the beautiful vocals of Cilla Fisher.
To hear exclusive extra shows, find out about Folk Radio Select here.
Music Played
00:00 – Lisa O’Neill – The Wren, The Wren
from Lisa’s new EP The Wren, The Wren
02:40 – Alan Reid, Hamish Moore and Cilla Fisher – Bonnie Susie Clelland
from A Celebration Of Scottish Music (a compilation released in 1988)
07:18 – Ye Vagabonds – Siún Ní Dhuibhir
from The Hares Lament (reviewed here)
12:09 – Fintan McHugh – Part of the Path
from Stardust and Bone
15:54 – Sam Lee – The Garden Of England (Seeds Of Love)
from Sam’s forthcoming album Old Wow
20:20 – Arlet – Aidan’s
from Clearing (released in 2013 and reviewed here)
24:53 – Mishra – Deep Seas
from The Loft Tapes
28:32 – Iain Morrison – Salm II
from SAL
33:34 – Benji Kirkpatrick & The Excess – Human Cost
from Benji’s forthcoming new album Gold Has Worn Away
38:01 – Blato Zlato – Janka Prez Gora Vurveshe
from In the Wake
42:28 – Nettlebone – World Turned Upside Down
from Revel and Rhyme
46:13 – Mozaik – My Little Carpenter
from The Long and Short of It
49:05 – Granny’s Attic – What I Saw In My Dream As I Slept In My Chair
from Wheels of the World (reviewed here)
53:43 – Jon Boden – Rigs of the Time
from Rose in June (reviewed here and recently interviewed here)
58:57 – Thickets – A Winter Warning
from Thickets new single
1:01:43 – Fran & Flora – Stardust (Doina iii)
New single
1:05:22 – Ben Morgan-Brown – Only So Young
from Nameless Gold EP
1:08:32 – Toby Hay – Cynefin
from New Music for the 12 String Guitar (reviewed here)
1:12:17 – Samantha Whates – Dylan’s Truth
from Samantha’s new album Waiting Rooms
1:15:03 – Dear Brother – Blood Moon
from Waterland
1:19:12 – Mike Raven & Joan Mills With Saga – Nailmakers’ Lament
from The Halliard: Jon Raven and The Jolly Machine (re-issued on CD 1997)
1:21:16 – Skipper’s Alley – Walking in the Dew
from their forthcoming new album The Oul Fip
1:26:48 – Rant – Now Westlin Winds
from their new album The Portage (reviewed here)
1:30:51 –Mozaik – The Coast Of Peru
from The Long and Short of It
1:35:59 – The Halliard: Jon Raven – Rambling Sailor
from The Halliard: Jon Raven and The Jolly Machine (re-issued on CD 1997)
Photo by Dean Truderung