As Kathryn Tickell and The Darkening return with their second album, Cloud Horizons, we chat with Kathryn about how the album came about, the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall, mythical magic, the multicultural history of Northumbria, job-sharing singers and more.

Benji Kirkpatrick’s sixth studio release, In Phase, is out on 6th October; watch his new video for the beautifully arranged “You Could Try Roulette”, his second album single. Don’t miss his album tour, which kicks off in October.

Viv & Riley’s ‘Imaginary People’ is a more complex and emotionally profound work than their acclaimed debut which was a Folk Radio  UK  album of the year in 2021, there’s no reason to think this won’t be a repeat performance.

Featuring Rachel Sermanni, Mick Flannery, John Francis Flynn, TRÚ, Pentangle, Kathryn Tickell, Gilmore & Roberts, The Gentle Good, Lal & Norma Waterson, Peter Bellamy, Robin Williamson, Meg Baird, Magpahi, Tim Hart & Maddy Prior, Shelagh McDonald and more.

Banjo-loving Coleraine native Damien O’Kane and California’s Ron Block are on the road again this month with their band for what promises to be a great party. It includes a one-off show at Hammersmith Irish & Cultural Centre with Michael McGoldrick and Irish singer Aoife Scott.

Melrose Quartet, featuring Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, and Jess and Richard Arrowsmith, announce their new album, ‘Make The World Anew’ and share their lead single and video animation (by Marry Waterson) for ‘Scarecrow’, a song written by Lal & Mike Waterson.

Joined by Yann Le Bozac and Sylvain Quéré, True North is probably Calum Stewart’s finest album yet, throughout which he delivers a most delightful and varied paean of praise to the north of Scotland.

In 2016, we interviewed Ex-Midlake frontman and songwriter Tim Smith about his new project ‘Harp’. While a lot has changed since that interview, today he is announcing his debut album ‘Albion’ and sharing the lead single and video “I Am The Seed”.

John Francis Flynn announces his new album ‘Look Over The Wall, See The Sky’ and shares ‘Mole In The Ground’, an unconventional new single that evokes the rebellious energy he felt when his home of Dublin was being “torn to shreds by property developers and vulture funds.”

On Dreamer Awake, Rachel Sermanni delivers surprising, touching and hopeful moments alongside darkly delicate, atmospheric folk songs and spellbinding experimentalism. Ultimately, it is the sound of a spectacularly gifted songwriter growing personally and artistically in the face of pain and difficulty.

With her 2021 debut, Pohorylle, Margo Cilker set herself a high benchmark, but with ‘Valley of Heart’s Delight’, she’s cleared that with ease and guaranteed another set of Album of the Year votes.

Rita Braga’s ‘Flores Indigestas’ has the vibrancy of tropicalia and the noirish shades of off-kilter pop. The effect is playfully engaging and demonstrates her beautifully progressive musical vision. The accompanying video reflects the eccentricities of Braga’s music, continually mutating and shapeshifting, making it so beautifully original.