Fairport Convention, Jon Boden and The Conservatoire Folk Ensemble are among the acts headlining folk and roots festival, Imagined Isle, which returns to the Birmingham’s iconic Town Hall from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 May 2017.
We catch up with the formidable folk trio Lady Maisery – Hazel Askew, Hannah James and Rowan Rheingans. We talk folk music, creativity and ‘spirited agitators,’ or ‘spirited alligators’ as Rowan likes to say…
Listen in full to ‘Objects,’ the debut album from the Bristol-based musical ensemble The Nightjar. They use close harmonies, tight-interlocking guitars, deep bass and an intense lead vocal to paint fragile, haunting landscapes for their dream-like, ethereal songs of hope, loss and disaster.
Following his celebrated adventures in drama, translation, travel writing and prose poetry, Simon Armitage’s eleventh collection of poems, The Unaccompanied, heralds a return to his trademark contemporary lyricism. Watch Simon read ‘Thank You for Waiting’, an exclusive new poem.
Watch the video premiere for Mayfair at Rhayader 1927, a track from Toby Hay’s new album The Gathering to be released on 29th March 2017 via Cambrian Records. Both the tune and video, which features archive footage of the Rhayader Mayfair, are ‘wondrous and uncanny.’
In celebration of their tenth anniversary last year, The Shee commissioned six of their most favourite, influential composers to write original songs or tunes for the band. The results were spectacular, if you missed their tour last year then fear not…they are on the road again in April 2017.
Lucas and King are a Brighton-based duo who caught our attention following their video submission for Truly Not Yours.They sound refreshingly original and should be reaching a much wider audience.
A long overdue album from two musicians at the top of their game; Bill Kirchen and Austin de Lone rip it up for a hands-across-the-Atlantic collection with their new studio album, Transatlanticana before heading to the UK in March and April on tour.
Windy City is Alison Krauss’s first solo album in 17 years. Bringing new life to old songs can be difficult, but, as per the title, Krauss makes it seem like a breeze on this era-spanning album produced by Nashville veteran Buddy Cannon.
It’s together that Tobias Ben Jakob and Lukas Drinkwater shine brightest, a synergy of two musicians perfectly complimenting each other, bringing to mind the likes of John Martyn and Danny Thompson. An intense and spellbinding performance at The Riverhouse Barn, Walton-on-Thames.
Our Song of the Day comes from Manchester’s Ferocious Folk Foursome 4Square. It is a gorgeous cover of Richard Thompson’s ‘Farewell’ and it features on their new EP ‘X,’ released today to celebrate the 10th year as a touring band. On Tour Now.
With ‘Making Waves,’ Luke Daniels bridges the gap between traditional music and its contemporary descendants (ft. John Doyle, Mike McGoldrick and Aidan O’Rourke) and emerges with his reputation as an instrumentalist, a composer and an innovator considerably enhanced. An outstanding album.
