Singer and songwriter Samantha Whates has announced the details of her new single Trees & Gold / Icicle which is scheduled for release on Melodica Recordings on 13th April. Samantha worked with Will Powers and Joseph Eckworth to produce the accompanying video for Trees & Gold, watch it here.

Like other albums that have been wrought from painful experiences, Carrie & Lowell is disarmingly beautiful and uplifting because of its origins, not in spite of them. Stevens has managed to do that rare thing which many artists strive for: render a personal experience in all its richness and ambivalence in a way that feels vivid and universal.

C.W. Stoneking is bringing a brand new band to Europe and the UK this May/June to promote his new album, Gon’ Boogaloo. Gone are the sepia-toned tales of marooned adventures in the tropics of his last release, Jungle Blues, this time replaced with the latest invention in the world of C.W. Stoneking, electricity!

Our Song of the Day is from Kitty Macfarlane with a beautiful cover of Tim Buckley’s Song To The Siren. Kitty recently made it to the semi-finals of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award and is also performing at our next Levels Collective evening this Friday supporting Alasdair Roberts.

Eliza Carthy has teamed up with Tim Eriksen to release a new album called ‘Bottle’ which will be released via Navigator Records on May 18th. Hardcore ‘Americana’ with hardcore ‘Anglicana’. We can’t wait, got to be one of the most highly anticipated folk album releases of 2015.

Welsh band Allan Yn Y Fan not only continue to go from strength to strength but have also grown. They have just announced their first line up change since 2008. The original four band members – Geoff Cripps, Chris Jones, Lind Simmonds and Kate Strudwick are to be joined by by lead-singer Catrin O’Neill and fiddler Alan Cooper.

Jim Moray and Sam Carter of False Lights provide FRUK with a great Show and Tell video interview in which they share their influences with us which range from Sam’s love of Sacred Harp singing to their shared love for Nic Jones and Radiohead. It’s a fascinating insight into what makes them tick. Watch it here.

Once again there’s a strong indie pop sensibility informing the accessible, highly melodic tracks on Bonxie, though it’s less eclectic than its predecessor. Instead there is more of a direct connection with the summery, folksy roots of the debut, not least in rekindling their love affair with the shanty – and then there’s the birds.

Rob catches up with last year’s BBC Radio Two Folk Award Best Duo winners Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin at Stratford Folk club. They have a relentless touring schedule but also the promise of a third album later this year which they reveal more on in the interview.

In approaching your music with the sangfroid of the accomplished musician; not everyone gets off on clever, but Lindsay and the Flatbellys make Ionia sound like a regular Saturday night down at the bar. Same again, barman.

Dave catches up with Éamonn Coyne to talk all things Treacherous Orchestra. They are spending the summer performing live across the UK concluding with their first appearance at Towersey Festival. “Bring it on; we are really looking forward to it spreading the T.O. message ‘down south’.”

James heads to St. Mark’s Church in Dalston to catch a very special evening with Sam Lee and friends as he kicks off the first night of his Temples Tour Album Launch for The Fade in Time. It turned into a very memorable evening as you can read here.