KLOF

Folk Music Gigs happening over the coming week: some will need no introduction such as Richard Thompson and Martin Carthy. There are also some great newcomers such as Blackbeard’s Tea Party and Rosie Doonan & The Snapdragons. Not forgetting the oldtimers: Unstrung Heroes!

The Big Eyes Family Players’ bandleader James Green has a busy weekend ahead of him this July 23-24. As part of this year’s Tramlines Festival in Sheffield, Green has co-curated The Folk Forest in Endcliffe Park, a two-day stage featuring Nancy Elizabeth, Rozi Plain, Martin Simpson, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, Tyde, Phantom Dog Beneath the Moon and many more.

Cocos Lovers have released their first video from their new album ‘Elephant Lands’. Elephant Lands comes a year after the critically acclaimed debut “Johannes”. Watch it now and get a taster of more tracks from the album.

Northern Lights is a blending of Norse and Irish: sagas, stories, soundscapes, cultural flavours and perspectives, through a meeting of their music and songs. It is a project of Lorcán Mac Mathúna, Raphael De Cock and James Mahon.

Welcome back to the Friday Folk Music Club. This week we have videos from: Jason Steel, James Yorkston & Big Eyes Family Players, Sharon Shannon, Townes Van Zandt, Julie Fowlis, Nathaniel Rateliff, John Martyn , A Hawk And A Hacksaw and Nancy Elizabeth! Plus audio tracks from The Owl Service and downloads from Spiers and Boden, David Gibb, Cathal Clohessy and Eamonn Costello, Martin Carthy with Dave Swarbrick and The …

We’ve a pair of tickets to give away for Mechanical Bride’s album launch show at St Giles In The Fields next wednesday (20th July). Living With Ants is Mechanical Bride’s debut album. It sees her song writing blossom into fully formed techni-colour flourishes.

Fellside Records are to release a double CD of A L Lloyd’s Bramble Briars and Beams of the Sun. This is a landmark release for anyone with an interest in British Folk Music as they were never released in the UK!

After a ten year absence Elle Osborne has retuned with a new release ‘So Slowly Slowly Got She Up.’ It is by far one of the most beautiful re-interpretations of traditional folksong I have heard in a long time. The album features a top supporting cast including Alasdair Roberts, Cath and Phil Tyler and Alex Neilson of Trembling Bells. It’s our Album of the Year so far: Soul stirring, Magnificent …

Just over a century ago, that most English of pursuits, morris dance, made its way to America – this summer it’s making the return journey in style! The groundbreaking English group Morris Offspring is collaborating with North American dance collective Maple Morris to create a huge site-specific performance work, to be performed at London’s Cecil Sharp House on 28 July.

Port Eliot Festival is held on 21st – 24th July and is set in the beautiful grounds of the ancient Port Eliot estate. A 5000 capacity festival that is a magical combination of books, food, music, art, comedy, fashion, films, flowers, photography, wildlife and water.

Award-winning duo John Dipper and Luke Daniels present their unique take on strange rural customs and the hidden history of our ritual year as part of a new multi-media educational project planned for the summer term that will culminate in 12 public performances this autumn.

Jacqueline McDonald and Bridie O’Donnell, better known as Jacqui & Bridie formed the first full-time British female folk-song duo in 1964. They went onto set up a folk club in Liverpool which was the early stomping ground for the likes of Christy Moore, Tom Paxton, Martin Carthy and Peggy Seeger. It celebrated it’s 50th Anniversary and final night back in January this year.