KLOF

James Findlay’s Fellside Records debut ‘Sport & Play’ lives up to the fine performance that won him the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards, but I do feel we are gaining just a small glimpse of James Findlay’s fine talents. There is no rush, being only 20 he has a bright future ahead of him and will find many fans across the English folk circuit.

The Woodshedders latest release O Dig is a crazy gumbo of musical ingredients that they like to call Indie Roots Americana. Their ability to flip and twist from one genre to a fusion of others is both dizzying and elating. The Woodshedders O Dig is well up our list of recommendations…a must!

Sarah McQuaid is just back from Ireland, where she finished recording and mixing her new album – It’s a bit of a departure from my previous solo CDs in that the emphasis this time round is on my own original songs.

There Are Birds in my Garden is the second album release from David Gibb, BBC Young Folk Award nominee (2011). The album features an array of tradtional and self-penned songs which he gives a refreshing contemporary twist to with the aid of his very talented band, The Pony Club.

We are continuing to introduce new music from the past and present to the Folk Radio UK playlist which offers a mix of both contemporary and traditional folk music from the British Isles and further afield. We have our second big tranche of new tunes on the way in next week, Enjoy!

Tim Schmidt’s latest release ‘YaYa River’ is an uncluttered album, the beauty of which is akin to that of a Haiku. This is an album to escape to and if you come away feeling elated it’s maybe because you’ve allowed your life to slow down for a while…

Originally hailing from Canada, Po’ Girl weave a blend of musical influences, sweetness, grit & soul into their fresh and original sound. Catch them on their UK & Ireland Tour in 2011!

On first listen to The Carrivick Sisters new album From the Fields you could easily be fooled into assuming they hail from America. They are in fact from South Devon and their music is inspired by the landscape and stories they have experienced in the South West.

Bellowhead put on a cracking performance at Glastonbury and pleased the crowd no end. Watch them perform New York Girls below.

Hazmat Modine can never be accused of settling into their sound and getting too comfy…they make it very clear on their latest release, Cicada, that they are still very much about exploring and evolving. The album features collaborations with Natalie Merchant, the Gange Brass Band, Kronos Quartet and the Tuvan throat-singing ensemble Huun Huur Tu.

We’ve been very busy updating our music on Folk Radio UK over the past week with the addition of new albums as well as some folk music classics from the past. Below is yesterday’s playlist to give you a flavour. This is just a fraction of what we currently play so expect more new music to brighten up your summer!

Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo paid a visit to the BBC studios for a session for Dermot O’Leary’s show on BBC Radio 2. Listen to it now and hear her perform her new single ‘Pause’.