Danny Neill

On The Cinder Sheet, the delicate psych-folk sound of Sairie is delightfully unpredictable. They steadfastly avoid well-trodden routes with remarkable results. Anticipation grows for where they can take their open-eared psych-folk vision next.

With ‘His Last Letter’, Geoff Muldaur has curated a behemoth of a project with packaging that befits the ambition; this is undoubtedly the most annotated and sympathetically presented new music release of 2022 – it’s a deep joy on every level.

Rachael Dadd’s ‘Kaleidoscope’ really does live up to its title; there is so much nuance in those deep grooves, it’s a potential career-best for an artist with an admirably understated excellence.

With Streams of Forms, Marlais stitches together traditional folk and ambient electronica in ways that are ground-breaking. Bold and hypnotizing, it will be worth keeping an ear out for a taste of whatever this outside-the-box sonic chef cooks up next.

‘The Space Between’ is the sound of a band that are cooking on heat; anyone who comes into the Bonfire Radicals’ orbit is going to be hard pushed not to be swept up by this blazing folk comet.

Opening the set with ‘Lilac Wine’ is a bold move…But Lisa O’Neill has the poise and range to use this as a vehicle to lock in the audience’s attention, and it’s a grip that does not loosen for the next ninety minutes.

We catch up with Luke Daniels to chat about The Cobhers, a project started in 2019 to help bring new audiences to folk and traditional music through covering classic hits alongside folk and traditional tunes from the UK, Ireland and beyond.

Everything on this collection from Luke Daniels and The Cobhers is attacked with such life-affirming urgency… These are songs that have cut across the eras, the sub-cultures and age restrictions, and now, they are hoping to knock down genre fences as well.

Windjammer’s ‘Awaken’, sounds whole yet is markedly diverse within its grooves. There are nods to an Albion/Psych-folk past which they take ownership of. They have succeeded in capturing their essence on record, I now hope this leads to many more awakening to their rich tapestry.

Bloodlines testifies, in tandem with the re-issue of ‘Smokin The Dummy,’ that having established himself as a maverick country outsider in the seventies, Terry Allen began the eighties on a creative roll. They deserve stronger appreciation among country fans and record collectors far and wide.

What is abundantly clear on this re-issue of ‘Smokin’ The Dummy’, is that Terry Allen wrote some great songs in those first two decades of his recording career, they have languished in the alt-country shadows for far too long.

We talk to Judy Collins in a dizzying all ages of folk music interview…covering fan mail from Pete Seeger; courtroom drama at the behest of Phil Ochs; Bob Dylan’s Nobel prize; fond recollections of a diffident Leonard Cohen…even the Muppet Show gets a look in.

We talk to folk duo Lisa Maria and Amy Lou Keeler, AKA Mama’s Broke, ahead of the release of their second album ‘Narrow Line’. Plus, watch their new video for October’s Lament.

Whilst sounding vintage in style, Narrow Line could belong in no other era than the present day. Mama’s Broke may seem traditional, but their tales of modern life have too much bite to be nostalgic, they are new and unique voices in modern, rootsy Americana that must be heard.

With the new Oysterband album ‘Read The Sky’ finding the band on top form, it was a thrill to speak at length with frontman and founder John Jones about the new album and much more besides in our Artist of the Month interview.

With House to House, we find Matt Andersen embracing a more stripped back acoustic sound. These songs have a deep connection; pulled from the same well of real-life turbulence that, ironically, invests them with as much power and bite as anything this artist has previously recorded.

No one could have predicted the Oysterband returning with a song collection quite like ‘Read The Sky’. This is what you get when a band continue to make music for the best reasons. It’s a top-quality album worthy of the name.

…Martha Wainwright closes her eyes and reaches out her hands…you are watching an artist perform with conviction as she touches the heart of the song. It is the real deal alright, exactly what you come out for on these evenings in the hope of experiencing.