David Weir

Of all the artists working within the rather loose confines of alternative folk The Livelong Day surely puts Lankum at the forefront. Writhing with the terror of our times one moment, then rising with indescribable heart and hunger the next; this is traditional song stretched and submerged.

Band of Burns share much more with the bard than just their title. Their gift is deep-seated and The Thread stands as a remarkable tribute. The Burns clan grows larger still.

After their encore over on Folk by the Oak’s Acorn Stage this July, David Weir caught up with Trials of Cato backstage to discuss touring life, the recording process of Hide & Hair and much more. Watch the video interview here.

We talk to Kathryn Tickell – a fierce and leading proponent of the Northumbrian smallpipes, with a staggering solo and collaborative discography, we were excited to dig a little deeper into the backstory behind her most recent release, Hollowbone.

Inviting you in to take shelter from the storm, Joan Shelley’s simple meditations strike at the heart of what really matters. There’s wisdom at play on Like The River Loves The Sea, which returns you once more to the peace of wild things.

David Weir chats to Lisa O’Neill backstage at Cambridge Folk Festival about Music Awards (she’s been nominated for four BBC Folk Awards), Nick Cave, Margaret Barry, songwriting and the distractions of technology and dreaming.

We chat to Nick Mulvey, this year’s guest curator of Cambridge Folk Festival. He talks about avenues into Ethnomusicology studies, climate crisis, his recording process and of course his personal experience – both on-and-off stage – at Cambridge.

Part Two of our Cambridge Folk Festival features Rura, Karine Polwart, José González, Calexico and Iron & Wine, Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita, Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening, McGoldrick, McCusker and Doyle and Daoirí Farrell’s All-Star Celtic Session.

Read our interview with artist extraordinaire, Jackie Morris, the co-creator of The Lost Words, a breathtaking book, which directly informed our Featured Album of the Month The Lost Words: Spell Songs.

David heads to Black Deer Festival at Kent’s Eridge Park and shares some his personal highlights including Kris Kristofferson and The Strangers, John Butler Trio, The Staves, Band of Horses, Trials of Cato, John Smith, Jerron ‘Blind Boy’ Paxton and more.

We talk to Scottish singer and song writer Karine Polwart about The Lost Words: Spell Songs project as well as how she sees her own relationship between music, landscape and place – “Music and storytelling is key, because both are such elemental forms of human interconnection.”

“The Lost Words” finally reaches us in the form of Spell Songs. Composed by eight of folk’s finest contemporary talents: Karine Polwart, Seckou Keita, Julie Fowlis, Kris Drever, Jim Molyneux, Kerry Andrew, Rachel Newton and Beth Porter, the songs bring us hope for the future.