News

Legendary singer, songwriter, activist and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Joan Baez, has announced an extensive 2018 world tour including UK dates. In conjunction with the tour she will release a new studio album: ‘Whistle Down The Wind’ via Proper Records in early March 2018.

Listen to the captivating and beautiful debut single, What The Whisper Said, from singer-songwriter Reema. There’s an ethereal quality to her low mellifluous vocals which blend beautifully with cyclical guitar patterns and dreamy jazz lines on this song. Taken from ‘The LowSwing Sessions’ out on 8th December.

With her UK and European tour about to kick off, Jesca Hoop has revealed a new stop-motion animation for Pegasi which was directed by Rachel Blumberg. The song is taken from her album Memories are Now, her Sub Pop debut released earlier this year.

Our Song of the Day is Mànran performing Alpha live. The song is from their An Dà Là album. A fine piece of “classic Gaelic rock that morphs perfectly into energetic puirt à beul, taking us on a whirlwind of vocals, pipes and accordion.”

Sky Arts is to broadcast a major television documentary titled ‘Fairport Convention: Folk Heroes’ to mark the fiftieth anniversary of legendary folk-rock band. The film features rare archive interviews and footage as well as newly-filmed interviews with the current Fairport members and others.

Rachel Baiman has just revealed this beautiful live version of “Something To Lose”. The session was recently recorded at the StarHouse in Boulder, CO and features on her latest album Shame. She hits the road with her band next week to open a run of Mandolin Orange shows across the Western US/Canada.

Watch The In-Betweens, the latest video from American singer-songwriter Grant Earl Lavalley which was filmed in Death Valley. The song features on his debut album From Lavalley Below released last month.

In her thematic approach, Kirsty Merryn’s album is following in the path of Tori Amos and Carol Ann Duffy, who have, respectively, written songs or poems about or in the persona of famous women. She deserves to reap similar rewards. Also, watch the video premiere for Forfarshire featuring Steve Knightley.

A CD launched in tribute to Alan Surtees, the co-founder of Shrewsbury Folk Festival, has raised more than £4,000 for a charity set up in his name to support young and emerging musicians.

LAU announce LAU-LAND Glasgow featuring workshops, discussions, sessions and live concerts from the likes of Eliza Carthy, Siobhan Miller, Cormac Begley, Sam Amidon, Pictish Trail, Jaimini Jethwa, Brighde Chaimbeul and more.

Our Song of the Day is ‘Lark in the Clear Air’, taken from Karine Polwart’s new album ‘A Pocket Of Wind Resistance’. “In Gaelic, the word for skylark is ‘fosg’. It means, literally, open space, including the space above us. When I go to Fala Moor, I get filled up with space.”

Julie Fowlis has unveiled a visually stunning music video for Dh’èirich mi moch, b’ fheàrr nach do dh’èirich from her new album Alterum. The video was made by the acclaimed photographer/filmmaker Craig Mackay as a reaction to the themes on the record.