News

The Unthanks are to headline and curate a one day festival in their native city of Newcastle featuring Rob Heron’s Tea Pad Orchestra, Alasdair Roberts, Twelfth Day, The Baghdaddies as well as 150 Unthanks Singing Weekenders and more.

We have an exclusive premiere of Lau’s dramatic new video for ‘The Bell That Never Rang’. We also talk to one of the video co-directors David Liddell who provides a unique insight into the film – “It’s an epic piece of music and I wanted to take it seriously and do it justice.”

Irish Traveller singer Thomas McCarthy heads to Scotland in May for a three-date tour which takes in Aberdeen Folk Club, Edinburgh Tradfest and Glasgow’s Glad Cafe. He was recently filmed singing for the BBC Series ‘Call the Midwife’.

Our Song of the Day is ‘Pine‘ from the talented Breda Mayock whose eponymous album is one of our featured albums this month. Talking about the song in his review of the album Simon said “I swear, hearts within a two mile radius have melted in the fallout.”

Our Song of the Day is from London-based singer songwriter Nigel Brown with a new song called Grasshopper which he is planning to use on his new forthcoming album Time Looks On. A sorrowful tale which begins with quitting school young, working hard on the land and the arrival of four daughters…but life is far from plain sailing.

Sam Brookes has released a new video for Crazy World and You from his album Kairos. There is some beautiful choreography which just serves to intensify the emotion Sam creates with that great voice of his.

We have a great track premiere today from Barna Howard with Indiana Rose taken from his new forthcoming album Quite A Feelin’, out May 18th via Loose Music.

Meg Baird will release a new studio album on 22nd June titled ‘Don’t Weigh Down the Light’, you can hear the first track unveiled from the album entitled ‘Counterfeiters’.

Our Song of the Day is from acoustic instrumental four piece Spiro with their latest video for Burning Bridge as featured on their forthcoming new album “Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow” which will be released on 13 April 2015 on Real World Records.

Watch the latest video from Ryley Walker for Sweet Satisfaction taken from his latest album Primrose Green. The spirit of John Martyn is very present on this track. Ryley kicks off his European tour this month including several dates in the UK.

This June ten Scottish and English folk musicians will head to the west coast Isle of Eigg to make an album together that reflects on the issue of ‘separation’ in its many forms, through traditional song. They include Karine Polwart, Eliza Carthy, Mary Macmaster, Hannah James and more.

Coming up this month at Kings Place, London is a special Scottish weekend series of events featuring Roddy Woomble, Dick Gaughan, James Grant, Rura, Ewan McLennan, Sorren Maclean & Samantha Whates focusing on Scotland’s rich treasury of words and stories, and the strong tradition of songwriting.