News

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’.

This set of videos of Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh has featured before on Folk Radio UK on our old site back in 2009. Caoimhín is one of my favourite fiddle players so I’m going to indulge myself…

The following video of James Irwin and his band was shot by ASTW in the woods of Oka, Quebec… James writes twice a day—songs, poems and stories, first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon, always with a coffee.

I have just heard that Mike Waterson passed away in the early hours of this morning at 3.00 a.m. Our love and thoughts go out to his family. Mike’s singing voice is well known to anyone who has followed The Watersons through their history which began during the 1960’s English folk song revival.

Martin Simpson is to release a new album on September 5th through Topic Records titled purpose + grace. Jon Boden, B J Cole, Dick Gaughan, Fay Hield, Will Pound, June Tabor and Richard Thompson will be joining Martin along with his regular band of Andy Cutting, Andy Seward and Keith Angel.

We’ve been adding a lot of new music to Folk Radio UK recently so here is yesterday’s playlist to give you a flavour of the sounds we’ve been playing.

Gerry Diver’s fascinating ‘The Speech Project’ has received Arts Council England funding for Gerry to take his work on a tour of England in March 2012. The project features exclusive spoken word contributions from Christy Moore, Paddy Moloney, Martin Hayes and Danny Meehan.

Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three return to the UK this month with an established fan base and a new album titled ‘Middle of Everywhere’ which has soared to the Number 3 position on the Euro Americana Chart for June, the boys look set to make a big impact!

Shieldshaped present a night of “The New Old Time” in Bristol on 28th June. Headlining on the night will be Brooklyn, New York’s old-time string band ‘The Dust Busters’ who will be joined by the tin pan alley melodramatic Boxcar Alduous Huxley and those vintage 78 spinners the Shellac Sounds gramophone DJs!

Martha Tilston’s performance at Thekla, Bristol was exceptional and a rare treat for fans as she threw away her setlist and took fans on a musical journey which left everyone with a warm and satisfying glow.

The Big Mix music festival which is organised by Macmillan Cancer Support returns to Shoreditch, London this Saturday 18th June with an even bigger line-up of artists as well as comedy, fashion, cabaret and art.