Andy Bell

We talk to producer, engineer and Hudson Records label owner Andy Bell about curating Folk on the Tyne, growing and supporting the music scene from the bottom up as well as plans for the future… he has a few.

Neil McSweeney’s latest offering ‘A Coat Worth Wearing’ is reminiscent of the romantic poets Wordsworth or Shelley, but like Blake, he has a darker side, a rebellious streak and a decisive need to push for positive change. It is a rare songwriter that can combine these elements over the course of an album or even a career. McSweeney often manages to do it in the space of a single song.

The 40th-anniversary all-star revival of Peter Bellamy’s ‘The Transports’ starts this month taking it dates at Celtic Connections, Cecil Sharp House and more. Watch this excellent short documentary about the ballad folk opera.

We talk to producer and engineer Andy Bell about his new label Hudson Records which has some great releases lined up from the likes of The Furrow Collective, Neil McSweeney and Richard Warren. This is a label you music lovers should all get behind. Great vision and a potentially great future!

Old Adam marks the welcome return of Fay Hield to the studio, reaffirming her status as one of Britain’s leading singers across the spectrum of traditional and contemporary folk music. Fay is also our Artist of the Month for February.

With Wolves the Lamb Will Lie balances richly detailed lyrics with accessible arrangements which present M.G. Boulter’s musical vision intact. Anyone looking for instruction in the dark art of writing meaningful and original songs would be well-advised to give this a good, close listen; meanwhile the rest of us will be over here, losing ourselves in Matt’s music.

We have a video premiere today from M.G. Boulter for ‘The Last Song‘, a song that tears-along like that stolen bicycle in the film, it’s taken from his new album With Wolves The Lamb Will Lie due for released on 29 January 2016

There’s no doubt that Emily Portman has, with a little help from her friends, created and curated a dazzling display of writing and musicianship, but the real success of Coracle lies in the balancing of many seemingly disparate aspects to create an intensely luminous collection of songs whose articulate lyrics, virtuoso performances and intricate arrangements never overshadow the very real humanity which is at the heart of it all.

Folk-roots acoustic guitar duo Hickman and Quinn embark on their first UK headline tour during February and March to promote their debut album, Times. Co produced by Andy Bell (Sea Sick Steve and KT Tunstall) Times contains all original material from the singer-songwriters.