Ashley Hutchings

In 1971, Granada TV decided to make a special 30-minute concert on Ainsdale beach featuring Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. Watch the entire set – 30 minutes of excellent classic folk-rock.

Before dropping his 100th album, Ashley Hutchings releases Ninety-nine Impressions, a spoken-word album with musical accompaniment from the likes of Blair Dunlop, Jacob Stoney and more. It’s an exceptional album and quite unlike anything he’s ever released before.

Sophisticated songs for a sometimes saccharin season, A Midwinter Miscellany (featuring Ashley Hutchings, Becky Mills, Blair Dunlop and Judy Dunlop) is a Christmas album with a big dollop of class.

Paradise and Thorns is a rewarding and precious double album from Ashley Hutchings – ‘the single most important figure in English folk-rock’. Handsomely packaged, it’s a companion piece to his 1987 Gloucester Docks, an album that told a very personal love story.

With Street Cries, Ashley Hutchings revisits his 2001 album and produces some powerful new lyrics and, with the help of his collaborators (including Steve Knightley, June Tabor, Dick Gaughan, Cara Dillon and the late Vin Garbutt), he creates a collection of powerful and unique performances.

Chimes at Midnight is the latest offering from Rainbow Chasers – formed by English folk scene stalwart Ashley Hutchings and featuring previously unreleased recordings.

Building on a summer of successful festival appearances, The Albion Band is taking what could be called a victory lap with a second UK tour this November.

As far as band shake-ups go you don’t get a more striking change than this one. The Albion Band is to get a complete re-boot for 2012 as the torch is passed to a newer generation of English folk talent. Ashley Hutchings will be handing over the reins to his son, Blair Dunlop, who is joined by Gavin Davenport, Tom Wright, Katriona Gilmore and Tim Yates.

Ashley Hutchings, founder member of Fairport Convention, brings his new band, The Rainbow Chasers, to Square Chapel Centre for the Arts on Sunday 30 January.

Joseph Topping, from Wirral, is a multi-instrumentalist / singer / songwriter and by all accounts likes to keep himself busy. As well as gaining a reputation for his own work, he’s also known to use his considerable talent as part of  The John Wright Band, Ashley Hutchings, The Rainbow Chasers and Elbow Jane. Ghosts In The Shadows is his third solo album and first for Fellside Recordings. In this mixed …