Folk Phenomena’s – The Folk of 2016 – Award Post
Hi all, I have been threatening for a couple of months now to do an award post to celebrate (in my opinion) the best Folk of 2016. It is a cliche to say it was a fantastic year for folk music, so I won’t say that more than that once. But what I can honestly […]
Lorcán Mac Mathúna – Visionaries 1916 (album review)
Folk music that tackles some stirring source material that should not be forgotten. There is a roving central passion that brings both a delightful sense of joy and personal isolation to the works within. The album dwells very much in the topic it is exploring. The year 2016 will be seen as a year of upheaval […]
Look Back: Saskia G-M “Gentle Heart” (review)
This is a “Look Back” post, one that brings an older review (from shedancesinthemind.blogspot.com) here to my new website. Since my writing in early 2016, Saskia Griffiths-Moore has continued to grow with a series of concerts and some well-shot covers of some well-known tracks on her Youtube channel here. “Gentle Heart” is seriously an album […]
Steve Pledger’s – “Somewhere Between” Album Review
A self-assured album from Pledger, whose writing has clearly grown in skill. The lyrics are pleasingly concise, yet emotive and manage to capture other people’s viewpoints very well. It always persuades, but sometimes astonishes. Introduction to Album Steve Pledger is back with “Somewhere Between” his second acoustic-offering that continues to move across the themes […]
Merry Hell’s Bloodlines – Album Review
Release Date – 1 November 2016 Merry Hell are certainly putting their hours in. There are a working band with new disc “Bloodlines” coming out within two years since their last album, “The Ghost in Our House” (2015). They are in the middle of an exceptionally busy looking tour schedule too (with dates being filled […]
Lady Maisery – Cycle – (Album Review in Poem Form)
LADY MAISERY- CYCLE (poetic review) A dawn chorus whose stalwart shanties wash an ignorance of history past they approach the day careening in Physis’ circuit, putting a breathy foot to a metal horse. As an earthy watchmaker sets out her table, she is brought an old face. Burrowing into these metal shells and eyeing her […]
Halloween Video of the Week – Lady Maisery’s – The Crow on the Cradle
Boo! It’s Halloween, Samhain, All Saint’s Eve or any other permeation of word to describe this fantastic time of year and to get in the mood I’ve been listening to some dark folk of time gone by. The darkness has come and much like the balsamic vinegar that hugs at the bottom of that olive […]
Kate Rusby – Life in a Paper Boat (album review)
Artist: Kate Rusby Pure Records http://www.katerusby.com/ An album of precise and selective instrumentation that concisely builds atmosphere and quality. Kate Rusby continues her good works through effectively combining traditional words and material with modern arrangements with a final product that impresses across the board. Kate Rusby as we know is pretty much a folk music […]
Adverse Camber- Fire in the North Sky at The Crucible Studio, Sheffield 11/10/16
For one night only the Studio space of the Crucible was turned into a a kaleidoscope of story, wonder and history with a combined storytelling and musical performance of “Fire in the North Sky” by Adverse Camber. There were birds, bears, men forging with gold and silver, and other incredible creations told and performed from […]
Derby Folk Festival 2016 – Some of the Happenings – Megapost
Hi all. Derby Folk Festival has been a really good event, I have seen some great acts over the three folk-filled days and wanted to give a rundown of the bands that have come on to my radar since the weekend. There were many big names, there were some energetic new acts and a variety […]