The Shahnameh “vibrant and colourful with ancient intrigue” – Derby Folk Festival 2016
Title: The Shahnameh: The Epic Book of Kings Company: Adverse Camber http://www.adversecamber.org/ Producer: Naomi Wilds Arts Council England It is Friday 30 September and the first night of the Derby Folk Festival 2016. The marquee is up, the rain is generally holding off and the crowds are just forming. With the choice that there is I […]
Support Merrymaker’s charity single “Nobody here wants a war”
Nobody Here Wants A War- Charity Single Launch – 26/09/16 Pushing their best foot forward with all the sensibilities of protest folk, the band Merrymaker come at us with a new single “Nobody here wants a war”. Merrymaker is happily made out of Dan Sealey (from Merrymouth), Adam Barry (The Misers) and Nikki Petherick […]
South Yorkshire FRW Music Festival – Sep 2016: Gilmore and Roberts
Folk tales done somewhat contemporary with audacious combination of source material, rhythm and wonder. In Doncaster the day turned to night, the amber lights came on and Gilmore and Roberts came out, though vampires I am sure they are not. On their 10th year working together Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts are going strong, as […]
South Yorkshire FRW Music Festival – Sep 2016: Said The Maiden
Authentic energy brought to dark, traditional numbers and original work. http://www.saidthemaiden.co.uk/ Admittedly one of the two acts that drew me to the the new festival in Doncaster (South Yorkshire Folk, Roots and World) at the Leopard, “Said the Maiden” fantastic in name, and beginning to flourish in notability. They are like a group on their way […]
South Yorkshire FRW Music Festival – Sep 2016: Lucy Marshall
Later in the day I was able to catch Lucy Marshall, a Hull-based acoustic artist with three EPs and experience of touring across festivals such as Cambridge Rock and Blues, and Cornucopia, her website is very nice indeed I am totally jealous http://www.lucymarshallsings.com/. She was playing in the 1st floor room of the The Leopard pub, […]
Gentle Heart – Saskia Griffiths-Moore’s debut album (a review)
An unabashed genre-hopping album that balances light with dark in a spiritually precise manner and a strong leading voice Some albums are like the snow-topped mountains of Asia, full of ancient mystery which might be a little unusual or less accessible to the everyday tourist but nevertheless has a solid following and interest, especially for […]
Rob Lane – Ends and Starts (album review)
Blues rock that warms the senses for Spring and gets the room moving in an optimistic, light-hearted manner Intro In taking a mild diversion from things going on in my current home County (Yorkshire), the South West with it’s wonderful mysteries, and the cosmopolitan excitement of emerging folk around London, I have decided to go […]
The Silver Darlings: Watermark- Single Launch in Sheffield (review)
A band with fire enjoying their musical influences without putting themselves in a box I recently had the pleasure of attending the single launch with The Silver Darlings, a Sheffield-based indie-folk group at The Heeley Institute (Sheffield) and was more than pleasantly surprised. The Silver Darlings are part of Ankle Breka Records, a growing independent […]
Edd Donovan and the Wandering Moles – Making Mountains (Vol 1)
An artist with old school authenticity and a collection of songs aptly wrapped in the phenomenology of experience drenched in Americana which takes the best aspects of modern music Album: Making Mountains (Vol 1.) Label: Paper Label Records Website: http://www.edddonovan.co.uk/ Release Date: 3rd June 2016 I don’t often venture into Americana I regret to inform. There […]
KARA – Some Other Shore – “a deep thematic album of tragedy and triumph” – review
Released June 2016 KARA return with another excellent album called “Some Other Shore” (their debut was also nautical sounding, “Waters So Deep”). The particularities that make the sound and ideas appealing can be boiled down into the three-part approach taken to their writing and recording of folk music. The first part is that their music […]