The Folk Forecast: 6–20 Jan 2022
Jon Boden, Martin Simpson, The Wilderness Yet and Ninebarrow, plus we announce The Folk Forecast Record of the Year 2021!
Hello, and welcome to the first Folk Forecast of the new year! After a lovely festive break, it’s great to have some gigs back on the horizon, with highlights over the next couple of weeks including Jon Boden, Martin Simpson, The Wilderness Yet, Ninebarrow and workshops with the wonderful Lisa Knapp.
I’ve also been busy looking through your votes and comments for the Record of the Year survey, and I’m delighted to announce that the winner of The Folk Forecast Record of the Year 2021 is A Pocket Full of Acorns by Ninebarrow. There was so much love for this album, with lots of you highlighting the great work Jon and Jay have been doing for the environment, as well as their fantastic online gigs which have kept a lot of people going through these difficult times.
Thanks so much to all of you who voted - there were some really heartwarming comments about all of the nominees, which showed just how passionate you are about your favourite artists, and I’m planning to share some of the anonymous highlights with nominees so they can see just how loved they are.
That’s it for now - have a great fortnight and I’ll see you again soon!
SUNDAY 9 JANUARY
Ninebarrow Wandering Minstrels: Episode 5 — 7pm GMT
Ninebarrow on YouTube
With Ninebarrow’s album being named Record of the Year, it seems only too apt that they’re our first event listing of the year! In this new episode of their video series, Wandering Minstrels, they’ll be exploring the rolling hills and dramatic coastline of their native Dorset, stopping off for some songs along the way. They’ll also be catching up with Ben Cipolla about his new album, and sharing some exciting news about their plans for 2023.
Free to view, with donations encouraged.
MONDAY 10 JANUARY
Monday Folk Singers with Lisa Knapp — 7pm GMT
English Folk Dance and Song Society
The EFDSS Monday Folk Singers course is a great opportunity to learn repertoire and arrangements from some of the finest artists on the folk scene. This term, the course is being led by Lisa Knapp. Classes will be held online on Monday nights, starting on 10th January.
Tickets £100 (£80 concessions) for a 10-week course.
The Wilderness Yet* — 8pm GMT
Live to your Living Room
The Wilderness Yet combines the talents of folk singer Rosie Hodgson, traditional fiddler Rowan Piggott and guitarist and flautist Philippe Barnes. With a blend of traditional and original tunes and songs performed with stunning harmonies, they’re really something special!
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
TUESDAY 11 JANUARY
The Official Folk Albums Chart Show* — 7pm GMT
Folk on Foot website, YouTube and podcast feed. Commissioned by English Folk Expo and compiled by the Official Charts Company.
See which albums have made the Official Folk Albums Chart this month, with Folk on Foot. Packed with stories, music and exclusive content, this is always a joy to watch. I’ll also be on the show to talk about the latest folk news.
Free to access, but you can support the podcast by becoming a patron.
Tuesday Folk People: Lizzy Hardingham — 8pm GMT
Home Stage on YouTube and Facebook
Join Home Stage for an hour of music and chat with the very talented Lizzy Hardingham. These streams are a great opportunity to find out more about artists, their music and their careers so far.
Free to view
THURSDAY 13 JANUARY
Jon Boden* — 8pm GMT
Live to your Living Room
Known for his work with Bellowhead, Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings and his much-loved duo with John Spiers, Jon Boden has also led a flourishing solo career. His latest album, Last Mile Home, was released last year, and this will be a great opportunity to hear it played live!
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
TUESDAY 18 JANUARY
Martin Simpson* — 8pm GMT
Live to your Living Room
Martin Simpson is frequently named one of the best fingerstyle guitar players in the world. His most recent album, Home Recordings, was recorded quite literally on his doorstep, and this is a great chance to hear him play live from his home to yours!
Tickets £15, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Tuesday Folk People: Helian — 8pm GMT
Home Stage on YouTube and Facebook
It’s time for Tuesday Folk People again! Join Home Stage as they catch up with Yorkshire folk band, Helian, to learn more about their musical journey so far.
Free to view
THURSDAY 20 JANUARY
Reg Meuross — 7.30pm GMT
Rosslyn Court
Reg Meuross sings songs of history, protest, love, loss, and legend. Join him as he performs live from Rosslyn Court on the Kent coast.
Hybrid gig. The first hour of the performance will be livestreamed free of charge (donations encouraged). The second half will be exclusively for the in-person audience.
Looking ahead…
The Unthanks will be hosting their Winter Onliner from 21st-23rd January. This will be a whole weekend of events including workshops, performances, podcasts, a quiz, a cook-along, Q&A sessions and the chance to get some previews from their upcoming album, Sorrows Away.
Highlights in person
Celtic Connections is always a highlight at this time of year, and there’s an incredible line-up in store. Due to covid restrictions, some events may not be going ahead as scheduled, so keep an eye on the website for the latest news.
The Lost Words Spell Songs are set to play at Celtic Connections, as well as Perth, Gateshead, Birmingham and London (plus, you can catch them at Folk by the Oak and Cambridge Folk Festival later in the year). Find out more.
Lady Nade is off on tour, calling at Manchester, Stroud, London, Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield and more. Find tickets here.
John Francis Flynn is off on his first UK tour. His recent album, I Would Not Live Always, is one I’ve discovered through the Folk on Foot Chart Show. Here’s where you can catch him… (head to venue websites for tickets)
Other news
Awake Arise organised a last minute online gig in December after the one they’d originally planned got cancelled. If you missed it, you can still catch up until 2nd February. Find out more.
Rachael McShane is running fiddle courses for absolute beginners, beginners and improvers starting this month. Find out more.
Jo Freya* is running an online instrumental course starting on 20th January, covering tunes from Blowzabella album, Strange News. Participants will have the opportunity to work as an ensemble with people all over the world, creating an arrangement as a group. There will then be the chance to submit recordings of your parts being played, so Jo can compile them and you can see how you’d all sound together! Find out more.
Mel Biggs is running online group classes for melodeon players, ranging from improvers and intermediates to advanced level. You’ll have the chance to get expert tuition from Mel, as well as meeting fellow squeezebox enthusiasts! Find out more.
New releases
26 Dec - Nancy Kerr - The Poor Shall Wear the Crown
This is Nancy Kerr’s tribute to the legendary songwriter Leon Rosselson. If you don’t recognise the name, you’d probably recognise some of his songs (and might think some of them were traditional!). I particularly like the fact that Nancy’s son Harry joins her on ‘Why Does It Have to Be Me?’, a song I grew up singing with my own mum after it was on Roy Bailey’s album for children.
21 Jan - Megan Henderson - Pilgrim Souls
This is another really interesting one. It’s inspired by the work of an impressionist artist called Christine Clark, and the album cover also features some of her artwork, which is stunning!
Record of the Year 2021
Record of the Year 2021 is A Pocket Full of Acorns by Ninebarrow. In particular, readers spoke about the title track and Jon and Jay’s mission to plant trees to offset their carbon footprint. There were also heaps of lovely comments about how Ninebarrow have helped to support audiences through the pandemic.
Here are just a few of the lovely comments that were made…
“An album which captures why Ninebarrow have been a beacon of joy during the lockdown.”
“It was one of the musical gifts that got me through the past year.”
“Each song has meant so much to me throughout different parts of the year. It is wonderfully written, beautifully sung, and magically transforms my mood with every listen!”
“Throughout the early and frightening days of Lockdown, Ninebarrow played for free online from their living room. It was a release to hear fantastic, optimistic live music. Something beautiful in the darkest days. That's why they have my vote.”
“The title track is truly insiring and I play it all the time to my infant grandchildren. When they are older, we will plant acorns together.”
If you don’t have your copy yet, you can find it on the Ninebarrow website.
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The Folk Forecast is created for artists, for audiences and for the UK folk scene. All information is correct to the best of our knowledge. If you have queries about the events listed, please contact the artists or promoters. If you have any suggestions for inclusion in future newsletters, please email TheFolkForecast@gmail.com. We may not be able to include absolutely everything, but we’re interested in UK folk events with a broad appeal, and would particularly welcome suggestions from Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The Folk Forecast is compiled by one person, so please bear with me if I can’t get back to you right away.
* Alongside The Folk Forecast, I work with other organisations including Folk on Foot, Fancourt Music, Live to Your Living Room, Thank Folk For Feminism and Polyphony Arts, as well as individual artists including Jo Freya. Events where I have some involvement with the promoter, agency or artist are marked with a star for transparency. Although I have other affiliations, I strive to be fair and inclusive and tell you about anything I think you’ll enjoy!