This month’s Official Folk Albums Chart Show features an interview with Becky Unthank about the Unthanks’ new album Sorrows Away; an interview with Angeline Morrison about her album telling stories of the Black British experience; an exclusive film of the Sea Song Sessions – Jon Boden, Seth Lakeman, Ben Nicholls, Emily Portman and Jack Rutter performing on a tall ship in Fowey Harbour; plus music from Magpies, Blackbeard’s Tea Party, Man The Lifeboats, Dan Whitehouse and Sam Sweeney. There’s also news of how to be in an audience of only ten people for an exclusive Front Room Gig from Martin Simpson.
Martin Simpson
“Strange Affair” performed by June Tabor and Martin Simpson
Richard Thompson’s song “Strange Affair,” here performed by June Tabor and Martin Simpson
June Tabor & Martin Simpson “Flash Company”
Two masters of British Folk Music perform “Flash Company” from their LP A Cut Above, 1980.
Who wore their boots better, June or Martin?
The Folk on Foot Festival of LOVE!
14:00 Nancy Kerr and James Fagan
14:05 Heidi Talbot
14:20 Seth Lakeman
14:35 Lady Nade
14:50 Kris Drever
15:05 O’Hooley and Tidow
15:20 Chris Wood
15:35 Nancy Kerr and James Fagan
15:40 Bella Hardy
15:55 Sam Lee
16:10 Rachel Newton
16:30 Eliza Carthy
16:45 Beth Porter and the Bookshop Band
17:00 Gwilym Bowen Rhys
17:15 Lisa Knapp and Gerry Diver
17:30 Martin Simpson
17:45 Kerry Andrew/You Are Wolf
18:00 Seckou Keita
18:15 Peggy Seeger
18:30 Kitty Macfarlane
18:45 The Breath
19:00 Steve Knightley
19:15 Karine Polwart
19:35 Jon Boden
19:50 Nancy Kerr and James Fagan
Donate to support the artists and the charity Help Musicians at https://www.folkonfoot.com/festival
💿 Buy CDs at our virtual merch tent at https://www.folkonfoot.com/festival
⌚ Running order (all times GMT and approximate)
Album Review: Martin Simpson “Rooted”
Martin Simpson is our Artist of the Month, read our album review of ‘Rooted’ and watch his new video for “Trouble Brought Me Here”.
You really do get your money and time’s worth from a Martin Simpson album; there is so much variety in instruments used, musical cultures, tunes and musicians on Rooted, that it constantly surprises across thirteen tracks and fifty minutes. That said, it is clear that Martin and producer Andy Bell understand one another very well, because this is a very considerately arranged and recorded set that never feels crowded or over-loaded. Much like 2017’s Trails and Tribulations, which followed on with a fuller sound from the stripped back solo Vagrant Stanzas from 2013, Rooted takes care not to over-stuff and what we get instead are songs that celebrate music, instruments and players. In fact, Rooted feels very much like a continuation of Trail‘s journey, with Nancy Kerr prominent on the fiddle and John Smith and Andy Cutting also present, among others, but perhaps with a slightly lighter approach in parts, even when hitting on big themes.
Take ‘Born Human’, for example, written by Alaska based fisherman and conservationist David L Grimes partly in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster. Continue reading