Folk picks of the month: August 2015

Yes, it’s festival time, and the seriously folky will be in South Devon when August starts, because the Sidmouth Folk Week runs up to Friday 7. As ever it’s a boggling line-up of great names from, especially, the Anglo-Celtic folk world (though Aussie scapula oddity the Spooky Men’s Chorale and Tibetan ritualists the Tashi Lhunpo Monks figure, too). Semi-legendary names like Vin Garbutt, Andy Irvine and John Kirkpatrick loom large on the main stage, while the fRoots curated Carinas session hot newer prospects like Twelfth Day, Lynched and Stick in the Wheel. FYI: this year’s legally required Carthy will be Martin.  

The truly dedicated will then be returning via Okehampton for the smaller Dartmoor Folk Festival (Friday 7 – Sunday 9) with Jez Lowe and Alistair Anderson among the bigger names in what is always a fine celebration of the local folk tradition. But maybe it’s best to head back for the opening of the Bath Folk Festival (Saturday 8 – Sunday 16) – loads of stuff happening every day, much of it free, though the website layout makes it a bit tiring to work out what’s when. One treat will be the return of Effra, the young trio who won BFF’s New Shoots competition in 2012 and are now billed as ‘chin-stroking contemporary folk’.

Just outside Bristol at stately Tyntesfield there’s a two-day acoustic mini-festival Live from the Lawn (Sat 15- Sun 16) featuring many local bands and a headline gig from the mighty Seth Lakeman is likely to make this a hot ticket for folk fans. 

You can stay at home, however, and catch a few of the acts heading between the local festivals, however, with the ubiquitous Ninetree Stumblers (No 1 Harbourside, Thursday 27) one of this year’s festival must-haves. North Carolina outfit Resonant Rogues (Pata Negra, Monday 3/Old Duke Tuesday 4) fuse Balkan and American style into catchy pop-folk, while Geordie foursome Izzy Burns Quartet (Canteen, Sunday 9) blend Appalachian roots with English traditional style and great musicianship. Also at Canteen (Friday 14) contemporary Danish folk band Himmerland (pictured at top) will be a real treat, blending Afro-Caribbean percussion with Scandinavian tradition..

There’s a couple of goodies down in The Tunnels under Temple Meads station. Former Old Crow Medicine Show frontman Willie Watson (Wednesday 5) has gone solo to explore the arcane side of early Americana,  his debut Folk Singer vol 1 album telling wry and weird tales with economic simplicity and garnering great reviews. By contrast – and if you like your blues turned up to 11 – former teen prodigy Oli Brown (Friday 21) is returning to the 12-bar world for a short tour while still developing his rock band RavenEye.

And, finally, for those who like their fretwork more intricate than thunderous, the deliciously unclassifiable guitar and percussion duo of Will McNicol & Luke Selby  (Grain Barge, Thursday 27) will be a feast for their unplugged ears. Whether traditional Celtic, stylish bossa nova, or modern American primitive, guitarist Will writes and plays with effortless brilliance, while Luke’s careful percussion lifts and textures the music without ever forcing the pace.

Further ahead – great folk gigs to look out for (and maybe book)in the coming months

Kiran Ahluwalia Folk House, September 6

Boo Hewerdine Thunderbolt, September 10

Maggie Bell & Dave Kelly Folk House, September 12

Winterfylleth  Thekla, September 15

Richard Thompson Colston Hall, September 16

Laurence Jones Tunnels, September 22

Kris Drever & Ian Carr  Lantern, September 24

Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick Lantern, September 26

Suzy Roche & Lucy Wainwright-Roche Lantern, September 27

Dean Friedman Folk House, October 2

Leveret Folk House, October 4

Blackbeards Tea Party Folk House, October 10

Green Bartley Band Folk House, October 11

Cara Dillon  St George’s, October 11

Sally Barker Lantern October 13

Eilen Jewel & Miss Tess  Tunnels, October 21

An Evening with Donovan  Colston Hall, October 25

Sam Baker Tunnels, October 26

Chris Smither Folk House, October 30

Gilmore & Roberts  Folk House, November 1

Ralph McTell St George’s, November 4

Police Dog Hogan Chapel Arts, November 5

The Grahams  Chapel Arts, November  6

The Staves Colston Hall, November 7

Sam Lee Lantern, November 8

Calan Folk House, November 8

Jigdoll: Hannah James Folk House, November 13

Mawkin Chapel Arts, November  14

Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn St George’s, November 15

Oysters 3 Lantern, November 17

Lau St George’s, November 19

Sweet Liberties  Lantern, November 25

Lynched St George’s, November 26

Martin Simpson Chapel Arts, November  26

The Black Feathers Folk House, November 27

This Is The Kit  Lantern, November 28

Eliza Carthy, Jackie Oates, Lucy Farrell, Kate Young St Georges, December 3

Ange Hardy & The Barefoot Band Folk House, December 5

The Changing Rooms Folk House, December 6

Shine Lantern, December 13

Steeleye Span St Georges, December 15

Said The Maiden Folk House, December 19

Stackridge Fiddlers, December 19