Not literally of course, in deference to some fine local blues players, but here we are in January one of my least favourite months. It seems increasingly busy as the years go by so at least having a head full of things to do mitigates the cold and the sense of anti-climax after Christmas and the New Year.
This blog is a bit overdue but I have been occupied with setting up the committee and holding the AGM for Royston Arts Festival but at least the folk scene seems to be starting to open up and flourish once more. My first session of the year was at Royston Live last week to see Winter Wilson who were excellent. Next week on Friday 27th it is the turn of Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer and with a charge of only £7 for advance reservation and just £10 on the door Royston Live are doing their best to provide excellent value for money.
Looking round the clubs, St Neots Folk Club have Camus as their main guest artists on Tuesday 24th followed the next night by Peter Crossley who is the main guest at the Four Rivers Folk Club in Hertford supported by That Blue Patch, Paul Hilder & Pat Crilly. On Wednesday 1st February Baldock Folk Club have a double bill consisting of Kelvin Davies & Gary Jones and Cut The Mustard. Both artists have played Royston MusicFest so I can recommend them to you. Entry if free but donations appreciated. The Acoustic Club at Bishop’s Stortford on Thursday 2nd features Dan Lumley + no fewer that 8 support acts and it’s just a fiver so you can’t go wrong! You can find all these details and more in the Unicorn Dairy on the main Unicorn Folk website.
Looking a bit further ahead, St Andrews Church in Hertford is hosting Peter Knight’s Gigspanner Big Band on Sunday 19th February. I suspect that tickets to this one will be going quickly so click on the link in the venue name if you would like to go. They also have Cara Dillon, then Eliza & Martin Carthy coming up in March & May.
The first CD review of the year features an album by the above-mentioned Pat Crilly, also a stalwart of Royston MusicFestand I can certainly recommend his latest album Amber & Gold (Songs from the Vault) but you will have to read the review on the main Unicorn Folk website to get the full details. You will find that and many more CD reviews under ‘Music’ on the top menu.
Finally, a couple of recommendations courtesy of BBC Radio. I often listen to Desert Island Discs which I think is a brilliant format to get people talking about their lives even though music is not as important to some guests as to others. Last week it was Gabby Logan who chose ‘Belter’ by Gerry Cinnamon with reference to some time that she and husband Kenny spent with the late great Doddie Weir, which description I use as both a rugby fan and an admirer of all his subsequent achievements in the face of adversity. I had a browse on YouTube and found a few clips featuring Gerry Cinnamon whom, I must admit, I had never heard of until then but found that he was a rising star on the Scottish folk scene. It is well worth looking him up yourself.
Surprisingly perhaps, I hardly ever listen to Mark Radcliffe’s Folk Show on Radio 2, perhaps it’s because it’s on a midweek evening and I only listen to the radio in the morning. It was rather by accident then that I spotted a series of 5 short (20 mins or so) programmes/podcasts entitled 21st Century Folk associated with the Folk Show. Essentially they all feature songwriters who write a song for someone in their community which are all based in the North-east where I hail from. Of course, my main interest was the song Doctor Boro written by Sean Cooney of the Young’uns about the long-serving legendary Dr Ifti Lone who is also an avid supporter of Middlesbrough FC (the Boro) the team that I support. Anyway, here’s the link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m001h4h9 so go and have a look for yourself.