The Albion Band, also known as The Albion Country Band, The Albion Dance Band, and The Albion Christmas Band, are a folk rock band, originally brought together and led by musician Ashley Hutchings. Generally considered one of the most important groupings in the genre, it has contained or been associated with a large proportion of […]
Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band
A Carnival Band concert is a kaleidoscope of instrumental and vocal colour, crossing continents, travelling through time, and bending the rules. Between them the band’s musicians have a track record in folk, contemporary, classical, baroque, medieval and Arabic music. Moving effortlessly from one to another they add a sprinkling of rock, world music and theatricality […]
Yan Tan Tether – A Christmas Concert
It was at this time last year that the St. C’s Christmas Tree Festival was in full swing, and for me the highlight was the appearance of Yan Tan Tether, singing Christmas songs and carols. Yan Tan Tether are a close harmony trio consisting of Rosie Knighton, Tess Leslie and Lynne O’Malley. They have been […]
Bat For Lashes
Natasha Khan, known professionally as Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She was born to an English mother, Josie, and Pakistani Pashtun father, professional squash player Rehmat Khan. After her father left the family when Khan was 11, she taught herself to play the piano, which became “a channel to express […]
Kirsty MacColl
Kirsty MacColl was one of David’s ealry favourites along with Leonard Cohen (eclectic or what!) She was the daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl and dancer Jean Newlove. Her father was born in England of Scottish parents. She and her brother, Hamish MacColl, grew up with their mother in Croydon, where Kirsty attended Park Hill […]
The Bad Shepherds
The Bad Shepherds were an English folk band, formed by the comedian Adrian Edmondson in 2008. They played folk punk songs with traditional folk instruments. The band primarily consisted of Edmondson (vocals, mandolins, mandola) and Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, cittern, whistles, vocals). After “accidentally” buying a mandolin, Edmondson taught himself to play a few chords […]
Hallelujah – Best Version?
Another in our occasional series of post where I offer you a variety of versions of a well know piece of music and ask you to choose your favourite. Today we listening to “Hallelujah” a song written by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen, originally released on his album Various Positions (1984). “Hallelujah”, in its original version, […]
Fairy Tail
One of David’s favourite Manga/Anime series was that of Fairy Tail. The soundtrack from the anime is superb and we often used to listen to it separately from the episodes. It was written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual […]
Cupola Ward
The fine talents of Lucy Ward and Cupola combine to form this vibrant new collaboration of music and song to thrill folk club and festival audiences alike. Lucy Ward is a highly respected singer-songwriter from Derby. She plays guitar, ukulele and concertina but considers her voice to be her first instrument. Horizon Award for best […]
Corelli – Christmas Concerto
Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer of the Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of sonata and concerto, in establishing the preeminence of the violin, and as the first coalescing of modern tonality and functional harmony. Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8 by […]