Tag Archives: folk rock

Album review: GRYPHON – Gryphon Live ‘A Sonic Tonic’

Posted on August 27, 2024 by GRTR! HQ

Talking Elephant [Release date 06.09.24] It’s some 50 years since Gryphon donned doublet and hose and became something of a media sensation with their blend of medieval folk rock. This is the band’s first ever live album although some of … Continue reading →

Gig review: NORDA MULLEN- The Half Moon, Putney, London, 28 April 2024

Posted on May 5, 2024 by andynathan

With heritage bands augmenting their touring line-ups with additional musicians, there is a category of highly talented musicians good enough to play with the best, yet virtually unknown to the wider world. One such is Norda Mullen, who for over … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged flute, folk, folk rock, gig, Norda Mullen, Quinny and Company, The Moody Blues | Leave a comment

Gig review: FAIRPORT CONVENTION – The Apex, Bury St Edmunds, Tuesday 13 February 2024

Posted on February 16, 2024 by jason

Fairport Convention, Cropredy - 9 August 2014

“We became big fish in a very small pond” Simon Nicol says with usual modesty about Fairport Convention’s leap from the nascent folk band to suddenly becoming the poster children of the flourishing folk rock movement, brought about by a … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Bury St Edmunds, Chris Leslie, Dave Mattacks, Dave Pegg, Fairport Convention, folk, folk rock, gig, review, Ric Sanders, Simon Nichol, The Apex, Tuesday 13 February 2024 | Leave a comment

Album review: STEELEYE SPAN – The Green Man Collection

Posted on December 2, 2023 by jason

Park Records [Release date 01.12.23] Steeleye Span went into the studio in September of this year to record four new tracks for inclusion on this collection, which also includes two newly recorded studio tracks from 2019, six songs selected from … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Athena Octavia, Bellowhead, Bob Johnson, Dodgy Bastards, folk, folk rock, Francis Rossi, Ian Anderson, Julian Littman, Maddy Prior, review, Spud Sinclair, Steeleye Span, The Green Man | Leave a comment

Album review: SHOW OF HANDS – Roots 2

Posted on November 8, 2023 by jason

Hands On Music [Release date 06.11.23] Show Of Hands, who have been around since 1986, are stopping touring “for an indefinite break”, after a trio tour this year (when Miranda Sykes joins them) and shows as a duo early next … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, best of, folk, folk rock, Miranda Sykes, Phil Beer, review, Roots 2, Show Of Hands, Steve Knightley, Track Dogs, traditional | Leave a comment

Gig review: FAIRPORT CONVENTION – The Junction, Cambridge, 31 October 2023

Posted on November 2, 2023 by jason

They started off as a band in 1967 but now, more than ever, Fairport Convention are a family, the sense of community between not just the musicians themselves but the fans too something that’s vital and heart-warming. Eternally set squarely … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged acoustic, Cambridge, Chris Leslie, Dave Pegg, Fairport Convention, folk, folk rock, gig, review, Ric Sanders, Simon Nicol, The Junction, Tuesday 31 October 2023 | Leave a comment

Album review: DANDELION CHARM – Scream Inside The Tear

Posted on October 15, 2023 by jason

Bandcamp [Release date 20.10.23] Dandelion Charm, the husband and wife team consisting of Clare Fowler (vocals) and John Fowler (vocals, acoustic drums, guitars, bass, keys & producer), have seemingly been quiet release wise since releasing their excellent ‘Maybe Dreamers’ back … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Dandelion Charm, folk rock, prog rock, progressive, review, rock, Scream Inside The Tear | Leave a comment

EP review: CULANN – Songs of Saints & Reivers

Posted on September 26, 2023 by jason

Bandcamp [Release date 15.09.23] Ayrshire based Culann have been around since 2008, releasing their self-titled debut album in 2012, followed by their second album, ‘The Great Ecumene‘, in 2019. Now Cullan – who consist of PJ Kelly (Vocals, Guitar), Sean Kelly (Drums), … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews | Tagged Culann, EP, folk rock, prog rock, progressive, review, rock, Songs of Saints & Reivers | Leave a comment

Gig review: GRAHAM NASH – Theatre Royal, London, 11 September 2023

Posted on September 15, 2023 by andynathan

The sad loss of David Crosby earlier this year was a reminder that the number of stars from the first wave of classic rock still alive, or at least active, diminishes by the year. That in part was my motivation … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Crosby Stills and Nash, folk rock, gig, Graham Nash, singer songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: MILTON HIDE – The Holloway

Posted on January 29, 2023 by jason

Website [Release date 31.03.23] Milton Hide (AKA husband and wife Jim and Josie Tipler) release their second album, ‘The Holloway’, following on from 2o21′s most enjoyable ‘Temperature’s Rising’. Since then they have played many a show up and down the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged acoustic, album, folk, folk rock, Jim Tipler, Milton Hide, progressive, review, Rosie Tipler, The Holloway | Leave a comment

Album review: TRIALS OF CATO – Gog Magog

Posted on November 27, 2022 by jason

Website [Release date 25.11.22] Trials Of Cato have been building a healthy following alongside rave reviews from the likes of Mark Radcliffe and John Davis of Metropolois Studios, who has dubbed them ‘”the Sex Pistols of folk”. Will Addison left … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, folk, folk rock, Gog Magog, progressive, review, Steeleye Span, traditional, Trials Of Cato | Leave a comment

Album review: STEELEYE SPAN – Live At The Rainbow Theatre 1974

Posted on August 28, 2022 by jason

Chrysalis Records [Release date 07.10.22] A vinyl only (double LP in old money!) of a classic concert from Steeleye Span that has never been released in full before. A handful of tracks from the concert have popped up down the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album, folk, folk rock, Live At The Rainbow Theatre 1974, Maddy Prior, Peter Knight, review, Steeleye Span, Vinyl | Leave a comment

Gig review: THE PORTRAITS & DOM PRAG, Harwell Village Hall, Friday 18 March 2022

Posted on March 19, 2022 by jason

Another lovely little venue literally on my doorstep, where Big Ginger Tom Music have been putting on monthly folk themed gigs for a few years now. Of course the pandemic brought a halt to these, but credit to the husband … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Big Ginger Tom Music, Dom Prag, folk, folk rock, gig, Harwell Village Hall, live music, pop, review, The Portraits | Leave a comment

Gig review: SLIM CHANCE- Cabbage Patch, Twickenham, 17 February 2022

Posted on February 23, 2022 by andynathan

When Ronnie Lane quit the Faces, he got away from it all and retreated to the country, as many rock stars did in the seventies. However he took things a stage further when, with his band Slim Chance, he conjured … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Billy Nicholls, Charlie Hart, Eel Pie Club, folk rock, Frank Mead, Geraint Watkins, gig, Ronnie Lane, Slim Chance, Steve Bingham, Steve Simpson | Leave a comment

Album review: OYSTERBAND – Read The Sky

Posted on January 30, 2022 by jason

Running Man Records [Release date 04.03.22] After an 8-year gap – as the band explain “hey, we were busy” – the Oysterband return with their twelfth studio album, (fourteen including their two collaborative albums with June Tabor). Oysterband have been … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, folk, folk rock, melodic, Oysterband, Read The Sky, review | Leave a comment

Album review: JAMES WHITE & THE WILD FIRE – Live at Saffron Hall

Posted on December 1, 2021 by jason

Facebook [Release date 19.11.21] James White & The Wild Fire formed in 2020 and musically are a blend of country, bluegrass, indie and Americana, hailing from Saffron Walden, Essex. The group consists of James White (vocals and guitar), Brooke Bond … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, bluegrass, country, folk, folk rock, James White & the Wild Fire, live album, Live at Saffron Hall, review | Leave a comment

Gig review: SKERRYVORE – Arlington Arts Centre, Friday November 26 2021

Posted on November 28, 2021 by jason

Possibly the most tartan on display south of the border outside of an Edinburgh Woollen Mill shop, Celtic folk rockers Skerryvore were in town for a Friday night to remember. Skerryvore consist of Alec Dalglish (vocals, guitar & the band’s … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Arlington Arts Centre, Celtic rock, country, folk, folk rock, Friday November 26 2021, gig, melodic, review, Skerryvore | Leave a comment

Quick plays: HAMISH HAWK, LANGAN FROST & WANE

Posted on August 9, 2021 by jason

HAMISH HAWK Heavy Elevator Assai Recordings [Release date 17.09.21] Hamish Hawk is an Edinburgh-based songwriter who performs solo and as frontman of the New Outfit. Hamish Hawk possess a rich, warm baritone vocal, perfectly suited for the mellower moments like … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged album, alt rock, folk, folk rock, Hamish Hawk, Heavy Elevator, indie, Langan Frost & Wane, progressive, psychedelic, review | Leave a comment

Album review: COLIN SCOT – Colin Scot

Posted on August 7, 2021 by jason

Esoteric/Cherry Red [Release date 30.7.21] It’s more than a little unfair that the late singer-songwriter Colin Scot’s 1971 debut seems to be regarded more for the myriad of guest musicians than for Scot’s own undoubted talent. Reissued on CD for … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album, Colin Scot, folk, folk rock, Jon Anderson, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, reissue, review, Rick Wakeman, Robert Fripp, singer songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: GRYPHON – Get Out Of My Father’s Car!

Posted on November 27, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

Talking Elephant/Gryphon [Release date 20.11.20] Gryphon will always occupy a small but significant place in my musical heritage. Coinciding with my interest in (and performance of) early music, in the early 1970s they became a cross-genre novelty act. And with … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Brian Guilland, Dave Oberle, folk, folk rock, Get Out Of My Father's Car, Graeme Taylor, Gryphon, Home Service, medieval, review | Leave a comment

EP review: BLACKMORE’S NIGHT – Here We Come A-Caroling

Posted on November 17, 2020 by jason

Edel/EarMUSIC [Release date 04.12.20] Blackmore’s Night have been around since 1997, founded by Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night to stage their mutual love for traditional medieval and folk-rock music. This seasonal EP is released ahead of the band’s next album … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews | Tagged album, Blackmore's Night, Candice Night, Christmas, Deep Purple, EP, folk, folk rock, Here We Come A-Caroling, Rainbow, review, Ritchie Blackmore, traditional music | Leave a comment

Album review: SHRED KELLY – Like A Rising Sun

Posted on June 27, 2020 by jason

Devil Duck Records [Release date 03.07.20] Where do these excellent bands keep appearing from? Shred Kelly are another one, a five piece alt folk rock band (and not a speed metal band as their name may suggest) hailing from Canada … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, alt folk, folk, folk rock, Like A Rising Sun, melodic, pop rock, review, Shred Kelly | Leave a comment

EP review: CADENCE NOIR – A Reckless Endeavour

Posted on May 27, 2020 by jason

Indie [Release date 20.06.20] There’s something so blissfully wild and earthy about Cadence Noir as they join great bands like The Levellers in mixing folk and punk into a heady brew that will make you dance uncontrollably. This new seven … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews | Tagged A Reckless Endeavour, Cadence Noir, EP, folk rock, Levellers, punk folk, review | Leave a comment

Book review: FAIRPORT CONVENTION On Track – Every Song, Every Album by Kevan Furbank

Posted on April 13, 2020 by jason

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 26.03.20] The ‘On Track’ series by publishers Sonic Bond provides an album by album, track by track overview of a number of artists. The latest in the series to get this treatment are British folk-rock legends … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS | Tagged book, Dave Pegg, Every Album, Fairport Convention, folk, folk rock, Kevan Furbank, On Track Every Song, review, Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Sonicbound Publishing | 1 Comment

Album review: PETER KNIGHT’S GIGSPANNER BIG BAND – Natural Invention

Posted on March 22, 2020 by jason

Gigspanner [Release date 10.04.20] Beginning life as a trio – with fiddle player Peter Knight and former member of Steeleye Span, being joined by percussionist Sacha Trochet and guitarist Roger Flack – the line-up has been expanded to form the … Continue reading →