Posted by John McCart
Folk and Tumble
Newry Town Hall7th September 2019“Welcome here kind stranger” By his own calculations Paul Brady had never, in his 120 year music career , played a gig in Newry. Until now. Iur Cinn Fleadh is now in its sixth year and has developed into a major festival in the border town. Over 90 gigs and events […]
Posted by John McCart
Folk and Tumble
Another really outstanding piece of work by English guitar player and songwriter Martin Simpson. Martin must by now by creeping towards the veteran category. He has a fine body of work behind him and this offering is right up there with his finest. Simpson is a native of Scunthorpe, now based I think in Sheffield. […]
Posted by John McCart
Folk and Tumble
How do you capture the essence of such a unique and powerful performer on a recording? A live album is often the answer but these do not always work. But, fear not Sam Baker has managed it. Recorded in Buffalo New York State, 2018, in fact, it could just as easily have been in the […]
Posted by John McCart
Folk and Tumble
There’s nothing like putting the pressure on with the title of an album. ‘The Great Irish Songbook’ sets a very high bar for this work from Dervish. Dervish has been playing live and recording for more than thirty years. They have built up a deserved reputation for delivering top quality playing of Irish traditional music. […]
Posted by John McCart
Folk and Tumble
The Black Box, Belfast15th March 2019 This show sold out weeks in advance and it was a packed room that awaited the long-awaited return to Belfast of Rhiannon Giddens. In fact, legend has it that her first appearance outside of the USA was a Real Music Club Show in The Errigle, Belfast several years ago. […]
Posted by John McCart
Folk and Tumble
Tom Russell is a bit of a legend in these parts. His shows in the Errigle Inn and Flowefield Arts Centre live long in the memories of those who were lucky enough to catch him killing packed houses with his top drawer song writing and captivating stage presence. It’s sometimes difficult to bottle the essence […]
Posted by John McCart
Folk and Tumble
Sunday 17th February 2019 Another hugely successful and enjoyable night for Anthony Toner in the Lyric. He is on a roll. Mr Toner is a man of many talents and is currently available in a number of formats. Sometimes playing two handed alongside the poet Frank Ormsby, then switching to strutting a mean slide guitar […]
Posted by John McCart
Folk and Tumble
Come back Bert Jansch. Jason misses you. London based Jason McNiff delivers a homage to Bert Jansch and the “golden era of the coffeehouse troubadour” on ‘Joy and Independence’ his 6th album. It’s a stripped back work; vocals, guitar and a little bit of keyboard interspersed with sparse fiddle here and there. ‘Joy and Independence’ consists of twelve […]
Posted by John McCart
Folk and Tumble
‘The Joy of Living’ by Jackie Oates is indeed a joy from first note to last. This is the seventh album from the English folk singer, who’s probably best known for her work as a member of the folk collective The Imagined Village. The album emerged from a mix of joyful and difficult personal circumstances. […]