Following their critically-acclaimed 2021 album, After Comes The Dark, which saw Green Diesel pick up a slew of enthusiastic reviews for what became their best-selling release to date, the Kent-based folk rock band are finally back with a brand-new album.
Onward The Sun! is the band’s long-awaited fifth album and is scheduled for release on 25 April. The nine-track album features six newly-composed songs inspired by themes such humanity’s connections with the natural world, ancient folklore, the persecution of witches and Shakespeare’s Henry IV, as well as fresh interpretations of much-loved Morris tunes, a modern take on a traditional murder ballad and a cover of a Paul Giovanni composition from the cinematic soundtrack to The Wickerman.
Discussing the single, ‘Ring The Hill’, guitarist, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Greg Ireland, comments:
“Based on the Cornish legend of the white hare. It is thought that the creature is the spirit of a broken-hearted lady determined to haunt her faithless lover to the grave. This also got me thinking about the historical connections between hares and witchcraft – the chorus lyrics are an adaptation of some of the words used by Isobel Gowdie at her trial (she was tried as a witch in Scotland in 1662 and her testimony survives). The song follows the progression of our heroine from broken-hearted to vengeful and it seemed appropriately prog to divide it into two parts. The tune for the second part is a variant of the traditional tune for Dives and Lazarus.”
Showcasing Green Diesel’s masterful distillation of folk, rock and psychedelic influences, together with their usual exemplary musicianship and trademark vocals, the album was recorded at Squarehead Studios in Newington, Kent with producer Rob Wilks (Smoke Fairies, Lianne La Havas, Story Books) once again at the helm.
Green Diesel are:
Ellen Care – violin/vocals Matt Dear – lead guitar/vocals Ben Holliday – bass Greg Ireland – rhythm guitar/mandolin/dulcimer/vocals Ben Love – drums/percussion
About Green Diesel:
Hailing from Faversham in Kent, Green Diesel take their inspiration from the depths of English folk lore and legend, and the classic folk-rock sound of their predecessors: Fairport Convention and The Albion Band. Blending violin, mandolin and dulcimer with electric guitars and drums, Green Diesel’s sound is born from a love of traditional English music and a desire to bring it to a modern audience.
Green Diesel’s first three albums, Now Is the Time (2012), Wayfarers All (2014) and The Hangman’s Fee(2016) all won praise for the quality of song-writing and musicianship. A major turning-point, however, came with the band’s last album After Comes The Dark (2021). The album entered the UK Folk Top 40 on release and saw Green Diesel nominated for FATEA Music’s ‘Group/Duo of the Year’ award and also saw the band pushing their sound further, bringing in elements of psychedelia and progressive rock whilst remaining rooted in their folk upbringing.
Green Diesel – What They Say:
“A cornucopia of sounds that blends classic folk-rock, prog and elements of stately Early Music into their own distinctive style’” – R2 Magazine
“4/5 stars – ‘(Green Diesel bring) a psychedelic, progressive edge to their interpretations of both traditional and original material” – Shindig!
“Evocative of early Steeleye Span and veined with prog-rock and influences drawn from early Genesis and the 70s Canterbury scene’” – Folk Radio
“Green Diesel has skyrocketed into my top few bands” – FATEA
It’s over fifteen years ago now that the Gigspanner template was firmly established, when their debut album Lipreading the Poet was released: compelling world music rhythms that veer as far away from the category marked “typical English folk” as it’s possible to get, the trademark sound of Roger Flack’s wonderful acoustic-electric guitar-playing, and, of course, the unmistakeable fiddle of Peter Knight. Whether it’s his virtuoso playing with a bow or him playing pizzicato, his style is so distinctive you know instantly it’s Peter Knight.
Importantly, that basic template has been embellished and tweaked and adapted to different formats over the years. In contrast to the first album, for example, the second saw the addition of Knight’s equally-recognisable vocals. In the ensuing years we’ve had other musicians entering the fray to herald the launch of the Gigspanner Big Band, and there’s even been a spoken-word theatrical-style collaboration.
This latest album, Turnstone is another ‘big band’ release which, once again, sees Phillip Henry, Hannah Martin and John Spiers joining the trio nucleus of Peter Knight, Roger Flack and Sacha Trochet. It’s the third album in the expanded ‘big band’ format and was recorded during their Autumn 2024 tour.
Hannah Martin explains the title as follows:“The turnstone is a coastal migratory bird who overturns stones, worn smooth with use and the water of time in its search for treasure – and so it is with the folk tradition, with songs similarly worn smooth over time travelling to us but when turned, yielding new secrets and possibilities.”
It’s an apt description. Comprising ten traditional songs and concluding with an exhilarating live tune-set it’s a masterclass in innovation, experimentation and exemplary musicianship while still being anchored firmly to the world of traditional folk.
The mix of male and female vocals is one of many things about the album where the expanded big band format allows for so many extra layers of musical texture.
In many ways that represents a nod back to those pioneering days of English folk rock, whether in the Sandy Denny-era Fairport Convention or, indeed, Knight’s own former band, Steeleye Span. From Martin’s exquisite vocal on the opening track, ‘Suffolk Miracle’; to Knight’s characteristically gentle vocal on the penultimate track ‘Hard Times Come Again No More’ (which serves to act as a nice companion piece from across the other side of the Atlantic to that perennial Steeleye Span / Gigspanner favourite, ‘Hard Times of Old England’); to the beautiful harmonising of both Martin and Knight on second track, ‘Sovay’, the vocals are faultless. Throw into the mix those mesmerising rhythms, some blinding guitar work and Spiers’ undisputed mastery on the melodeon and concertina and you’ve got so something very special indeed.
Whatever the format, a new Gigspanner album is always something to look forward to but Turnstone is one of their best yet – an absolute masterpiece.
Following my ‘glam rock trilogy’ covering Slade, Sweet and Suzi Quatro, I now turn my attention to folk rock. I’m delighted to announce that my fourth book for Sonicbond Publishing will be coming out this summer. Steeleye Span 1970 to 1989 On Track: Every Album, Every Song will be out on 29 August 2025.
This latest book is part of Sonicbond’s ‘On Track’ series.
You can read the publisher’s blurb here:
When Ashley Hutchings broke away from Fairport Convention in 1969, he recruited two musical duos who didn’t seem to agree about very much at all. This fractious group imploded before their debut album was even released. Undeterred, two new musicians were enlisted and Steeleye Span carried on. Then Hutchings himself resigned. Rather than this being a disaster, however, it set in train what would become the band’s most commercially successful period. It was an extraordinary time for folk rock but it was not to last. The second half of the 1970s saw another change in line-up, disappointing album sales and a two-year hiatus. All was not lost, though, and the classic line-up reconvened at the start of the 1980s.
Covering a two-decade period, this book looks at every album from Hark! The Village Wait in 1970 to Tempted and Tried in 1989. The fascinating history behind the traditional songs on these albums is examined in detail, together with insights into how the band went about truly making them their own. Steeleye Span On Track is a meticulously researched celebration of the music of one the UK’s most important bands in the folk rock genre at the most crucial period in its history.
About the author:
A former politician, Darren Johonson spent many years writing about current affairs, but after stepping away from politics, he was able to devote time to his first love: music. His previous books for Sonicbond were The Sweet In The 1970s, Suzi Quatro In The 1970s and Slade In The 1970s. Following this glam rock trilogy, he now turns his attention to folk rock. A keen follower of both rock and folk, he maintains a popular music blog Darren’s Music Blog and has reviewed many albums and gigs over the past decade. He lives in Hastings, East Sussex.
Following their critically-acclaimed 2021 album, After Comes The Dark, which saw Green Diesel pick up a slew of enthusiastic reviews for what became their best-selling release to date, the Kent-based folk rock band are finally back with a brand-new album.
Onward The Sun! is the band’s long-awaited fifth album and is scheduled for release on 25 April. The nine-track album features six newly-composed songs inspired by themes such humanity’s connections with the natural world, ancient folklore, the persecution of witches and Shakespeare’s Henry IV, as well as fresh interpretations of much-loved Morris tunes, a modern take on a traditional murder ballad and a cover of a Paul Giovanni composition from the cinematic soundtrack to The Wickerman.
Showcasing Green Diesel’s masterful distillation of folk, rock and psychedelic influences, together with their usual exemplary musicianship and trademark vocals, the album was recorded at Squarehead Studios in Newington, Kent with producer Rob Wilks (Smoke Fairies, Lianne La Havas, Story Books) once again at the helm.
Guitarist, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Greg Ireland, comments:
“This is an album born out of playing together a lot! Most of the pieces were developed through a lot of sessions together and really stretching out the jams into some of those elongated pieces we play live. We then recorded the main tracks all live together in one room, no click tracks. It’s really a celebration of what this band is and the sound we make together.”
Green Diesel are:
Ellen Care – violin/vocals Matt Dear – lead guitar/vocals Ben Holliday – bass Greg Ireland – rhythm guitar/mandolin/dulcimer/vocals Ben Love – drums/percussion
About Green Diesel:
Hailing from Faversham in Kent, Green Diesel take their inspiration from the depths of English folk lore and legend, and the classic folk-rock sound of their predecessors: Fairport Convention and The Albion Band. Blending violin, mandolin and dulcimer with electric guitars and drums, Green Diesel’s sound is born from a love of traditional English music and a desire to bring it to a modern audience.
Green Diesel’s first three albums, Now Is the Time (2012), Wayfarers All (2014) and The Hangman’s Fee(2016) all won praise for the quality of song-writing and musicianship. A major turning-point, however, came with the band’s last album After Comes The Dark (2021). The album entered the UK Folk Top 40 on release and saw Green Diesel nominated for FATEA Music’s ‘Group/Duo of the Year’ award and also saw the band pushing their sound further, bringing in elements of psychedelia and progressive rock whilst remaining rooted in their folk upbringing.
Green Diesel – What They Say:
“A cornucopia of sounds that blends classic folk-rock, prog and elements of stately Early Music into their own distinctive style’” – R2 Magazine
“4/5 stars – ‘(Green Diesel bring) a psychedelic, progressive edge to their interpretations of both traditional and original material” – Shindig!
“Evocative of early Steeleye Span and veined with prog-rock and influences drawn from early Genesis and the 70s Canterbury scene’” – Folk Radio
“Green Diesel has skyrocketed into my top few bands” – FATEA
Onward The Sun! – Track-By-Track:
1. Venus Tree (Ireland): ‘Yarrow (the ‘pretty flower of Venus’ tree) is an interesting plant…! The song is perhaps a slightly twisted take on a love song, based around some of the ways in which yarrow can be used for what you might call ‘love divination’ whereby sprigs of yarrow would be placed under the pillow of a young woman who would then dream of her true love to be. One popular rhyme for instance reads:
‘Yarrow sweet yarrow, the first that I have found And in the name of sweet Jesus, I pluck it from the ground As Joseph loves sweet Mary and took her for his dear So in a dream this very night my true love will appear!’
Like all good folk stories there’s a twist in the tale of course. The yarrow plucked must be plucked from the grave of a young man dead before his time…’ Greg
2. Hotspur (Holliday): ‘Hotspur is the nickname given to Henry Percy, who was the 2nd Earl of Northumberland and led a rebellion against Henry IV. This rebellion culminated at the Battle of Shrewsbury, which is depicted in Shakespeare’s Henry IV. The night before the Battle, Hotspur is told that his various allies who agreed to fight alongside him aren’t turning up, but (in the play) he still delivers a fiery speech and declares they will go ahead and attack the ‘usurper’ Henry IV no matter what. The song tries to capture his mental state at night before the battle – he can’t sleep, he’s scared, but he knows he has to ‘front up’ and be the brave, fearless, fiery Hotspur that everyone knows.’ Ben
3. Huntress Moon (Dear): ‘This song is a spell of transformation. I’d been reading about Paracelsus, the history of alchemy, the occult, and the persecution of witches during the Reformation. I wanted to write something that drew on this symbolism, using the language of magick to craft a lament, an impossible dream, a transcendent fiction.’ Matt
4. Princess Royal/Dribbles of Brandy (trad arr Green Diesel): ‘Two English folk tunes learnt from our trusty companion Pete Cooper’s book of English Fiddle Tunes. I’ve played Princess Royal with my dad for years – there’s actually two different versions of this tune: one in a minor key and one in a major key. The minor one seemed to fit our style better! The second tune is called Dribbles of Brandy and was one we used to have on setlists during our wild misspent youth before it took a quiet retirement. It seemed time to resurrect! This one always puts me in mind of late night gigs at Broadstairs Folk Week fuelled by too many ciders…’ Ellen
5. Hymn For The Turning Year (Ireland): ‘Written in the depths of the Covid winter of 2020 when, amidst all the chaos in the human world, the Earth was just doing the same thing it does every year. The verses are individual snapshots of things I witnessed on my mandated solo walks and a reflection on ultimately how powerless we are against the natural world, a feeling which seemed to be mirrored on a human level by the situation in the world at the time.’ Greg
6. Maypole (Paul Giovanni): ‘A cover of one of Paul Giovanni’s compositions from the soundtrack to The Wickerman. The soundtrack has long been a favourite of mine, it was and remains a big influence on my songwriting. This song always struck a chord with me, and I’d always wanted to develop it into a longer song. It seemed to encapsulate my morbid attraction to the Summerisle cult, a return to a cyclical view of time, death and life entwined.’ Matt
7. Onward The Sun! (Ireland): ‘In some ways the sister song to Hymn… a frequent walking route of mine was up Golden Hill in Harbledown, just outside Canterbury. There’s a particular bench there where you can just sit and look across the hills. The sun is such a part of folklore and folk imagery and I suppose that was in my mind on some of these walks – musing on our temporary status in the world. We’ll all shuffle off sooner or later but the sun will go on and on. Hopefully…’ Greg
8. Ring The Hill (Ireland): ‘Based on the Cornish legend of the white hare. It is thought that the creature is the spirit of a broken-hearted lady determined to haunt her faithless lover to the grave. This also got me thinking about the historical connections between hares and witchcraft – the chorus lyrics are an adaptation of some of the words used by Isobel Gowdie at her trial (she was tried as a witch in Scotland in 1662 and her testimony survives). The song follows the progression of our heroine from broken-hearted to vengeful and it seemed appropriately prog to divide it into two parts. The tune for the second part is a variant of the traditional tune for Dives and Lazarus.’ Greg
9. Wild Wild Berry (trad arr. Green Diesel): ‘A traditional song that appears to share similarities with the Lord Randall ballad. Collected from the traditional singer Ray Driscoll who apparently learned it in Shropshire after being evacuated there during the war. My own introduction to the song came from the version by the Furrow Collective. I particularly liked the way that this version distils the essence of the long Lord Randall ballad into three powerful verses. And, of course, I love the poetic ending of the murderer being hanged with the deadly nightshade entwined in her hair! Musically I had been listening to a lot of drone-based composers like Alison Cotton and John Cale and wanted to try and extract the maximum mileage we could from one chord on this one’. Greg
A project commissioned and produced by The Who’s Pete Townshend, that’s built around the music of veteran British folk singer-songwriter, Reg Meuross, and is all about celebrating the life and times of who many consider to be America’s greatest ever folk-singer, Woody Guthrie, Fire & Dust certainly ticks plenty of boxes in the legends stakes.
Featuring twelve original songs penned by Meuross alongside four of Guthrie’s own songs, Townshend approached Meuross convinced that he was the right choice tell Guthrie’s story and, in Townshend’s own words: “draw a direct line from Woody, through Bob Dylan, to Reg Meuross.”
That notion of a baton being passed from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan, is reflected in the album’s final track, ‘Gypsy Singer’.
Reg Meuross:“It was because of Dylan’s visits to Woodie, his mimicking of his songs and singing, his hobo style, and his courage that I – and probably many more contemporary music fans – became interested in Woody. I already knew some of his folk songs, in fact my very first gig I played two of them. But Dylan drew my attention to the side of Woody for which he has since become famous: the compassionate, flawed and fiery fighter for freedom and equality, the protest balladeer, the Gypsy Singer.”
Joining Meuross (vocals, guitar, harmonica, banjo) a host of top-notch guest musicians (including Phil Beer, Marion Fleetwood, Gerraint Watkins and Simon Edwards) each work their magic. Townshend, himself, also contributes keyboards and bass guitar on two of the tracks
Pete Townshend: “Reg’s terrific songs tell Woody’s life story with respect and affection, but also truth.”
Highlights include the anthemic title track, the ‘Fire’ aspect representing the family tragedies that marred Guthrie’s personal life and the ‘Dust’ aspect representing the dust storms that forced millions, including Guthrie, to flee their homes in 1930s America. A change of tempo comes with the beautiful poignant ‘Woody Come Home’, written from the perspective of Guthrie’s wife. Among the Guthrie covers is, of course, Meuross’s rousing interpretation of that perennial protest anthem, ‘This Land is Our Land’. As the US of today descends into increasing authoritarianism, it’s a timely inclusion.
Throughout his career, Reg Meuross has been writing and performing songs brimming with passion, empathy and defiance. Probably no contemporary folk artist in Britain was better placed to make an album celebrating the life and music of Woody Guthrie – the protest singer’s protest singer. Fire & Dust is an outstanding project featuring an incredible set of songs.
Both at their summer Cropredy Festival and on many of their winter tours, Fairport Convention have long striven to provide a platform for newly-emerging artists. This current tour is no exception. Support, this time, is the Liverpool-based singer-songwriter and finger-style acoustic guitarist, Danny Bradley, whose debut album Small Talk Songs has just been released. With a fine voice, some mesmerising finger-work, a great set of songs and some wryly, self-effacing stage patter (“This is the first time I’ve been on the bill with anyone that my dad’s heard of”) and he opens proceedings very nicely indeed. As is traditional on their winter tours, the Fairport guys join Bradley on stage to act as his backing band for the final song of his set, before launching into their own.
Fairport themselves then kick things off with a rousing rendition of ‘Come All Ye’ from their genre-defining 1969 folk-rock masterpiece Liege & Lief. “An opening song that’s had a few decades off” is how Simon Nicol put it. They then stick with the Sandy Denny era for a version of Denny’s ‘Fothingay’, with beautiful twin fiddles courtesy of Ric Sanders and Chris Leslie. In fact, with the band revisiting a couple of band-composed tracks from the post-85 Fairport, we are almost coming to the end of the first set before we hear anything that can be properly considered a folk song but an equally rousing ‘Claudy Banks’ finally inserts a bit of trad. arr. into the setlist.
That’s followed by Chris Leslie’s own ‘Banbury Fair’ before the band delve back into the early days once more and round off the first half with a magnificently sprawling, brooding version of ‘Sloth’ from the much-celebrated Full House album. As I was soaking up Dave Mattacks’ wonderfully-atmospheric drumming, such an integral part of that song’s epic status on the original album, I’m reminded that with the return of Mattacks (following the retirement and subsequent untimely death of long-time drummer Gerry Conway), we now have three of the five players from that classic 1970 album performing as part of the band’s regular touring line-up. There aren’t many bands who made an album fifty-five years ago who can still claim that sort of on-stage quota!
After a short interval, the second set kicks off with another trad. arr. offering in the form of ‘The Hexhamshire Lass’. When I interviewed Dave Pegg last month ahead of this tour, he told me that the band were prompted to include the song in the set-list for this tour as they would be playing Hexham on Valentine’s night – even though “it’s quite a complicated arrangement”! No matter, even without the legend that was Dave Swarbrick, they do have the incredible musical talents of Sanders and Leslie to draw on for a superb rendition.
Photo credit Kevin Smith
Indeed, as he shares with us when introducing the next tune, it’s now 40 years since Sanders played on his first Fairport album – Gladys’ Leap. Sanders tells the audience that he was phoned up by Pegg who had asked him if he was interested in contributing fiddle to three tracks but initially he had no idea he was being asked to contribute to a Fairport Convention album. Until he heard the tracks, and the distinctive drumming of Dave Mattacks, he assumed he was merely being asked to contribute to one of Pegg’s side projects. Sanders added his fiddle sounds, of course, and the rest is history. So to mark the anniversary of that significant moment in the Fairport chronicles, the band revisit the instrumental medley from Gladys’ Leap, along with a beautifully-evocative version of ‘Hiring Fair’ with some gorgeous keyboard flourishes from Mattacks. Written for them by Ralph McTell, it’s a song that has rightly become a fan favourite over the past four decades.
Back in 2011, the band revisited the whole of their 1971 concept album, Babbacombe Lee, the tale of the convicted murderer who was condemned to death but given a reprieve after the gallows failed three times in succession. Unlike other past albums it’s not usually one where odd tracks are performed live but here we get two, the contemplative ‘Cell Song’ and the exhilarating, death-defying ‘Wake Up John (Hanging Song)’. Just as he did back in 2011 when the band performed the full album live, Leslie does a fine job singing Swarbrick’s original lyrics.
The second set is beginning to draw to a close at this stage but there’s still time for a couple more numbers before the band finish proceedings with the inevitable show-closers. There’s a joyous rendition of ‘Rising For The Moon’, Sandy Denny’s celebration of the simple pleasures of touring and performing. And, after marking Sanders’ induction to the Fairport ranks earlier in the set, we are then reminded that it’s coming up to almost three decades since Chris Leslie joined. It was his second album with the band where he really started coming into his own as the band’s principal contemporary songwriter and they revisit the title track of that album, ‘The Wood and the Wire’, Leslie’s impassioned paean to coveting, cherishing and learning to play a stringed instrument.
As we come up to curfew time there’s normally three things that happen around this point. Firstly, a sales pitch from Simon Nicol about the band’s Cropredy festival in August, followed by two perennial crowd-pleasers ‘Matty Groves’ and ‘Meet On The Ledge’. This year, there’s less of a need for the sales pitch as the now reduced-capacity festival (a financial necessity in the current climate) is very close to selling out. So, after a brief exhortation to check the website in the coming days for the final few tickets, it’s banjo-at-the-ready and time for all nineteen verses of ‘Matty Groves’, some heartfelt applause from an appreciative audience and the inevitable ‘Meet On The Ledge’. Me and my group of camping friends got in nice and early with our Cropredy ticket purchases for this year so I’ll be looking forward to singing along to it once more, as midnight approaches on 9th August. It all comes round again.
Photo credit: Kevin Smith
Setlist:
First set:
Come All Ye Fotheringay I’m Already There The Rose Hip Claudy Banks Banbury Fair Sloth
Second set:
The Hexhamshire Lass Instrumental Medley ’85 The Hiring Fair Cell Song Wake Up John (Hanging Song) Rising for the Moon The Wood and the Wire Matty Groves Meet on the Ledge
Pippa Reid-Foster is a contemporary Scottish harp player who began her professional career after graduating from Scotland’s Royal Conservatoire. Not only is she an accomplished performer and composer but, through her teaching work, she is also passionate about passing on her skills to a new generation of musicians and composers, covering everything from classical to traditional to modern pop.
Her debut album, Driftwood Harp, retained strong roots to her Scottish heritage, but her minimalist compositional style and her desire to innovate was already apparent and she would take that a step further with her next release.
Undercurrents is her second and most recent album, released in September 2024. It was borne of a wish to perform music on her chosen instrument, the Scottish lever harp, that one might not typically expect to hear from such an instrument. Comprising ten original compositions and interpretations of three additional pieces by Max Richter, Phillip Glass and Alexandrea Hamilton-Ayres, the emphasis is very much on creating contemporary music that’s infused with minimalist elements to create an album of exquisite musical soundscapes.
Pippa Reid-Foster:“The album is a collection of musical soundscapes meant to evoke strong feelings, uplift the spirit, and provide moments of reflection within the hectic world that humans have created.”
Touchingly, Undercurrents is dedicated to the surgeon who helped save her career. Whilst surfing she snapped the ligaments in her wrist and suffered excruciating pain and problems playing for two years. She was referred to Dr Iain McGraw, Consultant Hand and Orthopaedic Trauma Surgeon at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, who successfully carried out a rare and delicate operation which could have left her unable to use her hands for good if it didn’t work.
Pippa Reid-Foster:“I simply cannot thank Dr McGraw and everyone else involved enough. This album only happened because of their skill and belief that mine was a musical career worth saving.”
That uplifting tale will surely put anyone in the right mood as they sit down to enjoy this equally uplifting album.
David Mitchell is a Somerset-based classical and folk guitarist whose debut album, Contours, came out in October. He describes his guitar playing as “Folk-Classical fingerstyle” and combines elements of both genres to create his own unique interpretations of well-known classical pieces and traditional folk tunes, as well performing his own original compositions.
Besides his solo work he has been involved in various collaborations with other musicians, including performing in a duo with multi-instrumentalist, Rupert Kirby, and being part of the Monkey See Monkey Do Ceilidh Band.
In addition to being a talented musician, Mitchell trained as a luthier (the traditional name for a craftsperson who makes stringed instruments) at Newark and Sherwood College. On the album he plays a classical guitar that he crafted himself.
Contours is an instrumental album made up of tunes from the folk and classical world alongside original compositions.
David Mitchell:“A lot of the tunes and sets relate to the landscape and natural world, particularly the high and the low places, so ‘Contours’ seemed appropriate as a title to bring this collection altogether.”
A beautiful album of incredible virtuoso playing, David Mitchell brings together his love and knowledge of both folk and classical to create something truly special with Contours.
Suthering are the Devon-based folk duo of Julu Irvine and Heg Brignall.If We Turn Away, their 2022 debut album, was co-produced by folk luminary Lukas Drinkwater and picked up many enthusiastic views for its exquisite vocal harmonies and thought-provoking lyrical themes.
Now Suthering are back with a follow-up. Leave A Light On was released in the latter part of 2024 (and available on streaming services from January of this year). Again, it showcases the pair’s gorgeous vocal harmonies, alongside Brignall’s piano and Irvine’s guitar and flute, and is even more sumptuously produced than the last.
While Drinkwater guests on the album once again, Leave A Light On sees Sean Lakeman in the producer’s chair this time. The brother of Seth (and husband and musical partner of Kathryn Roberts), he does a seriously impressive job. This is no real surprise, given Lakeman’s impressive track record as producer for the likes of The Levellers and Seth Lakeman. However, as was evident from their debut album, Suthering is a creative endeavour built on very solid foundations, with powerful songwriting at its core.
Heg Brignall:“These songs have a rawness and an honesty about them. There is a vulnerability in the songwriting and it’s also an album full of strength catharsis. Sean’s influence has helped push our sound in a new and exciting direction.”
The duo’s name, a word which means “the sound of the wind through the trees”, comes from a poem by John Clare. It nicely captures the duo’s love of nature which is a recurring theme in the duo’s music.
Whether they are singing about the power and the beauty of the natural world, inspiring female figures from history, or latter-day threats to women’s reproductive rights, Suthering consistently deliver that trademark blend of poignant lyrics and irresistible harmonies. Leave a Light On is a stunning second album.
Prior to 2020, the sum total of Martin Flett’s songwriting was a solitary song. That’s not to say he’s ever been idle. He’d been a local government officer, gym owner, housing manager, TV quiz show champion and a successful powerlifter, with numerous championship titles under his belt as well as being the main commentator for the World and European Powerlifting Championships. However, as many of us discovered, the Covid lockdown period provided an ideal opportunity for nurturing latent talents and exploring new-found interests. Flett renewed his acquaintance with the guitar and soon turned his hand to crafting his own songs.
Martin Flett: “Sitting indoors day after day, apart from venturing out to exercise my dogs, I picked up a long neglected guitar and started getting to know it again. After a few weeks, song ideas started forming in my head. I likened it to muses planting seeds, and it was my job to grow them.”
He has since written over a hundred songs, eleven of which feature on this debut album, When The Introverts Come Out, recorded at the age of 68.
Flett: “I never intended or wanted to be a performer but I soon realised that if I didn’t ‘take my songs to market’ then no one else was going to and they would wither on the vine. My dream is still that one or more of the songs are taken forward by an established artist, but in the meantime it would be great to bring the songs to a wider audience and use the proceeds from CD sales and downloads to fund a follow up album. The next set of songs is ready and waiting…”
Based in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland where he was born and brought up and returned to more recently, Flett recorded the album at Wee Studio in Ness, at the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis. A talented bunch of local musicians joined him in the studio, adding piano, accordion, fiddle, mandolin, electric guitar and percussion where it was required.
Combining folk, country and classic-era singer-songwriter influences, the result is this highly-impressive debut. Showcasing poignant, often highly-personal, lyrics and instantly-appealing melodies, When The Introverts Come Out is a thoughtful album with bags of charm and well worth exploring.
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