Melanie Crew & Ross Palmer are a South London-based duo. Their personal partnership also became a musical one when Crew turned her hand to songwriting and started performing them live. Palmer, already a songwriter himself and a veteran of the folk and roots scene, began sitting in on live performances, contributing guitar and occasional harmonies and before they knew it, a duo was born. Following an EP and a well-received debut album, Quiet After Midnight, the pair released their second album, Some Other Stories, at the end of 2025.
Drawing on influences from Fairport Convention to Elliott Smith, many of the songs reflect highly personal themes such as the beautifully melancholic ‘Look Back on Before’ which was released as a single.
Melanie Crew & Ross Palmer:“The songs contemplate the connections we make with each other and what happens when those connections break down. They examine the people we are and how we become those people. They look at the past with a kind eye and to the future with cautious optimism.”
The pair split songwriting duties just as they split lead vocal duties but as with all the best duos they are very much more than the sum of their parts and complement one another to perfection. The pair are also ably accompanied by Adam Beattie and Colin Somervell on double bass, Basia Bartz on violin, Nick Frater on piano and Hammond organ, and Ben Handysides on cello. Palmer’s bandmates, Yo Zushi and Russell Parton, from his other project Great days of Sail also feature in the choral parts on ‘Our Captain Cried All Hands’, the album’s one traditional ballad and another definite highlight.
Certainly a duo to watch and an album well worth checking out.
I was lucky enough to see the original line-up of Slade on one of their annual Christmas tours a couple of times back in the early 1980s. Then, after Dave Hill reformed the band with Don Powell in the early 1990s, seeing Slade every Christmas pretty much became an annual tradition. Health issues meant that Hill, now the only original remaining member, had to miss a couple of years in recent times. But now he’s back on the road for a ten-date UK tour. As he approaches his 80th birthday next April this has been advertised as the final ever Slade Christmas tour. They are not giving up playing live altogether, Hill reassures us all later on. There will still be the odd show, just not these big tours.
Yes, there’s no Noddy and Jim, the ones who actually wrote all of those Holder/Lea hits being blasted out tonight. Don departed some years ago amidst a certain amount of acrimony and so Dave with his ever-flamboyant stage-attire is the last man standing. But it’s a chance to see a bonafide ‘70s legend less than a mile from my front door and, most importantly, a chance to celebrate all those hits with as much communal stomping, swaying, singing and clapping as all of us can muster. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Looking forward to getting crazee with Slade!
It’s not exactly an unfamiliar set-list, either for long-time Slade fans or, indeed, almost anyone who had more than a passing acquaintance with the chart music of the 1970s and early ‘80s. Only three of the songs being played tonight came in below the Top Five in the UK singles charts! And the only things that may even slightly resemble anything like a ‘deep cut’ are ‘Lock Up Your Daughters’, a minor hit for the band the year after their post-Reading comeback; and ‘My Baby Left Me’, another minor hit recorded as a tribute to Elvis following the King’s death in 1977. Familiarity is what’s it’s all about tonight and kicking off with ‘Take Me Bak ‘Ome’ the big hits come thick and fast.
The classic Slade live format of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and drums has been tampered with in recent years and rather than someone taking on Noddy Holder’s old role on second guitar, you now have Russell Keefe on keyboards. This works surprisingly well, especially given the prominence of the keyboards in so many of Slade’s mellower numbers, like ‘Everyday’, ‘My Friend Stan’ and ‘My Oh My’. What works less well is when Keefe takes lead vocal on several songs. Holder’s voice was gravelly but it was never gruff. In Slade’s glory days, Holder could yell louder than any of them but Tom Waites he was not.
Without trying to mimic Holder, Hill’s long-time bass-player, John Berry, does a much more sympathetic job on the songs where he sings lead. The other new-boy, Alex Bines, pounds away on drums as the audience clap and stomp along, and the soon-to-be-octogenarian Hill nails all those familiar, classic, guitar solos.
An impassioned Dave Hill imploring the crowd to look to the future
It’s the first night of the tour and towards the end Hill seems genuinely moved by the rabble-rousing response from the audience tonight. After a suitably crazy ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’ the band exit the stage but soon they are back for an encore with an epic singalong rendition of ‘My Oh My’, followed by a wonderfully raucous ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’.
But wait, it’s nearly December, it’s the start of the Slade Christmas tour and there’s obviously one song left to do. The roadies are on hand to distribute Santa hats, Dave Hill gives an impassioned plea about looking to the future, even though times might be right now, and soon we’re all yelling along to Merry Xmas Everybody’ at the top of our voices and leaving with a real spring in our step ready to face 2026.
Setlist:
Take Me Bak ‘Ome Lock Up Your Daughters Look Wot You Dun Everyday Coz I Luv You Run Runaway My Friend Stan Far Far Away The Bangin’ Man My Baby Left Me Gudbuy T’Jane Mama Weer All Crazee Now My Oh My Cum On Feel the Noize Merry Xmas Everybody
Travelling North is the debut album from this Edinburgh-based folk trio. Curmudgeon is made up of Donald Gorman, Laurie Brett, Donald Gorman and Andrew Macintyre
Donald Gorman is a highly rated Edinburgh-based fiddle player specialising in traditional Scottish music. He also plays mandola and adds accompanying vocals on the album.
Laurie Brett, meanwhile, is the band’s lead singer and guitarist and although originally from Essex, he’s spent the last four decades based in Scotland.
The third member of the trio, Andrew Macintyre, is a familiar figure on the Edinburgh folk session scene and a teacher of small pipes and highland pipes. In the band he plays Scottish small pipes and various whistles as well as providing vocals.
Photo: Caitlynn Neil
The ten-track album features five songs interspersed with five tune-sets. The songs are drawn from the trad. arr. canon with a couple of contemporary folk-scene favourites thrown in, including a reworking of the Richard Thompson classic ‘Beeswing’. Meanwhile the tune-sets feature a charming array of traditional jigs, airs, reels and hornpipes originating from Scotland and the north of England.
There’s a quiet, gentle dignity about the trio’s music but no shortage of creativity. The arrangements are built around the wonderful musical interplay between the three musicians. The warm, engaging vocals of both Brett and Macintyre bring empathy and sincerity to the storytelling in each of the songs and informative liner-notes provide insightful background information on the origins of each of the compositions.
Regardless of the name, it’s clear the trio have been anything but curmudgeonly in the way they’ve approached the making of Travelling North. A lovely debut.
Formed in Blackwood, South Wales in 2019 the deliciously-named Revolution Rabbit Deluxe are Ant Gingell (vocals/guitar), Max Perera (vocals/guitar), Tim Lawley (bass) and Lee Titterrell (drums). The band-name was inspired by Gingell’s lifelong love of said furry friends with the random thought of one of them appearing on an iconic Che Guevara-style poster coming to him during a car journey discussing potential names one day. The ‘Deluxe’ part was then added to give a bit of extra sparkle.
The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins and Feeder are all cited as influences, alongside the Beatles and XTC.
As the name might imply, Revolution Rabbit Deluxe are a band that certainly don’t shy away from strident political commentary in their music. The new album Rise addresses such themes as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezoz blowing money on their pet space projects while children die of hunger (‘Chapter 9’); the fashion for cheap, easy virtue-signalling while failing to address fundamental issues of corporate power and economic inequality (‘We’re So Woke – We Haven’t Slept in Years’); and standing up and being counted (‘Rise’).
While there’s certainly anger and angst (and why shouldn’t there be!), there’s also plenty of joy, optimism and bags and bags of catchy melodies to be found on this album. The shared male/female vocals also work extremely well and while Gingell takes the lead vocal on the songs already mentioned, Max Perera provides some light and shade on the album with her lead vocal contributions on tracks like the anthemic ‘Starlight’ and the more mellow, acoustically-driven ‘The Night The Stars Fell’ which closes the album.
With it’s catchy tunes, spiky lyrics and punky attitude, Rise is well worth a listen.
Singer-songwriter, John Jenkins, was once part of Liverpool’s ‘80s post-punk scene as a member of The Persuaders and Come in Tokio but as the decades rolled on it was as a solo performer and on the Americana scene where he began to really make his mark.
I reviewed his third album, the extremely promising Growing Old (Songs From My Front Porch) back in 2020, noting “Jenkins’ lyrics have a nice turn of phrase to them and he can clearly turn out some really, strong memorable melodies, too.”
A further album, If You Can’t Forgive You Can’t Love followed in 2021. However, it was his next album Tuebrook, that appeared to be something of a gamechanger and cemented his reputation as a critically-acclaimed figure on the UK’s Americana scene. Following a well-received EP, Weary, in 2024, Jenkins is back with a new full-length album.
John Jenkins: “My previous album, Tuebrook, was deeply personal, with most tracks drawing inspiration from significant moments in my own life. For this new album, I aimed to return to storytelling, crafting narratives that were less autobiographical yet still rich in character and emotion. Even while consciously creating fictional personas, I found that elements from my own experiences and the lives of those around me naturally wove their way into the fabric of the songs. The result is a blend of truth and fiction, where distinguishing one from the other is often challenging.”
Drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan’s John Wesley Harding album and Nanci Griffiths’ Last of the True Believers, Restless Hearts explores the theme of restlessness with songs about those who, in one way or another, are searching for more in their lives.
Restless Hearts demonstrates just what a gifted storyteller John Jenkins is. Its twelve tracks hit the sweet spot in capturing that enigmatic blend of sadness, longing and hope, set to some instantly appealing melodies and with a crack squad of A-list musicians, bringing depth, emotion and sheer class to this gorgeous collection songs. Highly recommended.
“The album is about the quest to right wrongs, the search for inner peace, andthe reconnection with the land of my birth.” – Joe Hodgson
While firmly grounded in the rock and blues influences of his youth, Fields of Redemption sees Irish guitarist Joe Hodgson encompass a myriad of musical styles, which he blends and moulds to stunning effect. The result is an almost entirely instrumental album that is insanely diverse and refuses to fit neatly into any musical genre.
Hodgson explains:“You’ll find all my influences in there: rock, blues, jazz, classical, country, and even Irish traditional music. I also recorded two acoustic tracks, which was a first for me.”
Feelings of introspection and soul-searching pervade the record, but it also radiates brighter, less angst-ridden melodic explorations than its predecessor, Apparitions. The inspiration for the album came from an extended journey around his native Ireland with his new wife and his trusty Gibson Les Paul, soaking up the land of his birth.
Hodgson adds:“The album is fundamentally about reconnecting with my roots, reconciling with and embracing the past, while steadfastly looking to the future. It’s also about a journey to find inner peace, which for me is punctuated by laughter and a whole lotta fun. Overall, I think it’s a very uplifting record.”
The album is co-produced by Hodgson and Chris James Ryan (Keith Urban, Go West, The Church), and it features the Austrian rhythm section of Philipp Groyssboeck on drums and Vinzenz Benjamin on bass, both currently members of Go West and Cutting Crew. The nucleus of the band is completed by Otger Garcia on Hammond organ, Kelly O’Donohue on horns, João Paulo Drumond on percussion, and All-Ireland Champion bodhrán player, Paul McClure. Recording sessions took place in Ireland, England, Germany, Canada, the USA, and the Czech Republic.
For Joe, the most memorable recording session took place in Prague with the Czech Philharmonic, who appear on one of the album’s flagship tracks, “You I Think Of”. He describes this as “a spine-tingling moment”. Another highlight comes with the guest appearance of Irish singer Glen Harkin on “Since You Had a Hold on Me”. The album was mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Will Bowden (Gotye).
Fields Of Redemption is a big-sounding record, but not an over-produced one. It covers a wide range of emotions, moods, and styles, and it takes the listener on an epic journey. It is ambitious and brave, and the frequent twists and turns will keep listeners constantly on their toes. Despite the blending and blurring of musical genres, Fields of Redemption has a truly cohesive feel to it, and it is an album that is meant to be listened to from start to finish.
Read my feature-length interview with Joe Hodgson here
About Joe Hodgson:
Guitarist Joe Hodgson hails from the village of Ballymagorry in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His music, shaped by his upbringing during The Troubles, mirrors the fierce rain and winds of the Emerald Isle. It is both sweeping and intense, boldly blending rock, blues, jazz, and Irish traditions into finely crafted instrumentals, which reveal a multifaceted, emotive, and diverse performer.
After many years of playing and recording with London-based bands and touring throughout Europe, Joe returned to his birthplace in 2018. In 2020, he released his debut solo album Apparitions to wide critical acclaim. Guitar World called his playing “elite”. Prominent Canadian music journalist Steve Newton said he is “the best guitarist you’ve never heard of”. ANR Factory, meanwhile, described the album as “a modern-day masterpiece”.
On June 20th, 2025, Hodgson is set to release his second solo album, Fields of Redemption, an almost entirely instrumental collection of tunes which, in typical style, straddles, blends and bends musical genres. The album also features a guest appearance by Irish singer Glen Harkin. Three singles from the album have been released to date, garnering glowing reviews.
Although their first album seemed to pass me by at the time I instantly became a fan of the Faversham-based folk rock band, Green Diesel, when I was asked to review their second album, Wayfarers All, back in 2014. They are currently promoting their fifth album,Onward The Sun, which came out in April and which was recently described by Shindig! magazine as “folk rock at its finest.” I couldn’t agree more which is why I headed over to Brighton to catch the band live.
Performing at the charmingly elegant Folklore Rooms above the Quadrant pub, the band were supported first by Bity Booker, a London-based alt-folk singer-songwriter with beautiful songs, a sweet voice and some hilariously deadpan introductions. And by Brighton’s own The Witchcraft & Vagrancy Act, who delve into the macabre side of folk to come up with their own fabulous folk horror interpretations of traditional songs – think Cecil Sharp had he spent his time hanging around with Bauhaus and Alice Cooper.
Bity Booker
For Green Diesel, the evening provides a welcome opportunity to showcase material from the new album alongside some older favourites. There’s well-received renditions of ‘Onward the Sun!’ the album’s title track, and ‘Ring The Hill’ another superb song from the album. Ellen Care’s vocals are utterly perfect for material of this type, combining just the right amount of sweetness and menace as she lets these folklore-inspired stories unfold, backed by some psych-folk guitar-wizardry, a powerful rhythm section and her own stunning fiddle playing.
Green Diesel have never been averse to a bit of folk horror themselves, of course, and tonight’s set includes the band’s cover of ‘Maypole’ from The Wicker Man soundtrack, sung by lead guitarist, Matt Dear, and given a suitably-ominous sounding Green Diesel makeover. The band even throw in a couple of Morris tunes which comprise the instrumental segment of the new album, again given the Green Diesel treatment: heavied up and performed in minor key. Superb stuff!
Green Diesel
Green Diesel just seem to get better and better with each year that passes. And with two impressive support acts it made the trip to Brighton and the never-knowingly-reliable late train back to Hastings well worthwhile.
Those who felt a Show of Hands-shaped hole in their lives, since the acclaimed west country duo went on indefinite hiatus last year, didn’t have to wait too long for new material featuring those warm, impassioned, familiar tones of vocalist, Steve Knightley.
First there was last Autum’s solo album, The Winter Yards (“poignant, tender, thought-provoking and rousing, in turn…”) and equally quick-off-the-mark came a follow-up in the Spring, Positively Folk Street: Dylan, Carthy & Me. While the former was very much a showcase for Knightley’s continuing brilliance as a songwriter and passionate observance of the world around him, this latter release is all about returning to his formative influences: back to when the young Knightley first tentatively dipped his toes into the world of acoustic folk.
Steve Knightley: “When I first picked up an acoustic guitar in my mid-teens, my repertoire was very limited – and then I discovered ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’. That album was a revelation. At the time, I had no idea Dylan had drawn so deeply from our own folk traditions to shape many of his songs.Later that summer, I found myself at Sidmouth Folk Festival, where I saw martin Carthy perform live for the first time. Another moment of discovery.“
“This album is a tribute to those formative influences. Across these twelve songs I revisit the worlds of Bob Dylan and martin Carthy – two artists who shaped my musical journey and set me on a path I’m still working.”
Containing six Dylan songs and six trad. arr. compositions from the repertoire of Carthy, it’s rare to come across a contemporary folk release these days where one is quite so familiar with the material. But Knightley applies his characteristic verve, passion and singularity and breathes new life into a beautifully-chosen set of songs. A must-buy for any Show of Hands and Steve Knightley fans, giving an insight into the songs and artists that helped shape his own career.
When Norwich-based folk duo, Christina Alden & Alex Patterson, released their debut album, Hunter, back in 2021 I found it a highly enjoyable listen and was struck by the duo’s lovely melodies, heart-warming vocals and charming story-telling.
We’ve had a while to wait but now they are back with a brand-new album, Safe Travels, featuring ten original songs and a duo-composed instrumental.
Recorded at the couple’s home studio in the centre of Norwich, they outline the genesis of the album as follows:
“We began making this album at the start of 2022 as the world was emerging from the global pandemic and just before the birth of our daughter, Etta. Some of these songs are like old friends that have travelled many miles with us, while others came about in the final stages of production. This is a collection of songs and tunes that feel as if they have grown and changed with us over the years. Those keen listeners among you may even hear some of our home life; our old cat pottering and meowing around the house; our daughter talking in the background or the sound of city life just beyond the city walls. We are so proud of this album and it’s been a real pleasure creating the music together.”
A number of the songs on the album are highly personal, such as the lovely ‘Etta’s Song’ (above) celebrating the birth of the couple’s baby daughter; the charmingly infectious ‘Our House’ which recalls Alden’s memories of growing up in a home filled with music; and the poignant ‘A Hundred Years Ago’ which, rather than being an epic historical folk tale, is all about recalling momentous events in one’s own life. However, as with the previous album, songs celebrating the beauty of the natural world also feature heavily and, as in the case of the ecologically-themed ‘The Mountain Hair’, the threat that the effects of man-made climate change poses to our natural landscape.
Both Alden and Patterson are accomplished multi-instrumentalists and finger-picked guitar interwoven with beautiful string arrangements make for a gentle yet versatile backdrop for Alden’s crystal clear lead vocal and Patterson’s warm harmonising. As with the debut album, pleasing melodies and heart-warming story-telling is the order of the day.
After a four-year journey Safe Travels has finally reached its intended destination and it’s an album that’s been well worth the wait.
Anita Abram is a singer-songwriter, radio presenter and producer who also has a passion for the visual arts. A member of the DIY female musicians’ ‘Rise and Release’ community, she composes, records and produces music from her home in Suffolk, and is the founder of Every Bird Records, a community interest company supporting independent female musicians with unique voices.
Abram herself performs as part of folk trio, The Copper Foxes, as well as a solo artist. The First Escapade is her debut EP.
Opening track, the poignant and beautifully-atmospheric ‘Gravity Running’, is a personal commentary on the “futility, inevitability and insanity of human conflict driven by fear and greed”. The song’s final line “we will never back down” pays tribute to the strength and determination of the Ukrainian people.
Comprising five original songs, other themes explored on this charming and thought-provoking EP include love (‘Go Again’), ongoing threats to our natural environment (‘Shift Away’) and loss (‘Stars Above’), which is dedicated to NHS staff. Bearing striking hand-painted cover art, the CD artwork also incorporates an additional images created by Abram.
Luke Concannon, best known from the folk duo Nizlopi while influencing a young Ed Sheeran, says: “There is something classic in Anita’s song writing. Simple, mythic, deep…”
In addition to Anita Abram (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, field recordings), the release also features Pete Moody (vocals, piano, arrangements), Chris Lockington lead guitar) and Mark Sewell (percussion)
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