Tag Archives: folk

Folk: album review – Far Flung Collective ‘To A Sea Cliff’

Album reviews, Folk music, , , , ,

To  A Sea Cliff is the third album from Anglo-Scottish folk ensemble Far Flung Collective. The collective was originally formed back in 2015 as part of a collaborative project between English SoundStorm Music Education Agency and the Scottish University of the Highlands and Islands, linking musicians from southern England with peers based in the Gaelic Outer Hebrides. A debut album, Far Flung Corners, emerged out of the project in 2017 with a follow-up, Black Bay, in 2020.

For this third album the long-standing nucleus of Alex Roberts (vocals / guitar), Wendy Stevenson (fiddle/whistle), Dan Somogyi (piano/guitar/bass) and Mabel Duncan (vocals/guitar/fiddle) are joined by seventeen new collaborators, as musicians and narrators, across the fourteen tracks.

Unlike its two predecessors, the recording of this album hit up against the constraints of covid lockdowns and so, created almost entirely online, recording took place at a much more leisurely pace over a period of two years (which makes me feel slightly less guilty about only now getting around to reviewing it, some six months after it was released).

Dan Somogyi: “We bounced ideas and recordings around, brought in musicians wherever we could get them locally, and refined ideas more than we would ever have time to do in normal circumstances. Out of adversity, new tunes emerged and the resultant album is something we’re very proud of.”

While the album as a whole is inspired by and celebrates some of the incredible coastline of the British Isles, it’s arranged thematically. The first section, comprising seven tunes, was inspired by the landscapes of southern England and includes the wonderfully-atmospheric ‘Durdle Door’, written as a tribute to that famous natural wonder of the Dorset coast.

The next section, made up of two tracks, is about taking a look at things that unite communities in England and Scotland, whether it be coastline or culture, and includes a spoken-work part in both English and Gaelic. The third section then places the emphasis firmly on Scotland, with six newly-composed tunes, including a lovely tune-set made up of two new traditional-sounding Scottish jigs, written by fiddle-player, Anna-Wendy Stevenson.

For the final track, the album takes a completely left-field turn with an epic, nine-minute piece, ‘Avian Migrations (Dub of the Little Tern)’. Reminding us of our place in the wider world, we’re taken on a musical journey that incorporates free jazz, reggae, Afrobeat and the reworking of a Scottish reel from the Collective’s debut album.

While the album is fantastically varied, both musically and stylistically, it remains surprisingly cohesive and is absolutely brimming with vibrant and uplifting tunes, making for a fitting celebration of our incredible shared coastline.

To A Sea Cliff released on 23 February 2024

https://www.facebook.com/farflungcollective/

https://farflungcollective.bandcamp.com/album/to-a-sea-cliff

This week’s featured artist: Singer-songwriter Anita Abram – debut EP ‘The First Escapade’

Album reviews, Folk music, Music news, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

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)

Released: 1 January 2024

https://anitamusic.uk/

Singer-songwriter: album review – Jack Badcock ‘Cosmography’

Album reviews, Folk music, , , , ,

I’ve been really impressed with Jack Badcock’s work in Dallahan, the Scottish/Irish/World folk band that he helped found a decade ago. This month, however, sees him release Cosmography, his first ever solo album.

As with Dallahan’s 2023 album, Speak Of The Devil, it’s a showcase for his gifted acoustic guitar-playing and distinctive tenor voice. But whereas that last album took us on an exhilarating, frenetic journey across a number of folk traditions, this one takes us into lush, atmospheric, singer-songwriter territory. And a very fine debut he’s turned out in this new guise, too.

Badcock’s vocals are soulful and emotive and he’s proving himself to be an ever more impressive songwriter, here tackling themes from the future of humanity (‘Life In Three Dimensions’); the sixteenth century explorer who was the first Englishman to reach Japan, (‘The English Samurai’); and the much more personal ‘Too Many Things’, described as “almost a therapy session that tackles the excessive indulgences of myself and peers in the music industry.”

What really makes this album, however, beyond the poignant songwriting and superbly mellow vocals, are the rich layers of instrumentation. Euan Burton, who also plays bass on the album, does a sterling job as producer and leaves us with a solo album that’s polished and fully-formed. With a stellar line-up of supporting musicians, including some especially beautiful piano from Tom Gibbs and simply gorgeous pedal steel from Connor Smith, there’s much to fall in love with here. Folk luminaries like Siobhan Miller, Josie Duncan and Joy Dunlop line up to provide lush backing vocals.

Don’t expect Cosmograpy to be much like Dallahan but do expect it to be exceptional. It really is outstanding.

Released: 3 May 2024

https://www.jackbadcock.com/

Related posts:

Folk reviews: Gnoss, Rachel Hair & Ron Jappy, Gavin Marwick & Wendy Stewart, Jo Miller and Dallahan

This week’s featured artists: transatlantic-inspired folk duo, David & Clare Rozzell

americana, Folk music, Music news, , , , , , ,

I first came across David and Clare Rozzell as two-thirds of the bluegrass/folk trio, Wood Wire & Words. The trio saw David (guitar/vocals) and Clare (double bass/vocals) joined by Clare’s father, Pat Francis (dobro/mandolin), with the trio chalking up a plethora of gigs and festival appearances across the UK and Europe and releasing several albums – one of which I reviewed here.

The constraints of lockdown restrictions, however, meant that the established trio reformulated themselves into a duo and for two years , every Friday evening, the pair would stage their online Folkgrass Lockdown Sessions direct from their home on England’s South Coast.

Recently, the pair released their very first single as a duo, ‘Museum of the Missing’, which came out towards the end of February.

Conceived as the theme song for a sci-fi/horror podcast of the same name, ‘Museum Of The Missing’ is said to be a powerful, dark tale, of a world where all memories and evidence of a global incident in which 3.5 million people vanished, have seemingly been erased from existence.

For David Rozzell, however, the song was also inspired by events much closer to home. On a personal level, the song is about memory loss, something he has experienced himself as a result of a brain injury.

The duo explain: “The museum being that part of the brain where a condition, like Alzheimer’s or a brain injury, such as David has, hides the memories they had before it stole them away.”

With the duo’s trademark blend of David’s deep, rich vocal delivery, poignant lyrics and gentle melodies, ‘Museum of the Missing’ heralds an important new step in David and Clare Rozzell’s continuing  musical journey.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/folkgrasshippies/

Bandcamp: https://folkgrasshippies.bandcamp.com/track/museum-of-the-missing

Related post:

Folk/Americana/Bluegrass: album review – Wood, Wire & Words ‘The Boy With The Smile’

Live review: Moya Brennan at De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill 28/3/24

Folk music, Hastings music scene, Live reviews, , , , , , ,

How I choose which gigs to go to has definitely evolved over time. When I lived in London I would be constantly checking out my favourite artists’ tour schedules, working out which venue on the tour would be easiest to get to and booking accordingly. Having lived down in Hastings some eight years now my approach has changed considerably and generally involves checking out the gig listings for the venues within a five-mile radius of my flat, working out who I want to see most and booking accordingly. In some parts of the country, that approach would be really restrictive but we are pretty spoilt for choice in terms of great venues, both large and small, on this part of the East Sussex coast.

And so this is exactly how I came to be at the De La Warr Pavilion for a performance by Moya Brennan. Publicised as ‘The Voice of Clannad’ in the tour promotion, I instantly decided this would be a must-see for me. I hugely enjoyed Clannad’s stunning set at Cropredy festival two years ago and while I was completely unfamiliar with Moya Brennan’s solo career beyond Clannad, I knew that any performance with her vocals at the heart of it was going to be well worth seeing.

Her voice is as pure and enchanting as ever, with Brennan taking lead vocals and harp just as in Clannad. Her band is something of a family affair with her daughter, Aisling Jarvis, on guitar and her son, Paul Jarvis, on keyboards and percussion, alongside leading Irish harpist and long-time collaborator, Cormac De Barra, and fiddle-player, Cathal Curran. Unfortunately, Brennan explained, the latter was not able to make Bexhill, the final night of the UK tour. However, she had persuaded a last-minute replacement (I didn’t catch his name unfortunately) to fly in to Gatwick that afternoon to do the gig. Only 17, he did a remarkable job stepping in and was very warmly-received by the De La Warr audience.

Material-wise, there was a heavy emphasis on songs Brennan had recorded with Cormac De Barra, with whom she has made a number of albums, including their latest project – an album celebrating the career of renowned Irish singer and harpist, Mary O’Hara. In contrast to the ethereal, other-worldly nature of much of Clannad’s back catalogue, there were also some sing-along moments, too. I certainly hadn’t expected a rousing communal rendition of ‘Lord Of The Dance’ but we all joined in with gusto. “I’ve been told you all learnt this at primary school over here,” she said, encouraging us to sing along. Indeed, we had and so that’s exactly what we did.

There would also be a few Clannad songs “for those who need that,” Brennan added dryly and we were treated to stunning renditions of ‘In A Lifetime’, ‘I Will Find You’ and ‘Two Sisters’.

A wonderful evening.

https://www.facebook.com/MoyaBrennanOfficial

Related post:

Clannad at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, 2022

Live review: Saving Grace with Robert Plant & Suzi Dian, White Rock Theatre, Hastings 23/3/24

americana, Folk music, Hastings music scene, Live reviews, Rock music, , , , , , , , ,

Like many regional theatres in the UK, the events programme for the White Rock In Hastings has been the typical mix of touring tribute shows, musicals and panto with the odd stand-out musical gem thrown. Recently, the theatre saw a change in operator with Trafalgar Theatres (who run many similar venues across the UK), giving way to the Guildhall Trust. The latter are a charity that operate the Portsmouth Guildhall and they came in promising “exciting times ahead” and a “broader programme of entertainment” for the White Rock. Certainly, having Robert Plant on stage sets high bar and is hopefully a foretaste of what’s to come once the new team get their feet well and truly under the table.

In the decades since Led Zeppelin’s demise, Plant has had a consistently fascinating career and some fascinating and highly inventive musical collaborations. I remember braving the mud to witness him with Strange Sensation at Green Man festival in 2007 and, more recently, his superb set with Alison Krauss at Hyde Park when they supported the Eagles two years ago.

His latest band is Saving Grace, composed of Plant, alongside Suzi Dian (vocals), Oli Jefferson (percussion), Tony Kelsey (mandolin, baritone, acoustic guitar), and Matt Worley (banjo, acoustic, baritone guitars, cuatro) have been around for five years now with several UK tours behind them. Somewhat rockier than previous projects they are a perfect amalgam of Plant’s long-standing interests in the realms of hard-rock, traditional folk, bluegrass and blues, offering up a compelling mix of rocked-up interpretations of traditional songs and folkified versions of Led Zep classics.

Again, we see him returning to the male/female duet set-up, that worked so spectacularly when Sandy Denny was recruited to provide co-lead vocals for ‘Battle Of Evermore’ on Led Zeppelin IV back in the day and more recently through the work with Alison Krauss. It’s a format that Plant is clearly comfortable with and this latest pairing is equally well-chosen. Whether she’s harmonising or taking the lead, Suzi Dian’s rich but delicate voice is just the perfect fit alongside Plant’s still instantly-recognisable vocal (albeit with a more restrained delivery these days…) The band behind them deliver powerful and at times almost almost hypnotic rhythms, with Tony Kelsey and Matt Worley working their way through a plethora of stringed instruments, both electric and acoustic, alongside Oli Jefferson’s pounding percussion. The effect is simply mesmerising with every song drawing you in completely.

Of all the ‘70s rock gods, Robert Plant is perhaps the one who has most has steadfastly refused to be pigeon-holed in the superannuated, stadium heritage rock act persona. It’s meant he’s continued to surprise and delight with new musical ventures. And it’s meant I could stroll along up the road to see him and his band perform an intimate gig in my local theatre.

https://www.robertplant.com

Set-list:

Gospel Plow

The Cuckoo

Let the Four Winds Blow

Friends

Is That You

Too Far From You

Everybody’s Song

I Never Will Marry

The Rain Song

As I Roved Out

It Don’t Bother Me

Four Sticks

Angel Dance

Gallows Pole

And We Bid You Goodnight

Related posts:

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss at Hyde Park 2022

“We were never about making the same album twice” – Led Zeppelin III: 50th anniversary interviews

July 2012: The night Jimmy Page asked if he could hang out with me

March 2014-March 2024: Celebrating ten years of Darren’s Music Blog

Folk music, Live reviews, Music culture & history, Music news, Rock music, , , , , ,

“You should start writing a blog,” my brother Sam mentioned to me while we were sitting at a festival one afternoon in the Summer of 2013 discussing the various bands we’d each seen recently.

Darren and Sam (right) at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention

I told him the thought had vaguely crossed my mind but it was something I could give more thought to the following Spring once my lengthy stint as a local councillor was coming to an end. My evenings would then be freed up, giving me time to start seeing more gigs and, crucially, sharing my thoughts online about what I’d just seen.

I’d always written a lot about politics and current affairs and I’d never exactly shied away from blatant self-publicity, ever since I got the local paper to run a front-page feature about me doing a stand-up gig in the local pub when I was 16. But I’d never really written about my lifelong love of music before.

That all changed in early March 2014 and Darren’s Music Blog went live.

Although I’d seen tons of bands during my teen years and early 20s, by the time I got into my mid-20s I seemed to have constant overdrafts and less money available to spend on concert tickets. In my 30s and 40s, with my chosen career by now pretty well-established, I found that although I had the money for gigs I no longer really had the time. Once I approached my late 40s, however, I was finally in the lucky position of having both the time and the money. It’s fair to say I went for it…

Darren meets members of Uriah Heep

Looking back at my first month of combining gig-going with blogging, it was quite a busy one. I reviewed concerts by Uriah Heep on 4th March, the Young ‘uns on 5th March, Fairport Convention on 9th March, Judy Dyble on 16th March, Graham Bonnett on 19th March, The Elizabethan Session on 22nd March, Status Quo on 28th March and Peter Knight’s Gigspanner on 29th March. Phew!

That first month pretty much summed up my approach. I didn’t want to get too hung up on genre. I didn’t want to do a classic rock blog or a folk blog or any other sort of genre-specific blog (although there are some great ones out there). Rather I wanted to write about all of the artists that happened to interest me, whether heavy metal, glam rock or folk. If others enjoyed reading that, then great, but the starting point was about any music that happen to please me.

Over time, I started added album reviews as well as gig reviews, along with interviews, book reviews, music history and discussion of iconic songs.

Fairport Convention’s Simon Nicol is interviewed for Darren’s Music Blog

Ten years later, 700+ posts, 400,000+ views, many, many incredible gigs and some wonderful chats with artists as diverse as Andy Scott from the Sweet, Mark Farner from Grand Funk Railroad and  Simon Nicol from Fairport Convention, my blog gets more and more people stopping by to read it with each year that passes.

Thank you!

Darren Johnson

[Header image: Uriah Heep at Koko – my first gig review. Photo credit: Elise Benjamin]

Darren’s music books:

The Sweet In The 1970s

Suzi Quatro In The 1970s

Slade In The 1970s

This week’s featured artist: Yorkshire-based singer-songwriter Serious Sam Barrett

Folk music, Music news, , , , , , ,

New album: A Drop Of The Morning Dew: Live At Bacca Pipes Folk Club released 1 March 2024

Distilling both folk and country influences and performing a heartfelt mixture of self-penned and traditional songs on 12-string guitar and banjo, Serious Sam Barrett was raised in the Dales village of Addingham and began performing in and around Leeds in 2004. With the release of his debut album Close To Home in 2009, word began spreading further afield and Sam was soon grabbing the attention of audiences both around the UK and in the US.

Having performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas in 2010, he has toured the US widely, usually in the company of friends and fellow skaters The Pine Hill Haints. Along the way, Sam has shared stages with the likes of Martin Carthy, Dave Burland, Katherine Tickell, Lucero, The Young Un’s, Frank Fairfield, Deer Tick and Karine Polwart, and received airplay and praise plaudits from the BBC’s Bob Harris, Marc Riley, Mark Radcliffe and Mike Harding.

Recorded live at a gig at a celebrated Keighley folk club in January 2023, Sam’s forthcoming album A Drop Of The Morning Dew: Live At Bacca Pipes Folk Club includes eleven self-penned highlights from his career, along with his own arrangements of a further seven traditional songs. A folk club has existed in Keighley in one form or other since the early 60s, adopting the name Bacca Pipes during the early 70s and playing host to a long line of notables such as Mike Harding, Swan Arcade, Julie Felix, Peter Bellamy, Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy and many more. It was a tradition into which Sam Barrett was born.

Serious Sam Barrett: “Folk clubs have always been part of my life. My parents met in one and I was taken to the clubs and festivals from a young age. The clubs have always been a massive source of inspiration for my music. The magic that happens week in and week out is impossible to put into words. Sometimes the experience is almost transcendental. The old pubs, the reverence for the singers, the jokes, the raffle, the stories and the music. There’s nothing like it.”

Ahead of the album release, Serious Sam Barrett is touring throughout February and March this year including a gig at the Music Room in the world-famous Liverpool Philharmonic on Thursday 15 February.

When I asked for a quote for this piece, Sam came straight back:

“What an honour to be part of Darren’s Music Blog!! Thanks so much I can’t wait! I’m in some very esteemed company there!!! Can’t believe I’m getting to play the world famous Liverpool philharmonic!! What an honour. And it’s all thanks to Mellowtone!!”

For all gigs visit:

https://www.serioussambarrett.co.uk/

Latest folk reviews: Honey & The Bear, Holly & The Reivers, Gavin Marwick, Tom Houston and Colin MacDuff

Album reviews, Folk music, , , , , , ,

Honey & The Bear – Away Beyond The Fret

Away Beyond The Fret is the third album from husband-and-wife folk duo, Lucy and Jon Hart, and the follow-up to the highly-enjoyable Journey Through The Roke, which I reviewed back in 2021.

Lucy Hart: “Many of the songs on this album focus on our Suffolk home and the close bonds of family, friendship and community.”

Fresh-sounding, slightly genre-hopping and once again deeply rooted in the history, culture and landscape of their Suffolk homeland, Away Beyond The Fret is delivered with the duo’s characteristic elegance and beauty. The highly-talented duo of Lucy and Jon Hart continue to delight and this, their third album, is proof that Honey & The Bear have blossomed into something truly magnificent on the UK folk scene.

Released: 3 November 2023 https://honeyandthebear.co.uk/

Holly & The Reivers – Three Galleys

Three Galleys is the debut album from Holly & The Reivers, a project formed back in 2017 that brings together Holly Clarke (vocals/guitar), Merle Harbron (vocals/fiddle) and Bertie Armstrong (vocals/banjo).

Holly & The Reivers: “Three Galleys reaches into the depths of the darker side of folk song and brings forth the messages in the songs that are deeply rooted in human experience through history. Each track has been meticulously arranged to help interlace the story with a musical setting that enthrals listeners to submit and be swept away in a journey of rich storytelling.”

This is an older live video but still carries their instantly-recognisable  signature sound based around the trio’s banjo, fiddle and guitar and their contrasting but complimentary vocals. Beautifully atmospheric soundscapes combine with stunning interpretations of traditional ballads that tend dwell on the darker side of human existence, borne of an enduring fascination of folk horror cinema. In Three Galleys, Holly & The Reivers have served up a highly impressive debut album.

Released: 15 November 2023 https://hollyclarkemusic.com/

Gavin Marwick – Quarterdays: Martinmas

Martinmas is the fourth and final release in Gavin Marwick’s Quarterdays series, and this one sees the Scottish fiddle-player and composer team up with pianist and accordion-player, Phil Alexander. The two have played together both socially and professionally over a number of years.

Gavin Marwick: “Martinmas celebrates the life of St Martin of Tours, the only actual historical figure to appear in the Quarterdays canon. Born in what is now part of Hungary, serving in the Roman army and ending up as Bishop of Tours and ultimately one of the patron saints of France, Martin offers a very broad European vision of the spread of the early church across the continent during this long ago fourth century period.”

Marking the final season of the year and celebrating the life of St Martin of Tours, whose feast day is marked on November 11th, the six tune-sets, all composed by Marwick, distil Scottish, Eastern European and French traditional influences alongside more contemporary ideas. Once again, Marwick hits us with more wonderfully expressive fiddle and he and Alexander deliver some nicely evocative tunes that perfectly capture the time of year. Quarterdays has been a fascinating project and Martinmas is a worthy finale to the series.

Released: 11 November 2023 https://www.gavinmarwick.co.uk/

Tom Houston – Everything In The Delicatessen

Playing in bands such as Paper Tiger, Unspeakable Acts, Delicious Houdini, Bamboozle, Tom Houston and the Keltic Band and davesnewbike as well as working as musical director in theatre, Tom Houston has also had a prolific solo career and Everything In The Delicatessen is his sixth solo album. His current work encompasses spoken word, soundscapes, stories and songs.

“Everything In The Delicatessen attempts to give the listener that ‘up close and personal’ experience with ‘local produce’ of high quality,” promises the accompanying press publicity.

An album that transcends musical boundaries and is brimming with drama and musicality, great lyrics and great melodies, Everything In The Delicatessen is the kind of album you’ll come back to again and again and always find something new.

Released: 13 October 2023 https://www.tomhouston.org/

Colin MacDuff – Separations

Aberdeen-based musician and songwriter, Colin MacDuff, says he “dabbled” in music and poetry when family and career commitments allowed time but things got more serious upon his retirement when he enrolled on Boo Hewerdine’s and Findlay Napier’s mentorship scheme for aspiring songwriters. With their encouragement he soon found he had more than a dozen original songs and his debut album, The Past In The Sky, was released in 2022 to positive reviews. Separations is the follow-up.

Colin MacDuff: “During the past year I wrote a lot of new songs and got thinking about whether some might fit together in an album. At first, I thought they were very disparate. But, aided by a glass or two, I had the revelation that they were all songs about different aspects of separation.”

The theme of separation in the songs extends across a range of subjects, from relationship break-ups, to bereavement to economic displacement. The main accompaniment is MacDuff’s own acoustic guitar-playing but he’s joined by Angus Lyon (accordion),  Jenna Reid (fiddle) and Hugh Halton percussion, with pianist Maria Quinn also providing some beautifully eloquent piano on three tracks. With his gentle vocal and engaging storytelling, Separations acts as an excellent showcase for Colin MacDuff’s fine songwriting.  

Released: 8 December 2023 https://www.colinmacduff.com/

Rock/folk/prog: album review – Joshua Burnell ‘Live At The Crescent’

Album reviews, Folk music, Rock music, , , , , ,

Hot on the heels of his stunning 2023 studio album, Glass Knight, released back in August, genre-fluid glam-prog-folk singer-songwriter, Joshua Burnell, follows it up with a new live album in time for Christmas.

Glass Knight, which Burnell launched when he performed on the main stage at Fairport’s Cropredy festival, picked up tons of good reviews – including from Darren’s Music Blog where I described it as “Hunky Dory-era Bowie meets folk rock meets prog” and hailed it as a bona fide twenty-first century masterpiece. Rather than giving us ‘stadium-ready’ renditions of the songs from Glass Knight, however, Live At The Crescent (recorded in the intimate setting of a gig in York in October 2022) takes us back to before Glass Knight was recorded, when many of the songs were still being worked up in readiness for the studio.

Opening with the then un-released ‘Where Planets Collide’, Burnell goes on to share with the audience a number of embryonic versions of songs that would later appear on Glass Knight, as well as some older material, including three songs from its excellent, albeit more folk-leaning predecessor, Flowers Where The Horses Sleep.

In addition to live versions of other classic tracks from Burnell’s back catalogue, there are also songs like ‘Some Things Aren’t Eroded’ and ‘Slow-Burning Cigarette’ that are yet to appear on any studio albums, giving us a tantalising glimpse of what might be coming next.

Joined by his regular band of Nathan Greaves on electric guitar, Oliver Whitehouse on bass, Ed Simpson on drums, Frankie Archer on violin and Frances Sladen on vocals; the album is a complete, unabridged recording of his concert at The Crescent that captures the immersive atmosphere of a Burnell gig.

Released: 1 December 2023

www.joshuaburnell.co.uk

Related posts:

Album review – Joshua Burnell ‘Flowers Where The Horses Sleep’

Live review: Fairport’s Cropredy Convention August 2023

Album review – Joshua Burnell ‘Glass Knight’