The Folk / Folk Rock Thread

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Re.ember the " Antifolk " thing in the Nineties.

Steeleye Span was the first gig I ever went to. I saw them a few times. Obviously Fairport Convention were superb... never saw them live but I've seen Richard Thompson twice.
Also the Albion Band and I've probably forgotten a few others.
My absolute faves were Irish band Horslips... they had a strong traditional element... I had "the Tain" on vinyl and played it so often I nearly wore it out... eventually saw them live... a great night.

Steve Tilston is a friend of my former neighbour... met him, heard him.

On a more folkie/less rocky note... Alan Stivell (breton harpist) and Kathryn Tickell (Northumbrian pipes)

... and how could I forget Planxty and Christie Moore... more records nearly worn out... obviously I like Irish stuff. Dubliners, Boys of the Lough.

Thumbs up to all the above videos and comments.

Very nice. Hadn't heard of Zoe Wren before.

A bit more Pentangle from 1972.



And a very recent political song from Grace Petrie. The lyrics are best appreciated if you are familiar with the UK political situation of the last few years - or not - depending on your politics.

Folk on Foot Front Room Folk Festival.

Over seven hours of folk and a bit of chat, mostly UK artists, from their front rooms and studios during the current lockdown. Difficult to pick out favourites though Seth Lakeman, Julie Fowlis and Éamon Doorley, Karine Polwart, and Jon Boden stood out for me, but all was good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bt748vylnU

0:00:00 Opening
0:05:00 Beth Porter and the Bookshop Band
0:40:00 Martin Simpson
1:15:00 Karine Polwart
1:48:00 Jon Boden
2:25:00 Bella Hardy
2:55:00 Sam Lee Part 1
3:17:00 Lisa Knapp and Gerry Diver
3:42:00 Sam Lee Part 2
3:52:00 Kris Drever
4:24:00 Kerry Andrew
4:39:00 Jackie Morris and Kris Drever: Otter Painting
4:46:00 Rachel Newton
5:11:00 Nancy Kerr and James Fagan
5:46:00 Peggy Seeger
6:16:00 Seth Lakeman
6:40:00 Julie Fowlis and Éamon Doorley
7:05:00 Steve Knightley
7:37:00 Close

I have a 5.5hr iTunes classic folk playlist that I love but have been listening to A LOT since this whole coronavirus thing started. It is very calming! Right now John Denver's Sunshine on My Shoulders is playing as I type this.
I used to say I was born 10 years too late, I would have loved being a flower child of the 60s, carefree and hanging out in California.

Grace Petrie! I went to see her at a tiny unplugged gig in a pub once. She was ace!

I'm a bit short on links as I've mainly heard fellow amateur folkies at folk clubs. Really missing that right now, especially as the Black Swan Folk Festival in York is probably going to be cancelled due to lockdown. The lure of their a capella singaround is one of the few things that can overcome my horror of overcrowded rooms. On the plus side, my upstairs neighbour has fled to her parents so I can sing as loud as I want. "And it's cheer up me boys...."

^ Would love to see Grace Petrie live.

Seth Lakeman live at the Minack theatre in Cornwall, England. The song is about the Solomon Browne, a Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboat that went to the assistance of the Union Star, a new ship that had lost power in hurricane force winds in December 1981. Both the ship and the lifeboat and all aboard both vessels were lost.

The Minack Theatre is an open air theatre on the cliffs above the sea in Cornwall in the far south west of England.

John Prine was good till he died a month or so ago from Covid 19

A bit of Planxty from 1973.



Cara Dillon, "The Hill of Thieves", live at the Grand opera House in Belfast.

And a rather more recent bit of Christy Moore live.



I've only seen Christy Moore live once. It was just him and an acoustic guitar. It was awesome.