Allotment veteran Caitlin Rose has announced a UK tour to mark the release of her debut album. Caitlin from Nashville makes fresh, modern country music with honest, clever lyrics. Her voice is rich and knowing and her music is proud…
Author: For Folk's Sake
Live: Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling @ Hop Farm
I am not ashamed of my crush on Johnny Flynn, for he is not only beautiful like an angel but he is hugely talented. I was also not the only one who clapped and wooped as he walked onto the…
Live: Bob Dylan @ Hop Farm
With Bob Dylan at Hop Farm FFS got what we expected. We’ve heard enough about his performances not to imagine we were in for a lot of crowd interaction but by being there we were paying homage to the best…
Live: Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three @ Sophia’s, California
The other day I ended up at a restaurant watching American folk bands again – this time a Thai kitchen-cocktail bar with a stage on the front deck. Dim mood lighting and wooden floorboards complemented the music, which was billed…
Singles round-up: Melodica Melody & Me, The Pipettes, Pagan Wanderer Lu
Melodica, Melody & Me – ‘Piece Me Back Together‘ Melodica, Melody & Me are a 6-piece folk band hailing from South London. Their debut single, ‘Piece Me Back Together’ is exactly what bands hope their debut to be: full of…
Album: Teenage Fanclub – Shadows
In some ways reviewing this album feels a bit superfluous; fraudulent, even. If the point of a review is to convey what an album sounds like, I can sum it up in a five-word sentence: it sounds like Teenage Fanclub.…
Live: Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit: Manchester Academy 3, 29th June
I first saw Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit in Liverpool on their club tour just before ‘Been Listening’ was released. They played a tiny club, Zanzibar, I was stool on a chair about 15 feet from the band. I’d…
Live: Allo Darlin’ @ The Lexington, London
It might be something of an understatement to say that currently the Lexington is going through a personality crisis. Whilst couples around England struggle with the onslaught of the World Cup on their relationships, so too do many of the…
Album: Mountain Man – Made the Harbor
“Fans of complex instrumentation, look away now. This one’s not for you. Mountain Man are a three-woman band, formed at Bennington College, Vermont, who keep things simple. Don’t expect drums or keyboards or bass or banjos from their debut album,…
Live: Au Revoir Simone @ The Scala
Scala or ‘The Scala’ as I was recently corrected is not a welcoming venue. The stairs, railings and the DJ cage are all more than a little oppressive. Au Revoir Simone by contrast are in essence a simple trio of…