Author: Lynn Roberts

Lynn founded For Folk's Sake in 2008. Her favourite artists are Joni Mitchell, The Leisure Society and The Mountain Goats. She plays keyboards in Joe Innes & the Cavalcade.

Live: Cherbourg @ Mad Ferret, Preston 12/06/09

Despite the venue being a small town pub, the atmosphere for the evening’s show is excellent. After the obligatory local bands The Agitator, Derek Meins’ and Robert Dylan Thomas’ new project, take to the stage. Right from the outset the duo amaze any new listeners present, making a fair few of them jump on walking through the doors. The ferocity of Meins’ onstage personality creates an enthralled silence that’s extremely refreshing. The Agitator fluctuate between the soulful and outright outrageous creating a stir amongst the ever growing audience.

Live: Slow Club @ ICA, London

It’s not often that you arrive at the venue and see the band you’ve come to see walking just a few steps ahead, guitars strapped on and using the same doors as you to get in.

OK, so I’ve arrived pretty late (“as per usual”, my friends will tell you) but Charles and Rebecca, better known as Slow Club, start their headline ICA show standing at the back of the hall, from where they launch into an acoustic, unamplified version of ‘Wild Blue Mile’, with their fans circled in reverential silence around them.

Album: Terry de Castro – A Casa Verde

Wedding Present bass player Terry de Castro’s debut solo album is a collection of cover versions written by her friends. The songs, which are not necessarily by well-known or famous artists, are recast by Terry on steel guitar and banjo to create a low-key, distinctly American feel.

Ones to watch: The Agitator

Derek Meins, previously known as “The Famous Poet” and the voice of Eastern Lane has joined forces with human drum machine Robert Dylan Thomas to create something in a league of its own.

Glastonbury for folkies

It’s that time of year again where people will be packing their wellies, baby wipes and cider and heading to Somerset for the highlight of many people’s summer, Glastonbury Festival. Taking place from the 26th to the 28th June, with only a week to go until the mayhem begins here’s the rundown to the bands you wont want to miss this summer, no matter how sunburnt/drenched/drunk/hung-over you may be!

Album: Pagan Wanderer Lu – Fight My Battles For Me

The beauty of Pagan Wanderer Lu isn’t that no two songs sound the same, it’s that no song ends the same as it begins with each track a miniature musical journey. And while your tour guide may be full of charming and witty anecdotes about places of local interest, driving the bus is an escapee from a high security institution coming down from a six week bender. Thus the energy of Fight My Battles For Me is motorway pile-up of musical styles and ideas.