The previous two times I’d seen Johnny Flynn were in Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff – a tiny backstreet venue with the performers literally at the end of your finger tips. Seeing Johnny progress to playing the significantly bigger Scala in London, I felt a bit like a nervous mother or jealous girlfriend – the crowd had claimed him as their own, I wanted to shout ‘No, I was here first!’
Live Review: Noah and the Whale @ Koko, November 6th 2008
Thursday’s sell out show at Koko could have been a difficult transition from the sunny days of summer to the dark nights of November for Charlie Fink and the boys, but the audience certainly didn’t seem too concerned on that front.
Album Review: The Cave Singers – Invitation Songs
This might be The Cave Singers debut album, but it comes from three experienced songwriters; all three members, Pete Quirk, Derek Fudesco and Marty Lund, have recorded with punk bands in their native Seattle. ‘Invitation Songs’ is a beautiful and affecting album of bluesy folk.
Single Review: Noah and the Whale – Shape of My Heart
Following up the whistle-along anthem of the summer was never going to be an easy task for Noah and the Whale. There was something irresistibly zeitgeisty at the beginning of the summer in Five Years’ Time’s promise of fun fun fun and sun sun sun and the song captured the country’s imagination. As a result, anything less FM-worthy than its predecessor was bound to be a disappointment to many.
Teddy Thompson and family to play London Xmas show
Folk rock royalty Teddy Thompson is hosting a Xmas extravaganza at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London next month.
The Wainwright-style affair will feature Teddy Thompson and his mother, folk legend Linda Thompson, as well as Bert Janch, Badly Drawn Boy and Eddi Reader among others.
For Folk’s Sake Interview: Cherbourg
There’s something quite exciting brewing in the London folk scene, Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale and Johnny Flynn have hit the big time and by doing so they’ve blazed a path for their contemporaries to do the same. Cherbourg are the latest band to emerge from the pack, and they’re not afraid to admit that they want to be a household name.