For Folk's Sake » Beth Jeans Houghton

In Photos: Latitude Festival

FFS writers — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:58:06 +0000

Our photographer about town, Georgie M'Glug, reports on the folkier side of Latitude

Conor O’Brien of Villagers cries out to the packed Word Arena with his raw, immediate and achingly-heartfelt songs on Friday afternoon.

Demure and unassuming as ever, but with a new-found fire in her belly, Laura Marling commands the Obelisk Arena on Friday night.

What’s not to love about First Aid Kit? They arrived for their woodland set on Saturday by walking through the audience at the Sunrise Arena, took photos of each other whilst sound-checking, and thanked their dad for being their roadie sound man. Totally adorable!

Beehived and breathtaking, Beth Jeans Houghton treated ‘tuders to some haunting, country-tainted folk at the Lake Stage, Sunday night.

Festival stalwart Florence and the Machine

The marvellous Holly Miranda

Words and photos: Georgie M’Glug

The Folk Artist Twitter Directory

Stephen W Thomas — Thu, 06 May 2010 08:30:09 +0000

Below is our attempt at a comprehensive directory of folk artists currently on Twitter – of course, we aren’t Twitter deities and as such will almost certainly have missed out on certain artists. Let us know if you can think of any tweeting folk musicians in the comments below.

Akron/Family

Angus and Julia Stone

Asthmatic Kitty (Label)

Brian: FFS’s Mixtape-Making Owl

Broadcast 2000

Caitlin Rose

Cherbourg

Colin Meloy (Decemberists)

Damien Rice (PR Account)

Dev Hynes (Lightspeed Champion)

Divine Comedy (PR account)

Efterklang

Emmy the Great

Fanfarlo

FFS (Official Account)

Kurran & the Wolfnotes

Laura Marling (PR account)

Lisa Hannigan (PR account)

Lisa Mitchell

Lissie

The Living Sisters (PR account)

Local Natives

The Low Anthem

Midlake

Monsters of Folk (PR account)

The New Pornographers

Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy)

Peggy Sue

Rebecca Taylor (Slow Club)

Rufus Wainwright (PR account)

She & Him (PR account)

St. Vincent

Sweet Billy Pilgrim

The Swell Season (PR account)

The Swell Season (Glen Hansard)

Brian’s Mixtape #32: Moseley On Down

Brian — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:59:39 +0000

After spotting their rather brilliant blog post for FFS, Brian thought he’d ask the lovely folk at Moseley Folk Festival whether they’d put together a playlist to get him all fired up for the festival next September.

Brian’s going to be one busy owl this summer, with unmissable line-ups at Moseley, Open House Festival, End of the Road and Green Man. Luckily for him, though, he doesn’t have to brave the campsites and risk being fallen on by beered-up festival goers like the rest of us. Him and his pals just set up nest in a nearby tree. A fact about which he is unbearably smug.

There’s no camping at Moseley’s gorgeous site, though, so even us humans will pass the festival in comfort. Here are their picks of the Spotiverse featuring Moseley artists past and present and some they just really like. Check out FFS’s festival calendar for more info.

Brian’s Mixtape #32: Moseley On Down

Erland And The Carnival – Trouble In Mind
Donovan – Barabajagal
The Divine Comedy – Something for the Weekend
The High Llamas – Checking In, Checking Out
Johnny Flynn – Leftovers
Jocie Adams – To Ohio
Fyfe Dangerfield – She Needs Me
The Unthanks – Lucky Gilchrist
Jose Gonzalez – Crosses
Beth Jeans Houghton – I Will Return I Promise
The Besnard Lakes – Albatross
Bert Jansch – Red’s Favourite
Tunng – Hustle

If you’ve not got yourself registered on Spotify have a look at their website to learn more. And, if you need an invite (so you can use Spotify for free) let uncle Brian know in the comments section below and he will bestow one on you.

Have a flap around our mixtape section to find Brian’s previous efforts.

For Folk’s Sake’s festival calendar

Lynn Roberts — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:28:17 +0000

We’ve gone through the folkier end of the festival calender, and hereby bring you our picks.

You won’t find any news on Glastonbury or Reading and Leeds, mind. We’re here to tell you about the things you might not have heard about yet.

And what a selection there is this year. You can see Bob Dylan and Laura Marling share a stage at one-day festival Hop Farm in Kent. The always wonderful End of the Road is bringing the legendary and elusive Diane Cluck over from the US as well as playing host to FFS’s favourite band in the world, The Mountain Goats.

For those who like their festivals crossed with city breaks, Open House is putting on an astonishing series of gigs in Belfast including Seasick Steve and Old Crow Medicine Show. And if you’ve got your tastes firmly set to folk of all kinds, the Divine Comedy, Donovan and Johnny Flynn play Moseley Folk Festival, which mixes traditional and new folk music in Birmingham.

Latitude is well on its way to getting the full folk set with Laura Marling, Noah & the Whale and Mumford & Sons all booked to play and also features chuckles from our favourite comedian Josie Long. Lounge on the Farm is putting on our live act of the moment, Cocos Lovers.

And finally, Green Man has got Joanna Newsom. That’s all I’m saying about that.

We don’t want you to have any nasty surprises when it comes to ticket costs so we’ve added booking fees and posting and what not into the prices below. Happy camping!

21-23 May
Wood Festival
Braziers Park, Oxfordshire
Peggy Sue, Cate Le Bon, Frank Turner, Tunng, Fionn Regan
Weekend ticket £72.74 (incl fees) link

3 July
Hop Farm Festival
Hop Farm, Kent
Bob Dylan, Ray Davies, Mumford & Sons, Seasick Steve, Laura Marling, The Magic Numbers
Day ticket without camping £76.25 (incl fees) link

9-11 July
Lounge on the Farm
Merton Farm, Canterbury
Cocos Lovers, Fionn Regan, Jesca Hoop, Tunng
Weekend ticket (incl fees & postage) £103.95 link

15-18 July
Latitude
Henham Park, Suffolk
Laura Marling, Midlake, Belle & Sebastian, Richard Hawley, Noah & the Whale, Grizzly Bear, Jonsi, Mumford & Sons, Frank Turner and comedy from Josie Long
Weekend tickets £167.20 (incl fees) link

13-15 August
Summer Sundae
De Monfort Hall & Gardens, Leicester
Fionn Regan, Fanfarlo, Johnny Flynn, Laura Veirs, Lissie, Local Natives, The Low Anthem, Mumford & Sons, Tunng, The Wave Pictures
Early Bird Weekend tickets £96 (incl fees & postage) link

20-22 August
Green Man Festival
Glanusk Park, Brecon Beacons
Joanna Newsom, Flaming Lips, Field Music, Fionn Regan, First Aid Kit, Matthew & the Atlas, The Smoke Fairies, Caitlin Rose
Weekend ticket £131.45 (incl fees & postage) link

3-5 September
Moseley Folk Festival
Moseley Park, Birmingham
Donovan, The Divine Comedy, Sparrow & the Workshop, Beth Jeans Houghton, The Low Anthem, Johnny Flynn, Cut-A-Shine
Weekend tickets £83.95 (incl fees & postage) link

7-12 September
Open House Festival
Various venues, Belfast
Seasick Steve, Wilco, The Felice Brothers, Field Music, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Low Anthem, AA Bondy
Events individually ticketed, see website

10-12 September
End of the Road
Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset
Iron & Wine, The Low Anthem, The Mountain Goats, The New Pornographers, Diane Cluck, The Antlers, Deer Tick
Weekend tickets £135 (incl postage) link

This list will be updated when announcements are made.

Is there anything we’ve missed? Let us know below.

Blog: Moseley Folk Festival recommends

Lynn Roberts — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:50:37 +0000

In 2009 Moseley Folk Festival played host to Beth Jeans Houghton, Frida Hyvonen, Kelli Ali, Drever McCusker Woomble, Rose Elinor Dougall, Smoke Fairies and many more. They kindly got in touch to recommend we listen to Goodnight Lenin recently, and it was so good we couldn’t let them stop at that. Here are some artist tips from some people who are very much in the know:

–

For those who haven’t heard of Moseley Folk Festival, we aim to cross the boundaries between traditional and contemporary folk music with previous acts including José González, Jethro Tull, Davy Graham, Fairport Convention, The Bees, Saint Etienne, Morcheeba and Beth Orton.

The festival takes place in a veritable secret garden. Accessed via a small alley way between an estate agent and a pub, Moseley Park is tucked away behind the village high street just two miles from Birmingham’s city centre. As a privately-owned, charity-run park, it is usually only open to key holders. 2010 will be the 5th year of this event and we’re very excited about our line-up so keep your eyes peeled.

Based in Birmingham, Moseley Folk Festival is a little way from the London folk scene but there is plenty going on in the second city. Here are a few of our favourites:

–

Goodnight Lenin (MySpace)

Goodnight Lenin caught the attention of audiences in Birmingham after releasing a YouTube video of a simple acoustic performance in which they sat perched on the counter tops of their kitchen. The group attribute their sound to Bob Dylan and Elvis Perkins, mixing folk with a heavy American influence.

2010 is set to be a great year for the band as they will be supporting First Aid Kit on the Birmingham leg of the duo’s UK tour before releasing their first limited edition single in the summer. Yet despite this, Goodnight Lenin can still be found performing amongst the pots and pans in kitchens.

–

Malpas (MySpace)

We are definitely not the only ones who expect great things from the Malpas as in recent months they have toured the country with Mr. Hudson and supported OK Go at Birmingham’s O2 Academy. Soon they will be releasing their first single, but true to their loyal following they’re still making time to draw crowds into the local pubs of Moseley. Make sure you give the beautiful tinkling of ‘Under Her Sails’ a listen.

–

The Old Dance School (MySpace)

The Old Dance School studied together at the Birmingham Conservatoire and used to rehearse in the garden of the old Betty Fox School of Ballet (hence the name). After three years, 30,000 miles and a few trips to A&E, their distinctive concoction of folk has earned them a place on the festival scene, including Moseley Folk Festival. Members of the group have performed, recorded and toured with the likes of Martha Wainwright, Graham Coxon, and Zoe Rahman.

–

We’ve also got a few non-local recommendations we think you might like:

Chivalry isn’t quite dead for Belfast’s The Lowly Knights and with delicately illustrated artwork and songs like ‘Devotion’ they are not to be missed. (MySpace)

For something a bit more physically demanding, Cut A Shine are a troupe of musicians and dancers who are bringing ceilidh dancing well and truly up to date. (Website)

Scotsman Alasdair Roberts explores the realms of traditional music to much acclaim. (Website)

Circulus offer a psychedelic take on the Middle Ages with a variety of strange and wonderful instruments. (MySpace)

Last year we repeatedly coaxed Wolf People out of London and also had them kick off the 2009 festival after party. (MySpace)

Mountain Man are far from the thick set burly lumberjacks the name might suggest as they are actually three ladies from Vermont, USA. (MySpace)

We’re also big fans of Erland & the Carnival (MySpace), Beth Jeans Houghton (MySpace), and Sparrow and the Workshop (MySpace).

Stornaway and Beth Jeans Houghton tour

Lynn Roberts — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:05:09 +0000

A couple of FFS favourites are heading out on a UK tour together, curated by the intriguing types at twisted folk. See the poster for deeeets.

www.bethjeanshoughton.co.uk

www.myspace.com/stornoway

Cherbourg’s Andrew Davie to play solo show

Helen True — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:45:14 +0000

Cherbourg’s Andrew Davie is to play a solo show in Hoxton on 16th November in the first of four days of gigs curated by Levi’s One to Watch. Hoxton Bar and Kitchen will be taken over from Monday 16th Novemeber to Thursday 19th, when a parallel gig will take place at Cargo.

This is the fifth year that Levi’s have kindly put together a pile of ones to watch, and 2009’s line-up involves some pretty exciting stuff. Among the other bands to be showcased in this week of joys are Cardiff’s Marina and the Diamonds, the much-admired Beth Jeans Houghton and Steve Lamacq’s new best friends The Goldheart Assembly.

Tickets are £6.50, with the obligatory messing about with booking fees and transaction fees, but nonetheless each of these nights promises to introduce at least one new cacophony of sounds to your listening library.

Details of each of the gigs, and tickets, are available here.

Words: Helen True

EP: Beth Jeans Houghton – Golden

Lynn Roberts — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:51:10 +0000

How gorgeous is the new Beth Jeans Houghton EP? Still relatively new on the scene, Newcastle’s BJH brings an air of 1920’s to her understated alt-folk.

Golden mixes a simple melody with sublime harmonies, without anything else getting in the way. Her voice is rich and sweet, personal and bare. An avant-garde middle brings you back to her world – always doing something a little different to the scene – but the finale leaves you feeling content and serene. It truly is one of the sweetest songs of the season.

Night Swimming is a bit tamer in tune and a little less adventurous, but its creepy music hall backing,

Granddaddy synth and atmospheric xylophone bring a colourful warmth, painting a picture of summer dawns, despite its slightly dark lyrics.

There’s a buzz around BJH and she’s sure to be turning heads when her debut full-length album is released.

Words: Gemma Hampson

Great Escape confirm NATW, Peggy Sue and Sky Larkin

Lynn Roberts — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:28:16 +0000

Noah and the Whale, Peggy Sue and Sky Larkin have been added to the bill for Brighton’s Spring festival The Great Escape.

They join an already stellar line-up for the three-day festival, which includes Mechanical Bride, Slow Club, Lights and It Hugs Back.

The event takes place from 14th-16th May and over 300 acts will perform at 34 venues across the seaside town.

You can see the full line-up here. FFS’s picks include

Ben Kweller
Beth Jeans Houghton
Blue Roses
The Balky Mule
Exlovers
Fanfarlo
It Hugs Back
James Yuill
Lights
Mechanical Bride
The Miserable Rich
Meme Love
Noah and the Whale
Peggy Sue
Slow Club
Sky Larkin
Woodpigeon

A three-day gig pass will set you back £45. They’re available from ticketmaster.

Words: Lynn Roberts

Beth Jeans Houghton

Lynn Roberts — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:34:36 +0000

They say:

“In the past year 18 year old Newcastle based singer/songwriter Beth Jeans Houghton has garnered a reputation as an antidote to the current?crop of acoustic songstresses. With her alternative blend of experimental folk, Beth has been hailed by the NME as “a Joni Mitchell for the anti-folk generation”. With influences ranging from Frank Zappa, Vashti Bunyan, Fourtet and Love, Beth has cultivated a sound that is truly her own. Since her first performance in August 06 Beth has played alongside a diverse collection of artists such as Imogen Heap, The Wombats, Fionn Regan, Jeffrey Lewis, The Mystery Jets, Scott Matthews, Josephine Foster, White Magic, King Creosote, Jana Hunter, Alasdair Roberts, PG Six, Dead Meadow, Phosphorescent, Voice of the Seven Woods, Tom Brosseau, St Vincent, Euros Childs, Diane Cluck, Jack Savoretti and Stephen Fretwell amongst others. At last years Greenman Festival Devendra Banhart invited Beth to play one of her songs during his set on the main stage to an 8000 strong crowd describing her as, ‘very lovely, a musical magician’. Beth has a track on ‘We Are All Circling The Stars’ (compilation – Cosmos Recordings) and another on ‘Bearded Ladies Vol II’ (compilation –Bird/Finders Keepers) both out spring 08. Beth is currently writing/recording, and is gigging regularly throughout the UK.”

Beth Jeans Houghton, Myspace

For Folk's Sake » Beth Jeans Houghton

In Photos: Latitude Festival

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