Celtic darling Cara Dillon was barely out of her teens when she was invited to replace Kate Rusby in the Warner-backed folk supergroup Equation. Cara didn’t stay long with the group, preferring to breakaway with fellow band member Sam Lakeman whom she married and has recorded with ever since. After three albums on Rough Trade, Cara’s latest album Hill of Thieves was recorded at home, produced by Sam and put out on their own label. It finds the couple returned to their folk roots with simple acoustic versions of traditional songs. Cara talked to FFS about breaking free from major record labels and the challenges of touring while being a mum, but only after she had put the twins to bed.
FFS Interview: A Murder of Rooks
by Lynn Roberts •
Isobel Morris and Jim Kimberley began their music careers in folk clubs before meeting and forming alt-rock duo Bruise. After years of jamming folk songs with friends the couple have returned to their roots, teaming up with Nottingham based guitarist Gary Southwell to form A Murder of Rooks. FFS caught up with Jim and Isobel in The Pelton Arms in Greenwich at the monthly Sunday afternoon folk session which they host.
Interview: Poppy and the Jezebels
by Lynn Roberts •
FFS’s Jess Powderly had an email chat with Poppy and the Jezebels about fashion, festivals and being the best Birmingham band since the Move…
FFS Recommends: Kurran and the Wolfnotes
by Lynn Roberts •
Kurran and the Wolfnotes are an exciting bunch. After just a handful of live shows they’d set the blogosphere alight and industry tongues wagging. So much so that just five months after their conception, the band decided to cancel their gigs, take a month off and polish their live show to make damn sure they lived up to the ever-swelling hype surrounding them. For Folk’s Sake caught up with them ahead of their first post-hiatus performance, at which their upbeat harmony-laden folk-rock set even the most reluctant of scenester toes a-tapping. We couldn’t be more excited to bring you the first of two instalments of this, their first ever interview. Ladies and Gents, Kurran and the Wolfnotes.
Secret Laura Marling show tonight will be her last London gig for three months
by Lynn Roberts •
Fresh off the back of her tour with US folk star Andrew Bird, Laura Marling is to play a secret show at the newly launched Flowerpot Cafe in Camden, London.
Willy Mason session on Radio 1
by Helen •
As far as FFS is concerned, Willy Mason has spent far too much time at home in the last couple of years. We were, therefore, jubilant to the extreme when we discovered that he’s recorded a live session and interview for Radio 1 to be aired this week.
End of the Road line-up proper swoon-worthy
by Helen •
End of the Road has a very special place in the hearts and minds of the FFS collective, as it was at this splendid festival last year that we began spreading the love that is our website. EOTR 2008 was just lovely – small, brilliantly curated and covered in fairy lights and ribbons.
Wave Pictures announce album, gigs and DJ set
by Helen •
The Wave Pictures have two performances scheduled this week. On Thursday, 7th May they launch their new album, If You Leave it Alone, at the Lexington Arms, London. The boys will also appear a day later (Friday 8th May) for a free 6:30 performance at Pure Groove London.
Phrased and Confused this Sunday: Woodpigeon AND poems!
by Helen •
This Sunday the Phrased and Confused tour hits London, with a gig at the Cross Kings which might well hit all your cultural buttons simultaneously. If you can handle that much pleasure, that is. Folk darlings Woodpigeon are on the bill for the tour, which they say is “focused on lyric-writing and the collision between words and music”.
Anika recommends: Scary Mansion
by Lynn Roberts •
Who? Brooklyn based musician and artist Leah Hayes, armed with her thunderstick and joined by her twin sister Vanessa for backing vocals, Ben Shaprio on drums and Bradley Banks on bass.
Willkommen Collective announce gig of the summer
by Helen •
The Willkommen Collective, which counts Sons of Noel and Adrian and The Leisure Society amongst its number, plan an exciting gig in a very special location.
Alessi’s Ark embarks on mega tour
by Helen •
Dreamstress of wonder Alessi’s Ark has begun an epic tour of the British Isles in a bid to spread her web of wonder far and wide. Her travels will take in an eclectic range of venues including instores and one very special gig at a farmhouse which was once a haunt of the Bloomsbury group.
For Folk’s Sake Interview: Roddy Woomble
by Lynn Roberts •
“The thing that always interests me about writing songs is that they don’t have to make sense but they can still be about something, just by the way they make you feel when you listen to it. I think that’s why people dedicate their lives to records, because there’s always something else to wonder about.”
Bloom Festival announces folk-soaked line up
by Helen •
This splendid independent boutique festival is in its fourth year, and
this is the year of the folk act. FFS Favourites Noah and the Whale,
Alessi’s Ark and Ryan O’Reilly are included on the ever-expanding line
up for this musical extravaganza, which will see entertainment spread
across six stages.
FFS Ones to watch: Draw Me Stories
by Lynn Roberts •
“There’s a difference between a Welsh band and a Wales-based band,” says Draw Me Stories singer, Carl Hodgetts. “Wales can be a bit insular and much of the music that comes out of here is pigeonholed. People are often surprised that we’re not Welsh.”
For Folk’s Sake interview: Anika meets St Vincent
by Lynn Roberts •
FFS contributor Anika (who runs music blog Anika in London) is one of St Vincent’s biggest fans so when FFS got the chance to interview the Oklahoma-born singer, it was only right that Anika should be the one to do the honours. When we received the transcript at FFS HQ we were so charmed we decided to put it up in full…
Leisure Society and Bandstand Busking up for prestigious awards
by Lynn Roberts •
It’s a hugely exciting time for the new-folk crowd. In the past week it has been announced that London-based Wilkommen Collective act The Leisure Society has been nominated for an Ivor Novello award for their song The Last of the Melting Snow, released last Christmas.