Much loved English duo, Spiers & Boden, have announced that they are back together and working on new material for a launch at summer festivals in 2021 and a comeback tour in October 2021.  John Spiers and Jon Boden rocketed onto the folk scene in 2001, and after many successful years, during which they founded and fronted the band Bellowhead, they disbanded as a duo in 2014.  News of their comeback, and of a new album, will please their many fans.

The Tenterden Folk Festival is going virtual from 1-4 October, so put the dates in your diary and give them some support.

This year's Frank Harte Festival is due to be held from 25-27 September. Sadly, due to the Irish government's COVID-19 restrictions, all of the events will now take place online. But the good news is, that means many people who wouldn't be able to attend in person, from all over the world, can now make it.

Artistic Director Changes at Scots Fiddle Festival

Having been a key part of the Scots Fiddle Festival team for the last four years, Artistic Director Rosie Munro is moving on after the 25th festival this year in November.  “Rosie brought an excitement and enthusiasm to the festival, and was a very capable pair of hands in which to entrust our programming, pushing our fiddle boundaries, whilst respecting the tradition. We’ll all miss her,” said Malcolm Gillies, the festival Chair.

Salford City Radio have two regular folk programmes that cover a wide selection of folk and roots music, as well as other related genres (as seen in an advert in LT134).  The station is currently experiencing very restricted live broadcasting due to COVID-19 studio curtailments, so at present most shows will be pre-recorded or will be repeats, some from former times.  The programmes will be going fully live again when the station gets the go ahead.

'Near And Far' with Rob Dunford - Tuesdays from 3-4pm
'Salford Folk' with Mather & Robinson - Thursdays from 6-7pm

from Pete Heywood on Vimeo

Rothbury Music Festival ‘frontload’ artists’ payments

Like so many events, the Rothbury Traditional Music Festival, which was due to take place in July with performances from the likes of Martin Carthy, Cathal Hayden, Northern Company, 422 and the Newcastle Kingsmen, has been cancelled. However, unlike a lot of other events, the acts and artists who were booked to play will all be offered their fee, paid in advance of the rescheduled festival, which will take place in July 2021.

Slí na mBeaglaoich - traditional Irish music series on TG4

Renowned West Kerry traditional musicians, Father and son Breanndán and Cormac Ó Beaglaoich, travel up the West coast of Ireland from Kerry to Donegal in their 40 year old camper van, Beauty, on a journey of musical discovery. In this exciting new six-part traditional music series, they meet with friends old and new, traditional musicians and artists as they embark on a trip of a lifetime.

New album of Doc Watson live recordings

Over the years Doc Watson has inspired countless people to pick up the guitar and learn to flatpick the old melodies of the Appalachians.  A continuing influence on music in America and beyond, a new release of some old recordings of Doc alongside his fiddling father-in-law, Gaither Carlton, has been scheduled for the end of May by Smithsonian Folkways.