STEVE JOHNSON relishes a celebration of the commonality of folk music and its links with the struggles of working people the world over
Album reviews
Latest releases from Ninebarrow, Portable Radio and Tim Lane
This thriller is a politically charged and morally complex dive into climate activism and police repression, judges JENNY FARRELL
Cat show killer, avenging the pawns, women hunt the Ripper, and running dry in the outback
The Bard reflects on sharing a bed, and why he wont go to Chelsea
MARY CONWAY applauds a new play that foresees the unscrupulous tactics of a future far-right minority government
RON JACOBS is moved to tears by an eloquent journal of heartfelt intensity and human portraiture
ROBERT OVETZ recommends a case study, from the University of Leicester, in their struggle against precarization, AI, privatisation, outsourcing, and work intensification in higher education
A Pocket Full of Acorns
(Winding Track)
★★★★★
NAMED after a down in the Purbeck hills, Dorset-based folk duo Ninebarrow — Jon Whitley and Jay LaBouchardiere — have been captivating audiences over the last few years with their innovative take on traditional and contemporary folk songs.
Their fourth album is inspired by the landscape and history of Dorset, with the title track referencing Nelson’s second in command at the Battle of Trafalgar, who always carried acorns in his pockets to plant in appropriate places, reflecting the duo’s own environmental concerns and commitment to planting trees.
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STEVE JOHNSON relishes a celebration of the commonality of folk music and its links with the struggles of working people the world over
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