STEVE JOHNSON relishes a celebration of the commonality of folk music and its links with the struggles of working people the world over
Best of 2019: Albums
ROUSING: The Trials of Cato
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
ONE of the most exciting developments for folk music fans over the last few years has been the number of young talented performers dominating the festival circuit and delighting audiences with a combination of traditional and new songs, often with a radical political slant.
2019 seems to have been particularly good in this regard, with some outstanding albums released, among them Wheels of The World by Granny’s Attic (Grimdon Records), the third album from the talented young trio.
It consists mainly of traditional songs like Gilderoy and The Highwayman but with their own distinct arrangements while What I Saw in my Dream as I Slept in My Chair explores 19th-century political issues but with an added new verse about present-day political injustice.
More from this author
STEVE JOHNSON relishes a celebration of the commonality of folk music and its links with the struggles of working people the world over
STEVE JOHNSON recommends a protest album with a harder edge than many in the genre
STEVE JOHNSON speaks to DJ and singer/songwriter Mark Radcliffe
New releases from Christina Alden and Alex Patterson, Odette Michell, Clementine Lovell
