STEVE JOHNSON recommends that you catch an unforgettable tribute to Woody Guthrie
Best of 2024 folk albums with Steve Johnson
The abundance of quality is heartening and bodes well for the future
MARJORIE MAYO recommends a punchy demonstration of the the way class politics are being fragmented by the right
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends a deliciously dark thriller that explores the complex loyalties within a marriage
JOHN GREEN surveys the remarkable career of screenwriter Malcolm Hulke and the essential part played by his membership of the Communist Party
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Last Breath, Sister Midnight, Opus, and The Electric State
HENRY BELL is moved by the account of scientists under seige in Leningrad who preferred to starve rather than sacrifice their life-saving work
RUTH AYLETT recommends two anthologies: one that bears witness to refugee and immigrant experiences, and the other to our political relationship to water
IT HAS been another good year for fans of folk music with interesting albums from some newer artists as well as veteran performers often with specific themes.
The Rosie Hood Band explored themes of nature and struggles for women’s rights in A Seed of Gold, including a stirring version of Bread and Roses. Honey and the Bear’s Away Beyond the Fret looked at the history of their home county of Suffolk and famous residents like Elizabeth Garrett Anderson.
The history of struggle in the Highland Clearances is also told by Mairead Green and Rachel Newton in Anna Bhan.
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MICHAL BONCZA recommends a compact volume that charts the art of propagating ideas across the 20th century
MICHAL BONCZA reviews Cairokee gig at the London Barbican
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STEVE JOHNSON applauds a new and exciting trio that explore traditional songs to explore gender non-conformity
New releases from Harbottle and Jonas, Naomi Bedford and Paul Simmonds, and Angeline, Cohen and John
Sunderland community soup kitchen, sea mists over East Anglia, and unique north English folk fusion: reviews of Martyn Joseph, Honey and the Bear and Hirondelle