Support  from the wonderful Anthea Neads and Andy Prince

Anthea Neads & Andy Prince represent a synergy of influences and complementary talents that combine to create a fresh and exciting psychedelic folk-rock sound. Anthea first began working with Andy – a renowned bassist and Chapman Stick player – on her solo material, released in 2010 on her debut album “Jars of Clay“. This earlier material – some of which appears in the duo’s current live set – demonstrates Anthea’s sensitivity and ability to excel at tender and evocative folk-influenced vocals with a tinge of jazz and elicits comparisons to the likes of Sandy Denny and Jacquie McShee.

Anthea and Andy formed a writing partnership in early 2011 and have been performing as a duo ever since. They recorded and released their joint debut album “Penhayl” during 2011 to critical acclaim. Described by R2 Magazine as “English pastoral
acoustic rock of the highest order ****”, Anthea and Andy’s joint sound is both innovative and somewhat reminiscent of English 60s folk-rock pioneers and the San Francisco summer of love scene. Anthea’s vocal sound has developed since her solo days and she has blossomed into a powerful and “refreshingly distinctive” vocalist who delivers the pair’s “love and peace with attitude” lyrics with passion and integrity.

Andy plays unique lyrical counter-melodies – using the bass as both a lead and rhythm instrument -  influenced by the likes of Jaco Pastorius, Paul McCartney and Jack Casady. He transfixes audiences with his astounding musicianship whilst also providing warm harmony backing vocals. Andy is also an accomplished Chapman Stick player and has begun to use this versatile instrument in the duo’s material (see www.andrewprince.net). To date Andy has released one beautiful instrumental Chapman Stick album, “Band of Rain” (under the name Andrew Prince), and is currently recording the follow-up.

Anthea and Andy’s live performances are a moving experience which take the audience on a journey which is uplifting, mpowering, poignant and memorable. Their warmth, onstage humour and personal chemistry combine with passionate delivery and enthusiasm which draw onlookers into their world. Anthea and Andy’s lyrics – at various times rousing, idealistic, personal and universal – paint vivid pictures of their many travels, passions, experiences and ideals. Their anthemic new material strikes a chord and invariably has people singing along on first hearing.

The Cellar Bar, South Hill Park, Bracknell, RG12 7PA
Doors: 7.30pm
Tickets: £7 available from http://www.southhillpark.org.uk/6730/shows/folking-live-26-may.html or by contacting the box office: 01344 484123

Please see below for full line-up.

Review by Gethin Webster

Sam’s first studio release, a three track acoustic EP, brought Sam to the attention of some of the UK’s best live promoters and a UK tour with Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriella set him on a string of broad reaching supports.
Sam’s debut single, You May Not Mean to Hurt Me (But You Do), released on a limited edition eponymous EP**, won the 2009 EMA award for best folk song.

David Hughes is an acoustic guitarist, songwriter, author and playwright. He has six albums, five published books and a set of
plays. His sharp, half-spoken delivery and rhythmically-percussive finger-style guitar earned him regular slots on BBC Radio Four’s Loose Ends with the late Ned Sherrin.

Tickets:  from Jagz on 01344 878100

First up, a local favourite, Caddy Cooper, whose powerful “smiley” voice and lively presence kicked off the evening to a great start.  Caddy’s songs and lyrics are a lively collection of melodies about her life and observations, even in her work with underprivileged children she can find inspiration to put pen to paper and come up with a thought provoking take on how perceptions can sometimes be wrong.  With a big personality and a guitar named “Little Martin” she certainly deserved the applause at the end of her set.  I’m sure she will have gained some new followers amongst the audience.  If you haven’t yet heard Caddy, look her up on iTunes.

Next to take the stage was another return act to Folking Live, a North London performer Eddy Johns.  A singer song writer who is best described as a cross between Bob Dylan and Paul Simon with a quantity of Don Mclean thrown in for good measure.  Quiet and unassuming, but with a big stage presence and a wide repertoire, he preceded to hold the attention of the audience with a demonstration of accomplished guitar playing and song writing skills.  It’s no wonder that he sold clean out of the CD’s he’d brought with him, I’m sure he’ll bring more next time.  If you missed Eddy look him up on YouTube, you will not be disappointed.

As a larger than normal group next took to the stage it was obvious that a change was about to happen.  Frodo Freud a six piece band consisting of dual guitars and percussion, a bass guitarist and “most” of a cello.  Best described as funk on acid with a touch of blues on the side for good measure, this group was always going to be entertaining and they didn’t disappoint, you can easily see why this group has a band of loyal followers.  This was not your traditional folk roots line up however they gave a rounded and entertaining performance leaving their supporters crying for an encore which only proved to show how popular this band is.

Sam Sallon was the nights headline act, an accomplished singer song writer with a soft melodic voice that managed to fill the Cellar Bar with ease.  Creating an atmosphere of calm that merited the intent listening from the audience; this is clearly a talented musician who has played alongside some notable names from both the folk and contemporary music scene.  His solo career is surely only just beginning.  With his intricate guitar playing a perfect accompaniment to his lyrics Sam even managed incorporate a few whistling passages along the way all adding to this demonstration of a unique style and a laid back approach to entertainment.  His songs ranged from statements about life and his observations and take on world events alongside reflections of his own journey through life.  His upcoming album “One for the road” will surely be one not to miss out on, if you can’t wait you can hear snippets available on his web site.

If you’ve not been or have missed Folking Lives first event in 2012 then put a note in your diary for the 4th Saturday in each month, come alone you will not be disappointed.  The entertainment and the Ale will be first class.”

He set the tone with ‘Saga Lout’, the show’s opener – “it’s just like 18-30, I go to bed like they do, but it isn’t quite as dirty”. He noted the audience were by and large “of an age”, and so we were regaled with lots of allegedly true stories from the breadth of his 40 year career. There were blasts against “C-list” celebrities (did anyone know who they were?), tales from Countdown’s Dictionary Corner and the bizarre story behind why his Dad didn’t talk to him for eight years. And of course many of his crowd-pleasing songs like ‘Sod’s Law’ and ‘200 Remembers’.

This was not just a nostalgia trip. A new CD, Old School Photograph, has been released to coincide with the tour. From it, ‘The Ballad Of Johnny Puller’, a commissioned piece, links the sad story of young Johnny with the famous 1914 football match in no-man’s land and the returning soldiers in 1918 who formed Leyton Orient FC (“what a bloody way to spend a Christmas Day for Johnny who was only 17”).

Richard claims not to “do politics” on account of “not being clever enough”. But the art and craft of this evergreen songwriter-performer (and no mean guitarist) showed us why after several decades of keeping audiences entertained, he still has the wit to engage us on every level from the raucous to the reflective.

The opening track, ‘Tired And Ragged Souls’, sets the tone well, and hints at the gentle social consciousness that permeates subsequent tracks, such as the catchy ‘Hand Me Downs’ which addresses issues around the impact of second homes. ‘Bittercress’ is a stand-out song, featuring Darren’s delicate finger picked guitar and harmonies reminiscent of Fairport Convention’s ‘Fotheringay’. ‘Prodigy’ has a very memorable melody line and muses on the story behind the young homeless man you might pass by but don’t stop to engage with.

It’s folk, expertly played and sympathetically produced, that has much in it to appeal to all music lovers across the breadth of this genre.

There were live performances on the night from  Seth Lakeman, The Unthanks and the Brighouse and Rastrick Band, Martin Simpson, June Tabor and Don McLean and The Dubliners who both received Lifetime Achievment Awards.

Martin Simpson opened the awards to with Lakes of Ponchatrain from his Purpose and Grace album. In terms of the biggest exposure on the night June Tabor and the Oysterband took three awards and June Tabor also received Folksinger of the Year Award.

So, on to the full list, the winners are in bold:

FOLK SINGER OF THE YEAR

Jon Boden
Jackie Oates
Emily Smith
June Tabor

BEST DUO

Tim Edey & Brendan Power
Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell
Spiers & Boden
Marry Waterson & Oliver Knight

BEST GROUP

Bellowhead
The Home Service
June Tabor & Oysterband
The Unthanks

BEST ALBUM

Last – The Unthanks
Purpose & Grace – Martin Simpson
Ragged Kingdom – June Tabor & Oysterband
Saturnine – Jackie Oates

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

The Herring Girl – Bella Hardy
Last – Adrian McNally (performed by The Unthanks)
On Morecambe Bay – Kevin Littlewood (performed by Christy Moore)
The Reckoning – Steve Tilston

BEST TRADITIONAL TRACK

Bonny Bunch of Roses – June Tabor & Oysterband
Lakes of Ponchartrain – Martin Simpson
Maids When You’re Young – Lucy Ward
Sweet Lover of Mine – Emily Smith

HORIZON AWARD

Megan Henwood
Lady Maisery
Pilgrims’ Way
Lucy Ward

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

Andy Cutting
Tim Edey
Will Pound
Martin Simpson

BEST LIVE ACT

Bellowhead
The Home Service
Peatbog Faeries
The Unthanks

BBC RADIO 2 YOUNG FOLK AWARD

Sunjay Brayne
Blair Dunlop
Ioscaid
Graham Mackenzie

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Dubliners

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Don McLean

GOOD TRADITION AWARD

Ian Campbell

GOOD TRADITION AWARD

Bill Leader

ROOTS AWARD

Malcolm Taylor

And so, the evening finished with the Dubliners performing two songs: Dirty Old Town and Whiskey in the Jar….

Roll on next year…

I spoke to Jena about the album  “This album is really atmospheric and includes songs written by Andy way back when we were a full band (around 2004-2005) alongside songs we have written together over the past 5 years. We’ve been talking about recording for at least 2 years but during that time Andy has been at University, got married and had his first child so things were a bit hectic for a while. Once things were more settled we contacted a friend – Charlie Luffrum – who has a home studio in Bracknell who we thought would do a fantastic job of recording us as he’s been a sound engineer for us at various gigs so knows our sound well and has a great ear for acoustic music. He also provided the piano for us in Lost and Without Sound as we felt that they were missing something, and his additions were perfect!”

“Fields of Sleep has been the track that most people remember us for, so we really wanted to make this one of the stand out songs on the album, so Andy added some more layers of guitar and our old drummer – Greg – kindly joined us in the studio to add percussion to this track along with a number of others. Having said this, we also wanted to keep it simple, so I just added harmonies in the chorus but kept the main body of the song almost identical to our previous recordings.” 

“Both Futures and Nothing have benefitted immensely from the addition of violins from Gethin Webster (All Things Considered). They were both favourite tracks of ours, but now with the additional instrument there is a much fuller sound and he has really captured the mood of the pieces.”

Scattered Few are to release ‘A Dozen Sirens’ through Artree in around February/March time. So, if your in the mood for some atmospheric acoustic music then you need to check them out.

There will also be a full review of the album when its release. But for now please listen to our player for a sneak peak at one of the tracks.

Adrian

This ensemble of passionate musicians creates a thrilling spectacle that injects a shot of adrenaline into the traditional folk sound. The band’s original songs deal with the myths and legends of their home county of Kent, while their performances of traditional songs and tunes take inspiration from the classic folk-rock of Fairport Convention and the Albion Band.
More contemporary influences include the likes of Lau, the Urban Folk Quartet and Bellowhead.

Having gigged consistently throughout London and Kent including a packed out gig in their home town on the main stage at the Faversham Hop Festival, Green Diesel will enter the studio in 2012 to record their first album, accompanied by gigs throughout England and Europe.

Landermason (Joint Headline)
Fiona Lander and Paul Mason collectively known as ‘Landermason’ have been writing, recording and performing together for ten years. Multi instrumentalist Fiona (vocals, piano, whistles, saxes, clarinet and recorder) and Paul (guitars and vocals) have developed a unique sound which displays their undoubted talents. They combine both traditional and contemporary folk with jazz and other styles in their beautiful and striking arrangements.

Landermason have recorded and produced 4 CD’s to date on their own label LAMA Records. Tracks from these albums have been featured on BBC 1 (Primetime TV), BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4 as well as on many other radio shows across the network.

Their LIVE sound is impressive, full of variety and with plenty of audience interaction. Often described as ‘refreshingly different’, Landermason are equally at home entertaining audiences in folk and acoustic music clubs, theatres, festivals, village halls and pubs and are proud to have performed at some of the UK’s best known live music venues.

Cope Preferred Outline
Cope Preferred Outline are pop-folk guitar and vocal duo Colin and Steve.

“…the harmonies of the Everly Brothers, Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel”
- Vic Cracknell (Legendary Open Mic Impresario)