colin-irwin
Cambridge Folk festival review – a safe but charming return
Crowd favourites Billy Bragg, Seasick Steve and Gipsy Kings share the bill with some daring international bookings for the festival’s contented return
Colin Irwin
02, Aug, 2022 @9:46 AM
Sam Sweeney review – folk prodigy shuns the showboating for gentle joy
The Bellowhead fiddler put on an uncharacteristically sedate evening of poignant music about the first world war
Colin Irwin
17, Dec, 2018 @3:09 PM
Anaïs Mitchell review – charismatic, ebullient journey beyond Hadestown
This one-off gig allowed the singer-songwriter to show what an irresistible and perceptive folk musician she is, with tracks ranging across her career
Colin Irwin
29, Oct, 2018 @1:22 PM
Cambridge folk festival review – verve and energy in a female-focused weekend
Rhiannon Giddens, Patti Smith and First Aid Kit kicked up a storm, but with mellower moments from the likes of Eric Bibb and Darlingside this was a wide-ranging and happy festival
Colin Irwin
06, Aug, 2018 @10:40 AM
Van Morrison, protest and pipes: Belfast embraces the BBC Radio 2 Folk awards
The tentatively political ceremony saw artists avoiding Brexit and borders, instead making subtle statements about gender inequality
Colin Irwin
05, Apr, 2018 @11:20 AM
Imagining Ireland review – a glorious, cliche-free musical melting pot
This imaginative, enterprising attempt to recast ideas of Irishness included gospel and blues, hip-hop and poetry
Colin Irwin
07, Mar, 2018 @1:11 PM
Cambridge folk festival review – May-bashing, protest songs and a conga line
Folk-fest veteran Shirley Collins, Fantastic Negrito and a frantic Frank Turner made the weekend’s pallid country-pop acts a distant memory
Colin Irwin
30, Jul, 2017 @1:20 PM
Margaret Barry: wild Irish woman of the British folk scene
Discovered on a street corner by Alan Lomax, the ‘queen of the Gypsies’ was an untamed talent who outdrank Brendan Behan, insulted Bob Dylan, and filled the Royal Albert Hall. The author of a new show tells her story
Colin Irwin
18, Jan, 2017 @3:37 PM
Seth Lakeman review – gutsy honesty and virtuosity
Forgoing the grandstand set pieces for a more nuanced sound with Wildwood Kin trio and a compact band, Lakeman shows there’s life after populist frenzy
Colin Irwin
15, Dec, 2016 @1:38 PM
Flit review – brown paper, bonhomie and musical brilliance
Martin Green’s innovative project about human migration mixes folk music with narrative and animation, creating a classy evening of drama and passion
Colin Irwin
28, Oct, 2016 @3:50 PM
9Bach review – charm and fragile beauty from the Welsh-language sextet
Komedia, Brighton
The ambitious and versatile folk band win the audience over after a difficult start
The ambitious and versatile folk band win the audience over after a difficult start
Colin Irwin
17, May, 2016 @1:42 PM
Bellowhead review – folk's big band wave goodbye in style
This was a night of celebration in front of a whooping full house as English trad’s flagship act continue their farewell tour
Colin Irwin
25, Apr, 2016 @12:49 PM
1 / 5 pages