After a busy & successful Bermondsey Folk Festival. Cunning Folk are not resting on laurels. There is a chance to see Cunning Folk perform on the Golden Hinde on Friday October 7th as part of the bill of the wonderful Tiller Flat Folk Club. There is also a talk called “A Beginner’s Guide To Folklore”, promoted by Cunning Folk, on Thursday October 13th. Follow the link for more details…
This is London. Interesting & exciting. Vibrant with a whiff of danger. Cunning Folk love London, however Cunning Folk crave the peace of the countryside. Tomorrow we go to Avebury in Wiltshire to take pictures of the Stone Circle, Silbury Hill & West Kennet Long Barrow for the purposes of promoting the upcoming album, Ritual Land, Uncommon Ground. This part of Britain close to the Ridgeway is special. Libations will be given. Scones will be eaten.
As well as organising the annual Bermondsey Folk Festival which is going to be the best free folk festival in London this September, Cunning Folk are starting up a monthly folk club in Bermondsey starting in October. Expect to hear more very soon…
As well as putting on the Bermondsey Folk Festival, running interesting folk nights & days & running the South East London Folklore Society, Cunning Folk is also an folk artist. There is an album waiting in the wings called “Ritual Land, Uncommon Ground”, a musical celebration of the lands in which we live. Expect songs about chalk horses, Pendle witches, Augustine’s letter to Pope Gregory, birdwatching & Nan Shepherd.
So here it is. The 2016 Bermondsey Folk Festival is going to be from the 6th to the 11th of September. A week of free folk events in the heart of South East London. Eventbrite links will be provided shortly.
Watch this space for exciting news about the Bermondsey Folk Club which will be starting in October….
Folk Synthesis on Sunday at Rye Wax in Peckham was a fantastic happening. From the swamp blues of the Delta Ladies to the sonic wall of Teleplasmiste. From the freeform sound workshop of Jamie Paton & George Hoyle & members of the Peckham folk diaspora to storytelling from London Dreamtime. A great improv from Stick in the Wheel & wonderful sets from Moonswift & SandSnowman/Autonal Faerune & Katy Carr. A nice crowd of audience & performers alike. This event will return later on in the year with more of the same & more of the new…
Cunning Folk are delighted to announce an afternoon of collaboration between folk & electronic musicians on Sunday April 17th at Rye Wax in Peckham.
Folk Synthesis is a simple concept, folk musicians, poets & storytellers perform alongside experimental electronic musicians.
This afternoon is free & boasts an excellent line-up.
Katy Carr is an award winning Anglo-Polish singer
Stick In The Wheel are an award winning folk band
Vanessa Woolf (A.K.A. London Dreamtime) is a highly successful storyteller
Mark Pilkington is a renowned electronic musician who will be performing as Teleplasmiste
Jack Ellister is an up & coming Psychedelic songwriter
Cage & Aviary are cosmic electronic musicians
GentleFolk are a progressive folk band
Sand Snowman combine synthesis & folk music so are obviously suited to this event
The Delta Ladies are renowned exponents of country blues
follow the link for more details…
The festival of Saturn approaches; what better way to celebrate than with music, storytelling, poetry & dance. Cunning Folk & Atlantis Book are delighted to host a free evening of entertainment featuring the storytelling of London Dreamtime, the poetry of Tim Cumming, the music of GentleFolk & the dance of Wolfshead & Vixen Morris.
A magical telling of Hans Christian Anderson’s classic story “The Snowqueen”, poems from one of the finest modern poets, songs of Crowley & a gothic morris side; this could be the unmissable December event!
This free event is on Friday 11th December & will start at 7ish in the Atlantis Bookshop 49A Museum St, London WC1A 1LY.
The Atlantis Bookshop on Museum Street, a stone’s throw from the British Museum is the venue for the next Cunning Folk event! Having taken a well earned break after the Bermondsey Folk Festival, Cunning Folk are gearing up for Saturnalia, the Roman festival of Saturn & precursor to Christmas.
The lovely folk at Atlantis are hosting us in the shop with poetry, music, storytelling & morris dancing from Wolfshead & Vixen Morris. Obviously the dancing will not take place inside the shop.
So put 11th December 6.30ish in the diary for a wonderful free event! More details very soon…
Bermondsey Folk Festival: a week of free folk music in the heart of South East London.
Southwark Park Road is a stone’s throw away from Bermondsey Underground Station. On the first week of September there is a programme of free folk music from established performers in & around Southwark Park Road.
Featured performers include acclaimed Irish Traveller singer & storyteller Thomas McCarthy, much loved old time American player & singer Tom Paley, veteran folk & blues player Wizz Jones & the excellent Steve Tilston.
Here is the full line-up & schedule with links to more details:
TUESDAY 1/9/2015 At The Queen Victoria,
148 Southwark Park Rd, London SE16 3RP
8pm
WEDNESDAY 2/9/2015 At The Old Bank
239 Southwark Park Road, London SE16 3TT
8pm
THOMAS MCCARTHY, GEMMA KHAWAJA, FRAN FOOTE
THURSDAY 3/9/2015 At The Blue Anchor,
251 Southwark Park Rd, London SE16 3TS
8pm
SIMON PRAGER & DOC ROWE, THE LUCKY DANDY & THE KNOWN ASSOCIATE
FRIDAY 4/9/2015 At The Ancient Foresters
282 Southwark Park Rd, London SE16 2HB
SATURDAY 5/9/2015 At The Blue Market,
Market Place, Bermondsey, London SE16 3UQ
SATURDAY FOLK STAGE from 12.30pm
12:30-1 DULWICH FOLK CHOIR
1:10-1:40 NIALL KELLY
1:50-2:10 FORBES MONCRIEFF
2:20-2:50 BLACK SCARR
3-3:30 STUART FORRESTER
3:40-4:20 KATY CARR
4:30-5:10 WIZZ JONES
5:20-6 UMBRELLABIRDS
SUNDAY 6/9/2015 At The Biscuit Factory
100 Clements Road, London, SE16 4DG
12:30-1:10 BARA BARA BAND
1.20-2 LORDS OF THYME
2:20-3 TOM PALEY
4-4:20 HANK DOG
4:30-5:10 MISHAPED PEARLS
5:20-6 STEVE TILSTON
Cunning Folk 