Paul Gross, who has died aged 86, was part of the Rakes for 60 years with his oldest friends, Reg Hall and Michael Plunkett. Originally the Rakes of Gravesend, Reg’s little joke, the band started out in Reg’s front room in Gravesend in February 1956, progressing to a series of dances at Tivoli House in the town. They soon started playing for dances all over the country and became simply the Rakes. Paul played fiddle and, on occasion, piano accompaniment. In the late 1950s and early 60s, Irish music was, in Reg’s words, “the underground culture in London”. The three “English boys”, as they beca ..read more

When it was suggested to me that I might want to join the EFDSS Zoom-based singing class to see what it was like, my mind went straight back to junior school – Singing Together on a Tuesday morning: Bobby Shafto’s Gone To Sea and In Dublin’s Fair City rang around my head. Nevertheless, one Monday evening in the middle of September 2023, not quite knowing what to expect, I pressed the link to join my first Zoom lesson with Monday Folk Singers. My screen filled with 34 tiles, each showing the excited face of a participant from somewhere in the UK or from Canada or New York. The top lef ..read more

“‘I’ve been looking forward to this all year,” says Barry Goodman, introducing the 2024 New Roots competition for young folk musicians at the Trestle Arts Base in St Albans on 7 April. He’s not the only one. It’s a delight and often a revelation to hear how young musicians are making our traditional and newer music their own, showing it in new lights while keeping their affection for its origins. When New Roots started in 2000 for young folk musicians under 25, the idea was that winners would be chosen. In that first year, the judges were presented with such an array of talent that they f ..read more

We were one of the few media outlets to secure an interview with the elusive duo the Folk Detectives. But they appear soon in London at the Water Rats on 29 May and at festivals including Chippenham, Sidmouth, Broadstairs, FolkEast and Moseley Folk – so we thought audiences should be forewarned. After weeks of negotiation, and a lawyer’s statement to affirm we had no link with Cecil Sharp House, we made our way to a drive-in Taco Bell near Lewisham, from where we were blindfolded and driven to a secret location – an allotment shed close to what sounded like an abattoir – where we sat down face ..read more

The world of folk clubs, sessions and singarounds can be baffling for a newcomer. It may seem like there’s an unwritten rulebook that everyone knows except you – and you’ll be in trouble if you break one. That isn’t really true, and the vast majority of clubs are friendly and welcoming to first-timers. But if you’d like to know more about what you’re getting into, the folk FAQ is here to help explain what to expect. It’s updated regularly, and the answers come from a panel of folk club MCs and organisers. If you have a question for them, contact us here. What’s the difference between a club, a ..read more

Lauded by Martin Carthy. Live barnstormers with a fanbase to match their surging reputation. And all this from a band that’s barely a year old. It’s been quite the rise for Goblin Band, who are launching their first EP in May. But there’s a sense that they’ve tapped into something huge and vital. When I meet up with two-fifths of the current lineup, Sonny Brazil (vocals and accordion) and Rowan Gatherer (vocals, hurdy gurdy and recorders), in a St Giles pub in February, they are fresh from leading a riotous Goblin Band wassail through the area a few days earlier. Sonny recounts: “We ended up w ..read more

There has been an increase in interest in making folk music more accessible recently – whether that’s to do with race, sexuality, gender or just people not familiar with the folk scene and unsure of the unwritten rules. But what about people with disabilities? As an occupational therapist and folk fan, here’s my thoughts about how we can make folk clubs, sessions and singarounds more accessible, whether you run a club or just like to go along. If you run a club, you might not get much choice of venue. In an ideal world everything would be fully accessible, but unfortunately we’re not there yet ..read more

I first met Barry Laing, who has died aged 75, in the college bar at the then Goldsmiths’ College, London, in 1970. Hearing the sound of a squeezebox emanating from the adjacent Small Hall, we went to see what was happening and found Dave Surman attempting to teach morris to a collection of hopefuls. Inspired, no doubt, by the beer and the apparent oddity of the proceedings we asked to join in … the rest is history. Both Barry and I had some previous musical experience – he on the fiddle and I on the piano accordion – and, knowing that Dave was approaching the end of his time at “Smiths”, we w ..read more

The world of folk clubs, sessions and singarounds can be baffling for a newcomer. It may seem like there’s an unwritten rulebook that everyone knows except you – and you’ll be in trouble if you break one. That isn’t really true, and the vast majority of clubs are friendly and welcoming to first-timers. But if you’d like to know more about what you’re getting into, the folk FAQ is here to help explain what to expect. It’s updated regularly, and the answers come from a panel of folk club MCs and organisers. If you have a question for them, contact us here. What’s the difference between a club, a ..read more

On Wednesday evenings Cecil Sharp House is a hive of activity. Trefusis Hall hosts a programme of folk concerts and Storrow Hall hosts Pete Cooper’s London Fiddle School. The largest space, Kennedy Hall, familiar to Strictly Come Dancing fans, hosts the Cecil Sharp House Choir, not the only but the largest folk choir in London. It was already a few weeks into the autumn term when I joined the choir. There are more than 60 members so walking into a hall where three rows of chairs were set in a semicircle facing the stage was a little daunting. People were beginning to gather, finding their seat ..read more