Nominations for the annual BBC Folk Awards will have been announced by the time you read this, and I’m sure there’ll be an equal measure of surprises and controversies in this year’s list. The event has become quite a showcase for our beloved music, and has done much to raise its level of awareness in the mainstream media.

The ceremony itself is scheduled for April 22nd this year, much later than usual, and will no doubt be covered by BBC TV and radio, providing welcome and deserved exposure for British folk music, at a time when its popularity is at an all-time high.

Let’s hope some North Eastern artists are among the nominees this year. I’ll keep you posted. Highlights around the local club scene this week include Chris and Steve Wilson at Darlington’s Copper Beech tonight, and two chances to see exiled Teeside duo Megson, currently on tour to promote their new album “In a Box”.

They’re at St Barnabus Church in Linthorpe tomorrow and at Gateshead’s Sage on Saturday. Also on Saturday, ace guitarist and songwriter Steve Tilston is at Washington’s Davy Lamp and on Monday Michael Woods is at The Iron Horse in Newton Aycliffe.

On Tuesday, the ever-popular Irish songster Kieran Halpin is back in the region with an appearance at The Candlelight Club in Newton Aycliffe, while up the road at the Clef and Cask in Cramlington, there’s a rare appearance by Bob Hall and Hilary Blythe. Bob is one of the UK’s leading blues and boogie piano players, and has played with an astonishing array of bands and luminaries over the years. Augmented by Hilary on bass, their appearance at Cramlington should appeal to blues fans and folk fans alike, and typifies the breadth of music on display around the local folk scene, any week of the year.