JUST as I find myself leaving the country for foreign parts, the local folk scene bursts into life with a fantastic week of concerts and club gigs.

It starts tomorrow with the uncrowned king of singer-songwriters Richard Thompson and his 1,000 Years of Popular Music concert, which is surely a potentially sellout performance at Gateshead’s Sage (see left).

The excitement continues on Saturday with a choice between Brother Crow at Kirkby Fleetham Folk Club, Richard Grainger and Jackie Oates at Commondale Village Hall and one-man folk festival Pete Coe at Washington’s Davy Lamp. Sunday offers Scots balladeer Tich Frier at Guisborough Rugby Club and a Burns Night Special at Bishop Auckland Town Hall with The Nebula Big Band.

Powerful Irish songwriter Kieran Halpin is at The Foresters in Coatham Mundeville on Monday, and then Tuesday has Jim MacFarlane at Darlington’s Britannia, Irish super-group Dervish at Hexham’s Queen’s Hall, and the best in Celtic folkrock from The Caffreys at Cramlington’s Hind.

Jim MacFarlane and Ken Wilson round off our week at Birtley’s RAOB Club on Wednesday, not forgetting an attractive evening of American folk music on BBC4 on Friday night, that will be continuing for the next few weeks. Meanwhile, I’m over the hills and far away at Auckland Folk Festival, New Zealand, at the beginning of my Antipodean tour, from where I’ll be reporting back over the next couple of months, while still trying to keep you abreast of all the events back home in the North-East.