February 4, 2010 (From The Northern Echo)

February 4, 2010

12:29pm Thursday 4th February 2010 in

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AND so once again, last Monday, we all gathered together on a chilly February night in East London for the annual BBC Folk Awards.

The great and the good, the young and the old, the likely and the unlikely, mustered themselves from around the folk world to offer thanks and praise for this thing we call Folk Music.

Winners of this year’s prestigious awards included Show of Hands, Cara Dillon, Martin Simpson, Bellowhead and Lau, all of whom have won regularly in recent years.

The only real surprise was a Folksinger of the Year gong for John Kirkpatrick, who ironically, couldn’t be there to collect it.

Less predictable were the guests who stepped up to hand out the awards, including actors Zoe Wannamaker and Kevin Wateley, popstar Neil Finn and DJ Bob Harris. Musical interludes were provided by Nanci Griffith and The Transatlantic Session Band, and then it was all over for another year. Highlights from the evening are still available on the BBC website, courtesy of the Mike Harding Show.

There’s a busy week ahead locally for folk music lovers too, starting tomorrow, when my Bad Pennies colleague Andy May showcases his own music at Gateshead’s Sage.

Saturday has Martin Carthy at Washington’s Davy Lamp, Steve Turner at Richmond Folk Club, Vin Garbutt at Stockton’s Arc, and an all-star benefit concert for the Haiti disaster at The Saville Exchange in North Shields, with The Keelers, Johnny handle and Chris Hendry, John and Caroline Bushby, Beeswing and Ann Sessons.

Sunday has Marie Little at Westoe Club in South Shields, and on Monday we can choose between Tom McConville at Stockton’s Sun Inn, Joe Topping at The Smiths Arms near Chester-le- Street, Sara Grey at The Foresters in Coatham Munderville and Nanci Griffith at Gateshead’s Sage. Finally, on Tuesday, we can catch Joe Topping at Newton Aycliffe’s Candlelight Club, and the legendary Judy Collins at Gateshead’s Sage. Awardwinning stuff all round, in my opinion.