Do we need another dose of back-slapping? (From The Northern Echo)

Do we need another dose of back-slapping?

3:12pm Thursday 12th January 2012 in Folk By Jez Lowe, Folk Music Columnist

SPIRAL Earth is one of the many websites devoted to folk music currently operating on the internet, and its affiliation to the leading UK folk magazine Froots has made it one of the more significant sources of information and opinion.

It is now running its own music awards feature. This is a public vote, so we all have the opportunity to log on to spiralearth.co.uk to vote for our favourite acts among those nominated by the people who run the site.

With the BBC Folk awards imminent, and the Scottish Music Awards only just behind us, there are those who are asking if we need yet another dose of back-slapping and preening in what is, essentially, a scene based on music coming from the soul, not from the publicist’s page.

I’m in two minds myself, as I find the whole awards concept, from the Oscars downwards, to be somewhat distasteful, but at the same time I admit to being thrilled to bits when I was a Folk Awards nominee myself a few years ago.. Let me know what you think, by writing to jez@jezlowe.com.

In the real world of live music, local highlights this week include Chris and Steve Wilson at Blaydon’s Tynefolk tonight, The Young ’Uns at Guisborough Cricket Club tomorrow, and a double bill at Washington’s Davy Lamp on Saturday featuring singer and guitarist Jed Grimes and a first appearance by The Cornshed Sisters. Top local songstress Marie Little is at Westoe Club in South Shields on Sunday, and the ever-popular Flossie Malavialle is at Stockton’s Sun Inn on Monday. Finally, on Wednesday, Bishop Auckland Town Hall presents a night of North Eastern song and music with my good friends Benny Graham and Chuck Fleming.

There’d certainly be a few awards spread among this little lot, if I had any say in the matter.