SOME old favourites and some new names will be in the region’s folk venues in the week ahead. Tonight we’re really spoiled for choice, with George Welch at Blaydon’s Tynefolk, Scots balladeer Tich Frier at Skelton’s Duke William for a special Burns Night celebration, and local hero Ray Thom at The Copper Beech in Darlington.

On Saturday, Washington’s Davy Lamp welcome the young English band Pilgrim’s Way, who will be bringing with them an array of instruments and a fine selection of traditional songs and tunes, and on Sunday, zany Lancashire songwriter and all-round good lad Stanley Accrington will be entertaining the good folks of South Shields at their new venue at The Customs House.

The young Sheffield-based singer Kirsty Bromley is another who has embraced the English tradition, and she’ll be at Stockton’s Sun Inn on Monday. That same night, local lad Tony Martin is at The North Briton in Aycliffe Village, to start what looks like being a really good season of guest performers for them, with the ebullient John Snowball at the helm.

Meanwhile, as you are reading this over your cornflakes, I’ll likely be waking with a monster hangover in Glasgow, having been invited to the BBC Folk Awards at Celtic Connections last night.

I’ll try to give you a belated match report next week. Billy Bragg and Roy Harper are touted as recipients of special awards. Mr Bragg is someone I’ve never met, but Mr Harper, despite his reputation as being somewhat unpredictable, was one of the nicest lads I’ve ever worked with.

Both are worthy of such an honour, in my opinion.