Three men of folk

while writing about this passion of mine called folk music, but by any standards, we have three men who readily qualify for such an accolade in the region in the week ahead. Two of them, predictably, are at Gateshead’s Sage. Tonight, Tom Paxton returns, with an unparalleled set of self-penned songs written over the last half-century, and many of which have long been common currency with singer-guitarists, myself included. The high standard of Tom’s songs has never wavered, unlike many others of his ilk, and his stage-presence has long been the envy of us all.

The same can be said of Loudon Wainwright, who graces The Sage’s hallowed hall next Wednesday. Loudon’s style is different from Tom’s and from most other people too, and yet the two share an integrity and originality that has transcended trends and fashions.

Meanwhile, a songwriter from this side of the Atlantic visits Washington’s Davy Lamp on Saturday. Rab Noakes emerged from that unique Scottish school of songwriters in the late 1960s and was particularly popular on Tyneside due to his association with local band Lindisfarne, who recorded a bunch of his songs on their early albums. All of us songwriters have a lot to learn from these lads, so let’s form a queue right now.

The region’s fiddle enthusiasts will be forming disorderly queues at The Sage tomorrow for the Fiddles on Fire weekend.

Elsewhere, Ken Wilson is at South Shields Customs House on Sunday. Newcomer Kyle Frazer is at The Cutty Wren, now held on Tuesday at Redcar Borough Park Bowling Club, and guitar wizard Martin Simpson is at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Wednesday. At the risk of repeating myself, what a week.