From record shop gigs to symphony halls and everything in between - The Rheingans Sisters, Billy Mitchell & Bob Fox, UFQ and Warduna

In October I reviewed the Rheingans Sisters’ album ‘Start Close.’ Then, in November, I was lucky enough to see the sisters perform an unplugged mini-gig at Carnival Records in Malvern in Worcestershire. It was my first visit to Carnival Records and it was wonderful to see Anna and Rowan perform a few songs in such an intimate and convivial setting. They joked that they should have played ‘The Road to Malvern.’ Although I know Malvern well, I never knew the town had been immortalised in a fiddle tune but it turns out ‘Road to Malvern’ is a ‘modern old-time tune’ composed by West Virginia fiddler Jim Childress and is named after Malvern in Arkansas (Childress’s wife’s hometown) – which is funny because Malvern, Worcestershire, is my late wife’s hometown.

Just up the road in Worcester, Huntingdon Hall does its bit for folk music too. In October, they hosted Billy Mitchell & Bob Fox. Billy Mitchell is a former member of Lindisfarne while Bob Fox is a singer/guitarist who has been described as "possessing one of the best folk-singing voices in England ... evoking the songs of the northeast, with power and clarity.” (Bob’s version of ‘Bonny at Morn’ is exquisite.) The two old friends were witty and entertaining, gently mocking the strange way non-Geordies talk. Their encore – the Mamas & The Papas' ‘Monday, Monday’ – had the audience irresistibly singing those famous “bah-da, bah-da-da-da’s.” 

In November, it was the turn of the Urban Folk Quartet (or UFQ, as they’re affectionally known) to take to the Huntingdon Hall stage for an exhilarating show. I’m looking forward to seeing them at Purbeck Valley Folk Festival this coming August, along with, to name but a few,  Elephant Sessions, Mishra and... oh, yes, The Rheingans Sisters! 

That brings us full circle, except to add that just last month, I was lucky enough to see Norwegian dark-folk band Wardruna live at Birmingham Symphony Hall. In my preceding blog post, you can read my interview with Einar Selvik - frontman of Wardruna, talking about the new album 'Birna'. Having had the pleasure of interviewing Einar twice over recent years, and having reviewed several of Warduna's albums, it was wonderful to finally see the band live. They didn't disappoint, creating an atmosphere as dark and mysterious as a Norwegian forest in winter. Along with their stirringly full sound of drums, vocals and ancient Scandinavian instruments, we were treated to a solo Skaldic version of 'Voluspa' with Einar accompanying his plaintive singing on the kravik-lyre, reverberating around a spellbound Symphony Hall.