JIM BAINBRIDGE: Llantrisant Folk Club, Pontyclun Institute Athletic Club, March 8, 2017 Jim has been travelling all through his long life, far and wide; from the Marsden Folk Club in the Tyneside town of South Shields, where he was a member of The Marsden Rattlers ceilidh band, to Kent, West Cork in Ireland (where he…
Author: Micktems
Live Reviews, News
Tornish: beautiful scenery, wonderful gig
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TORNISH: Llantrisant Folk Club, Pontyclun, February 22, 2017 Tornish are Yorkshire-born flute and whistle player Tim Orrell and Gwen Màiri Yorke, who plays the clàrsach and pedal harp; she was bought up in Scotland by a Welsh mother and a Scottish father and now lives in Glasgow, making her living by playing for classical orchestras.…
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Celtic magicians steal the show by fiddling up a storm
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THE CELTIC FIDDLE FESTIVAL: Roots Unearthed, Lefel 3 Lounge, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, February 21, 2017 The Celtic Fiddle Festival were celebrating 25 years of performing together with a special tour, and the Lefel 3 Lounge was crowded out with eager punters all hoping to see and hear the latest fireworks – and they were…
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Connla: Irish whiz-kids are building a giant reputation
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CONNLA: Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl, February 16, 2017 Connla, according to Northern Irish mythology, was a giant warrior, the son of the Ulster champion Cú Chulainn and the Scottish warrior woman Aife. On his return to Ulster, Cú Chulainn put three geasa on his little boy, and in order to fulfil these he must not turn back,…
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Spiro serve up a brain-boggling acoustic wall of sound
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SPIRO: Roots Unearthed, Lefel 3, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, February 17, 2017 Spiro are… well, a musical enigma. Even in their home city of Bristol, they remain pretty hidden, inconspicuous and mysterious; but when they come together, the sparks truly fly and the Spiro magic is ignited. Guitarist Jon Hunt, piano accordionist Jason Sparkes, mandolinist…
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Martyn celebrates with spectacular songs for the coming home
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MARTYN JOSEPH: Roots Unearthed, Lefel 3, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, November 29, 2016 It was a brilliant, celebratory homecoming for Martyn Joseph. The Penarth-based guitarist, wonderful singer and unique songwriter was just into his Winter Tour, with shows and concerts all over the depth and breadth of the UK, with America and Europe beckoning on…
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Show Of Hands’ sheer artistry blows the crowds away
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SHOW OF HANDS: St David’s Hall, Cardiff, November 2, 2016 There’s no doubt about it: We have listened to their fabulous albums, including the much-heralded and recently-released Centenary Live At Exeter Cathedral, but seeing a Show Of Hands concert in the flesh is sheer and complete artistry. The audience is totally blown away by…
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Enda and gang leave crowd whooping, despite attack cheesecake
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WE BANJO 3: Roots Unearthed, Lefel 3, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, October 20, 2016 The packed Roots Unearthed audience and never seen or heard anything like it; the Irish band We Banjo 3, after a storming set, had cajoled the ecstatic punters to remain standing while they lit the blue touchpaper for the final, triumphant piece…
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Brilliant night for those brothers-in-arrums
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LYNCHED: Roots Unearthed, Lefel 3, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, September 20, 2016 It was the early 2000s, and Dublin brothers Ian and Daragh Lynch hit upon the plan of forming an experimental psychedelic folk-punk duo. That duo has metamorphosed into Lynched, the spellbinding and alluringly mesmerising young quartet who are fiercely proud of their traditions…
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Jigantic night as triumphant band go down a storm
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THE JIGANTICS: Llantrisant Folk Club, Pontyclun Institute Athletic Club, September 14, 2016 The Jigantics are an amazing phenomenon. The five musicians break every rule in the folk-police book as they deliver their interpretations of yee-haw country hits, Chuck Berry rock material and a welter of Americana, all richly ladled into exquisite guitar riffs, drum rolls,…