SpiralEarth.co.uk features

In the studio with 3 Daft Monkeys

At the Beautiful Days Festival last year (2012) we sat on the hill by the Bimble Inn chatting with Athene and Tim of Three Daft Monkeys. Our conversation was mostly about them expecting their first baby and how they would adapt to the change in lifestyle, whilst maintaining their...more

13/05/2013

Nick Burbridge: Fourteen stations down the line

Nick Burbridge won the 'Songwriter of the Year' category in the Spiral awards 2013. Now, there is a strong chance that you have never heard of him, his performances are rarer than hens teeth, he has no industry or PR support and he completely lacks the ego that propels many artis...more

29/03/2013

On t’Road with O’Hooley & Tidow (Part One)

Greetings Spiral readers, and welcome to “On t’road with O’Hooley & Tidow”. Do climb aboard our trusty Skoda Chariot and join us as we trundle haphazardly across the country to various folk clubs, art centres, theatres, acoustic clubs and anywhere else that will have us, performi...more

05/03/2013

Folk Awards: View from the bar awards

So the Folk Awards have gone even further North this year, all the way to Scotland as part of Celtic Connections. Yes its good to move it around and not be London centric, but have you any idea of the price of a rail ticket from Cambridge to Glasgow? I considered selling a kidney...more

31/01/2013

UK Music Festival Directory 2013

The Spiral earth festival directory is all updated for 2013 - It is our guide to roots music festivals in the UK. 2012 was a challenging year for events across the UK, with a nasty combination of recession and foul weather many events were cancelled. However the ones that went ah...more

31/12/2012

Emily barker - Guest Editor

Emily Barker took the reins in November 2012, in it she was 'chatting with Gill Sandell, my long time collaborator and friend; Jonny Kearney and Lucy Farrell, who we’re honoured to have opening the Union Chapel show for us; Chris T-T, who is our other very special guest for the s...more

26/12/2012

Jamie Smith's Mabon - video interview

With the release of their great new album 'Windblown' Jamie Smith's Mabon embark on a busy Autumn, only fitting when you consider that their name means 'Autumn Equinox' in Welsh. We sent them a set of interview questions and they answered us in this video......more

05/11/2012

Treacherous Orchestra, tour blog part 3

The travelling beast that is the Treacherous Orchestra heads south to England for their first London gig and the end of the tour in Shoreham by Sea. Does the ususal mayhem ensue? Oh yes......more

05/11/2012

Treacherous On Tour - part 2

Day 4 - And so we climb in to the TO tour bus, our plushest vehicle yet in full black with matt finish bonnet, and head to Auld Reekie in search of enlightenment. It’s the Teviot tonight, a good opportunity to ramp it up for the student masses. We are in the debating hall on th...more

09/10/2012

Treacherous Orchestra UK Tour Blog - part 1

Tonight it’s Perth as part of the Gordon Duncan National Treasure concert. Gordon was a massive inspiration for the band, always great to be part of this night. The evening is being MD'd by our very own Ross Ainslie and features piping legends Paddy Keenan and Fred Morrison among...more

02/10/2012

Ewan McLennan Interview

Ewan McLennan is a brilliant guitarist and songwriter, his debut album,Rags & Robes, has been receiving glowing reviews. Described as 'a collection of truly captivating songs', it was chosen as a 'Top Ten Album of 2010' by MOJO and has won numerous accolades in radio and print me...more

28/09/2012

ahab tour blog

Winners of 'Best Group' in the 2012 Spiral Awards, ahab will be sending us blogs from their current UK tour throughout September and October. Kicking off we have Dave Burn telling us about their vast team behind ahab... well, the van and Jack Python their tour manager and lightin...more

26/09/2012

Last Shop Standing - a new documentary

Last Shop Standing is a new film documenting 'The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the independent record shop'. It is a collaboration between award winning film company Blue Hippo Media and Proper Music Publishing. The fifty minute film celebrates the surviving independent record store...more

07/08/2012

Toy Hearts interviews and new album

The Toy Hearts are one of the most innovative UK Americana acts, their new album 'Whiskey' is out now. To tie in with our review we have interviews with Hannah and Sophia to find out a bit more about the band, their motivation and creative process. The Birmingham based Johnson fa...more

07/07/2012

Sark Folk Festival review 2012

The third Sark Folk Festival was another brilliant weekend of varied music in a gorgeous setting. You can read our review of the weekend with lots of pics now on Spiral Earth. We have interviews that will be following it up soon with Steve Knightley, Martin Simpson and Andy Cutti...more

04/07/2012

Interview with Dave Farrow of DMF Music - part 1

Dave and Laura Farrow run the independent music agency DMF music, based in Devon. They combine artist management, booking services, promotion and organise the Levellers Beautiful Days Festival every August at Escot Park in Devon. I spoke to Dave recently about the music and festi...more

23/05/2012

interview with Dave Farrow of DMF Music - part 2

23/05/2012

Spiral Earth at Bearded Theory 2012

We are at the fifth Bearded Theory festival at Kedleston Hall Park in Derbyshire. It really is the best yet, the site is great and the programming of acts is as diverse as ever, with the main stage on Saturday veering from Ferocious Dog to Cara Dillon via Credit To The Nation - i...more

20/05/2012

Bristol Folk festival 2012 review feature

Bristol Folk Festival is back once more! And, if last year's version was the new and improved, 2012 was the super deluxe. Now, using every inch of the Colston Hall's golden megadome extension, punters were free to wander in and experience roots music's incredible ability to unite...more

10/05/2012

Seth Lakeman - Tales From The Barrel House

We have an exclusive stream of four tracks from 'Tales From The Barrel House', the new album from Seth Lakeman that is released today. Lakeman retreated for a while to record this album, literally from the limelight and from everyone close as he found this historical centre with ...more

01/04/2012

Exclusive podcast from Sam and Hannah with Mick Peat

Sam Sweeney and Hannah James have come up with a whole weeks worth of great content as our guest editors, as a little added extra we have a podcast from them. It's a great listen, presented by the great Mick Peat it's a fantastic interview and insight into their world. Other high...more

01/04/2012

Record Store Day: April 21st 2012

Record Store Day came into being in 2007 when over 700 independent stores in the USA came together to celebrate their unique culture. The UK followed suit and 2012 will see the fourth celebration of the UK's unique independent sector. This is the one day that all of the independe...more

28/03/2012

Ghosts From The Basement

“Lost songs, dreams and folkadelia - a reminder that outside London there was also a healthy experimental folk scene in Bristol, where Village Thing Records was home for an array of guitarists, singer-songwriters and exponents of what would later be called psych-folk.”- Robin Den...more

12/03/2012

Signed Albion Band album - the winners

The competition is over and the three winners are; Harriet Jones, Bob Lowtham and Jason Jackson, the CD's will be in the post to you in the next few days! We have three copies of the excellent new album by the all new Albion Band 'Vice of the People' to give away. The newly rebor...more

29/02/2012

What's Occurring? February 2012

Fresh from the delights and horrors of Celtic Connections, Colin Irwin spills the beans on all the gossip he can remember from the whiskey soaked nights. So it's news on Nic Jones, the new Imagined Village album, Eliza and martin Carthy recording a duet album, Seth Lakeman, Jim M...more

07/02/2012

Blair Dunlop Interview

We interviewed Young Folk Award nominee Blair Dunlop late last year. He talked about his solo career, the folk award nomination and the all new Albion Band of which he is a part. Blair’s new E.P., "Bags Outside The Door", is now available on Rooksmere Records. ...more

23/01/2012

Annabelle Chvostek - Interview for Spiral Earth

When Annabelle Chvostek joined the Wailin' Jennys in 2004, the rest of the world found out what a grassroots network of Canadian roots fans had known for several years: that Chvostek is a formidable songwriter, a versatile multi-instrumentalist, and a fearless and innovative arti...more