Folk
Live Review: Junior Brother / The Bonk – Whelans, Dublin 26.11.2021
At a packed, sold out Whelans, Junior Brother thrilled the crowd alongside support band The Bonk. The project is led by Waterford musician Phil Christie (O Emperor), who’s first recordings were undertaken and captured live a Big Skin Studios in Cork City The Bonk (click on thumbnail for full view) Borrowing a term used to …
Track: Newton Faulkner Releases ‘Christmas Light’ EP And Shares Lead Single ‘Winter Wonderland’
Folk-rock troubadour Newton Faulkner has taken on a new challenge of recording a bunch of familiar Christmas songs. After collaborating with Chris Rea’s Niece on Driving Home For Christmas, Faulkner has joined up with Scottish TikTok star, Nati Dredd on a version of Winter Wonderland. Newton wanted to collaborate with other artists he has recently …
Live Review: The Charlatans / Aoife Nessa Frances – Dublin, 3Olympia 23.11.2021 plus galleries
As the irrepressible Charlatans roll into Dublin, those of us at the 3Olympia early enough are the as Dublin singer-songwriter Aoife Nessa Frances takes to the stage. Taking tunes from her debut album ‘Land of No Junction’, released back in January 2020, her sounds flits inbetween experimental, psychedelic and folk music. Sadly, its hard to …
Track: Billie Flynn shares ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’: brandy warmth from the Cornish coast on a seasonal classic
THE SEASON, ’tis almost upon us, friends; and in celebration and expectation of that, chanteuse Billie Flynn, who’s based on Cornwall’s rugged granite coast, has revisited that holiday season classic “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” in her breathy, lovely style accompanied by a guitar of brandy warmth and, dare I say it? An almost …
Premiere: Bristol avant-folk troupe Dead Space Chamber Music release the serene beauty of Byrd One Brere
Bristol avant-folk troupe Dead Space Chamber Music are gearing up for the release of their forthcoming album The Black Hours, out on December 3rd on various beautiful physical releases, and from it we are delighted to be able to premiere the track Byrd One Brere right here on Backseat Mafia today. Of the track the …
Track: Melanie MacLaren Is Doing Much More than “Pushing Daisies”
“Pushing Daisies” is a new single from Nashville-based indie folk musician Melanie MacLaren. Leading up to her debut EP in January 2022, the initial singles have brought a chilly atmosphere, reminiscent of a sunny day in late autumn. Unlike the previous tracks, however, “Pushing Daisies” breaks the traditional folk boundaries she has established for her …
Premiere: Exclusive stream of the debut album Wild Oak, from Portland singer-songwriter J Nicolás: A collection of Folk-Americana gems
Portland, Oregon singer songwriter J. Nicolás is gearing up for the release of his debut album Wild Oak, and we’re delighted to be able to premiere a stream of the album right here on Backseat Mafia ahead of its release tomorrow. After spending nigh on two decades playing in bands and touring across the country, …
Live Review: Sola – Rothe House, Kilkenny 13.11.2021
Kilkenny three piece Sola are increasingly becoming known for their exceptional 3 pieces harmonies and their folk inspired guitar playing, and this was all on evidence when the trio took to the stage at the atmospheric Rothe House this past weekend. Opening the night with 2 tracks from their EP, you could here a pin …
News: elkyn announces his debut album and accompanying tour; hear a first single, the intimate whisper of ‘everything looks darker now’
WHERE his EP from last year, beech, got aficionados of a certain stripe of nocturnal, confessional singer-songwriters talking about great potential and one to watch, it looks like Joey Donnelly, the artist in his early twenties who appears with a guitar, a hushed voice and a bag of beautiful tunesmithery as elkyn, is set to …
News: Cambridge psych-folk explorers Fuzzy Lights announce UK dates for February
WITH their album Burials having been in out in the world a while now and receiving deserved praise for its exploratory shifts out of the genre from all quarters – we noted it as being “Way beyond folk and folk in essence all at once” (and you can read our full review here), Cambridge’s wyrd-folk …