Folk on Foot

Matthew Bannister

“Modest people, playing gorgeous music, speaking articulately about areas they love. Fabulously calming” – one listener’s description of this multi-award-winning podcast in which Matthew Bannister goes walking with top folk musicians in the landscapes that have inspired them. “A restorative breathing space in sound” – The Telegraph. “Immaculately produced” – The Times

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127 episodes
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Episodes127

Newest first

Jul 11, 2024 · 59 min
Melissa Harrison & Laura Cannell in Suffolk
On a beautiful day in May the novelist, nature writer and podcaster Melissa Harrison and the composer and multi instrumentalist Laura Cannell take us for a walk in the glorious Suffolk countryside. Laura plays a recorder duet with a nightingale, Melissa reads from her acclaimed novel “All Among The Barley” - appropriately enough in a field of ripening barley - and we hunt for barn owl pellets “like dark Kinder Eggs” as Melissa has it. Then Laura takes out her fiddle and - using her distinctive “overbowing” technique - plays music inspired by ancient traditions and a deep sense of place. --- We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either... Become a member and get great rewards: patreon.com/folkonfoot Or just buy us a coffee: ko-fi.com/folkonfoot Sign up for our newsletter at www.folkonfoot.com Follow us on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @folkonfoot --- Find out more about Melissa at https://melissaharrison.co.uk/ and Laura at https://lauracannell.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 13, 2024 · 50 min
Frankie Archer in Consett (and other parts of County Durham)
Frankie Archer brings traditional folk tunes rushing into the 21st Century. The singer, fiddle player and electronics wizard made an acclaimed appearance on Later With Jools Holland, who described her music as “astonishing”. In this episode, Frankie takes Matthew for a walk in Consett and the surrounding countryside, pausing to set up her loop pedals and perform in the lee of an abandoned crucible, the engine shed of the world’s oldest railway and in front of a spectacular view across the fields to the Newcastle skyline. --- We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either... Become a member and get great rewards: patreon.com/folkonfoot Or just buy us a coffee: ko-fi.com/folkonfoot Sign up for our newsletter at www.folkonfoot.com Follow us on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @folkonfoot --- Find out more about Frankie at https://frankiearchermusic.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 16, 2024 · 52 min
Megson on Teesside
Our wettest episode ever features the wonderful duo Megson (Stu and Debs Hanna) walking, talking and playing along the River Tees between Stockton and Middlesborough. This is where Stu and Debs grew up, began making music and fell in love. Their powerful songs tell vivid stories about the industrial heritage of the area through the eyes of the people who live there. With instruments wrapped in bin bags and recording gear hidden under producer Natalie’s all-encompassing poncho, we head for the Tees Barrage - pausing under bridges and even on a bandstand for Stu and Debs to perform. Then Stu tells Matthew that if he claps his hands, a seal will arrive. He does - and, amazingly, up it pops! --- We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either... Become a member and get great rewards: patreon.com/folkonfoot Or just buy us a coffee: ko-fi.com/folkonfoot Sign up for our newsletter at www.folkonfoot.com Follow us on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @folkonfoot --- Find out more about Megson at https://www.megsonmusic.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 18, 2024 · 59 min
Jackie Oates with John Spiers on the Thames Path at Wallingford
The singer and fiddle player Jackie Oates is joined by the squeezebox maestro John Spiers for a walk along the mighty River Thames in Oxfordshire. Between a song or two from the lace making industry, and a gorgeous “Lament To The Moon” Jackie talks about her passion for folk song and her recent training as a music therapist which took her into a hospice to help those nearing the end of their lives capture memories in song. She also recalls her folk-style wedding while John muses on the best way to make dandelion wine. It’s a fascinating walk with two of England’s finest folk musicians. --- We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either... Become a member and get great rewards: patreon.com/folkonfoot Or just buy us a coffee: ko-fi.com/folkonfoot Sign up for our newsletter at www.folkonfoot.com Follow us on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @folkonfoot --- Find out more about Jackie at https://www.jackieoates.co.uk/ and John at https://johnspiers.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 15, 2024 · 1 hr 5 min
Malin Lewis on Eilean Shona
The trans pipe and fiddle player Malin Lewis grew up on a magical island off the West coast of Scotland. There were no roads or cars and their family were the only permanent residents. Home schooled till the age of seven, Malin had an idyllic childho...
Feb 27, 2024 · 53 min
Bonus Episode: Joe Boyd and John Wood in conversation at Cecil Sharp House
Joe Boyd and John Wood were the producer and sound engineer behind some of the greatest folk rock albums of the 1960s and 70s. They worked with Pink Floyd on their first single Arnold Layne, with Fairport Convention on Unhalfbricking and Liege and Li...
Feb 16, 2024 · 50 min
TRÚ on the Mountains of Mourne
Come with us to the glorious Mountains of Mourne in Northern Ireland to meet the band TRÚ. Taking their name from a mythological trio of poet-musicians from ancient Ulster, Zach Trouton, Dónal Kearney and Michael Mormecha combine Irish nationalist, U...
Jan 19, 2024 · 59 min
Sandra Kerr (and Nancy Kerr) in Warkworth
The beloved baggy cloth cat Bagpuss is fifty years old in 2024. We celebrate his birthday by visiting Sandra Kerr at her home in the Northumberland village of Warkworth. Sandra co-wrote and arranged the music for the series and provided some of the v...
Dec 15, 2023 · 50 min
The Plygain Carols with Gwilym Bowen Rhys, Owen Shiers and the singers of Mallwyd
This year’s seasonal episode takes us to the village of Mallwyd in mid Wales to join the ancient tradition of the plygain carols. On a dark, cold night, local people gather in the warm and welcoming St Tydecho’s Church to sing Welsh language carols w...
Nov 17, 2023 · 45 min
Katie Spencer at Spurn Point
Come to “The Edge of the Land” with the wonderful singer, songwriter and guitarist Katie Spencer. She was born and brought up in East Yorkshire. In this episode she takes us to one of her favourite places: Spurn Point, a narrow spit of land that stre...
Oct 12, 2023 · 57 min
Jon Wilks in Birmingham
Jon Wilks is singlehandedly bringing folk music to a wider audience, through his excellent TradFolk website and Old Songs Podcast and of course by singing and playing the music itself. In this episode, he takes us for a walk around the stomping groun...
Sep 14, 2023 · 52 min
Fiona Soe Paing in Aberdeenshire
When the Scottish Burmese sound artist Fiona Soe Paing discovered that one of her ancestors was a traditional singer, she resolved to make a contemporary electronic album reflecting the music and folk tales of her home county of Aberdeenshire.On thi...
Aug 31, 2023 · 1 hr 28 min
The Music of the Big Walk
On August 4th 2023, Folk on Foot host Matthew Bannister set off on his biggest walk yet. Over two weeks, he covered 186 miles from Wickham Festival in Hampshire to Folk East in Suffolk, raising thousands of pounds for the charity Help Musicians. Ever...
Aug 24, 2023 · 1 hr 14 min
The Story of The Big Walk
On 4th August 2023, Folk on Foot host Matthew Bannister set off on his biggest walk yet: from Wickham Festival in Hampshire to Folk East in Suffolk. Over two weeks, he covered 186 miles, took 465,137 steps and raised thousands of pounds for the chari...
Jul 13, 2023 · 46 min
Johnny Campbell & Mikey Kenney on Whernside
This is our highest ever episode. We climbed to the top of Yorkshire’s tallest peak - Whernside - with the singer/songwriter Johnny Campbell and the fiddle player Mikey Kenney to help Johnny record a track for his forthcoming album “True North”. He’s...
Jun 15, 2023 · 1 hr
Angeline Morrison in North Cornwall
Angeline Morrison’s “The Sorrow Songs - Folk Songs of Black British Experience” was one of the most significant albums of recent times. On this walk near her home in North Cornwall, Angeline talks about her deep love for traditional music and her det...
May 18, 2023 · 56 min
James Yorkston and Nina Persson in Tentsmuir Forest
The Fife based singer/songwriter James Yorkston and the Cardigans lead singer Nina Persson teamed up with the Swedish Second Hand Orchestra to make the gorgeous album “The Great White Sea Eagle”. On this atmospheric walk through Tentsmuir Forest on t...
Apr 13, 2023 · 51 min
Katherine Priddy at Alvechurch & Tanworth in Arden
Katherine Priddy grew up in the village of Alvechurch in the West Midlands, writing songs as a teenager which eventually ended up on her beautiful debut album “The Eternal Rocks Beneath”. On a walk in the nearby countryside, she sings two of them be...
Mar 17, 2023 · 59 min
Amy-Jane Beer and Cynefin along the River Clettwr
Why do rivers play such a vital role in our lives, culture and folklore? In this glorious episode, the nature writer Amy-Jane Beer, author of “The Flow”, joins the Welsh singer and songwriter Owen Shiers (also known as Cynefin) on a walk up the beaut...
Feb 17, 2023 · 56 min
Freedom To Roam in the Malvern Hills
Freedom To Roam is a music and multi-media project dreamed up by the flautist Eliza Marshall as a response to many of the pressing issues facing us right now. On this walk climbing the glorious Malvern Hills she is joined by Catrin Finch (harp), Andr...