Features

Every August the Snape Maltings Concert Hall plays host to nightly concerts which attract thousands of people to the Suffolk coast.

Folk fans will be flocking to the home of classical music this month as a clutch of BBC Folk Award winners bring their acclaimed acoustic artistry to one of my favourite venues. There's also a night for blues lovers as Snape lets its hair down.

Terrafolk

Let's start at the beginning and kicking off what promises to be a superb month's worth of concerts are Terrafolk who're certainly no strangers to East Anglia having played in our region on many occasions over the last few years.

Terrafolk

Terrafolk emerged in 1999 at Festival Lent in their native Slovenia and wasted no time securing slots at open air music events throughout Europe.

Within four years of forming, the band won the BBC World Music Audience Award having previously impressed UK audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe and Glastonbury.

It would be difficult to imagine a livelier start to the Snape Proms or, indeed to any weekend. Terrafolk are on stage on Friday 1 August.

The Blues Band

I've always had a soft spot for The Blues Band and they've got a soft spot for Snape Maltings.

On Sunday 10 August Paul Jones and company will be returning to the venue where they recorded their unplugged album Wireless back in 1995.

When Paul and guitarist Dave Kelly formed the group in 1979 I doubt very much they imagined the project would last anywhere near as long as it has.

It was listening to The Blues Band and the likes of Dr Feelgood and Nine Below Zero that converted me to the blues and it's a genre that's been a big part of my life ever since.

Dave Kelly will be back in Suffolk on Friday 1 November when he opens for the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band at the Ipswich Regent.

Rachel Unthank and Lau

On the evening after the Blues Band's return to one of their favourite venues there's a folk double bill at Snape Maltings.

The concert features Rachel Unthank and The Winterset from the North East of England and the Anglo-Scottish trio Lau.

Rachel Unthank and The Winterset

Rachel and her three fellow musicians picked up the Horizon Award at the 2008 BBC Folk Awards and were nominated in two other categories.

Their unique take on the traditional music of their native Northumbria is both buoyant and fragile. In sharp contrast Lau have a more boisterous approach with accordion and fiddle very much to the fore.

They were named Best Group at the 2008 BBC Folk Awards and if you catch them at Snape you'll know why.

Julie Fowlis

Just under a fortnight later I fully expect Snape Maltings to be packed for the visit of folk singer of the year Julie Fowlis.

Julie grew up in North Uist, a small island in the Outer Hebrides, and sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic.

Julie Fowlis

She owns one of the most beautiful singing voices I've ever heard and if that isn't enough she also plays the flute and pipes. To describe her as multi-talented would be something of an understatement and her eagerly awaited appearance with her group at Snape will be one of Suffolk's concerts of the year.

Her reputation has grown quickly. Last year she appeared on later With Jools Holland and among her many fans are Bjork, Ricky Gervais and Radiohead's Phil Selway.

Catch Julie on Sunday 24 August but don't leave it until the night to get a seat. You could be disappointed.

Bellowhead

Two days later, Tuesday 26, another multi-award winning folk act are on parade at the Proms. The 11 piece Bellowhead are taking traditional English music to new heights with their free-wheeling take on classic songs and dances.

The many, merry members of Bellowhead

Formed by Jon Boden and John Spiers five years ago, Bellowhead say they enjoy "merging a joyous, uplifting cacophony of sound with a slightly sinister, distorted collision of music hall, Lotte Lenya, Robert Wyatt and pure theatre."

That just about sums it up and all I can add to that is expect the unexpected.

A little bit more of what you fancy

So what a great few weeks in store for folk fans, with a bit of blues thrown in for good measure. If lovers of acoustic music need a top up in September then I see that the wonderful June Tabor is taking part in a slimmed-down Yoxford Arts Festival.

June will be accompanied by pianist Huw Warren at St. Margaret's Church in Leiston on Saturday September 13th. Tickets are £16 and are available by calling 01728 668401.

Later that month the Everyman Folk Club resumes after its summer break with Devon duo Simon Barron and Rosalind Brady getting the new season underway.

That's on Friday 26 September and, as ever, club nights are held at the Benhall & Sternfield Ex-Servicemen's Club in School Lane, Benhall. Contact Mary and Steve on 01449 615523 for more details.